January 3, 2007

THE PLAYERS

Captain Nicklas Lidstrom: "It's something to remember. I thought Stevie's speech says a lot about Stevie. He's always composed and saying the right things. I thought it was a great ceremony for him."

Ducks forward Teemu Selanne: "I actually snuck out a couple times to watch. I wasn't supposed to but I did. 19, it was always great to play against him, and I watched him just because he's a special player and a class guy, one of my heroes and a great story."

Lidstrom, on seeing former teammate Vladimir Konstantinov come out onto the ice for the ceremony: "He actually comes in here every now and then, he usually sits in (Jiri Fischer's) spot. It's always emotional to see Vladdie. I thought it was great of them to have him out there on the ice, too. We've seen a lot of improvements in him. He really enjoys just coming in here and sitting here before we go out for our skate. He still recognizes me and some of the other guys in here."

Robert Lang: "I think it was done first-class. Stevie had a great speech; I think it's pretty hard to keep it together. It's definitely an emotional night even though he retired awhile back. I thought it was a very nice night, and I'm happy to be part of it."

Dan Cleary: "I thought it was amazing, and I was real honored to be a part of it. I thought he spoke well, kept it together pretty good. It was nice to see all the greats that came back."

Henrik Zetterberg: "It was a great thing to be a part of, to see No. 19 go up to the ceiling. It was a special feeling."

THE FANS

Steve Buffett, 28, Toronto: "I've shed a lot of tears tonight. I was supposed to bring my dad here. ... First of all it was a surprise from my wife, a Christmas present. The last gift she gave me was a Steve Yzerman book and on page 19 she had two tickets for tonight. I think the biggest part was how he praised everyone else but himself. It shows his classiness. He's always been the most gentlemanly player to ever lace up skates."

Toni Rusch, 34, Rochester Hills: "I have a share in season tickets. I said I want the Jan. 2 game. I don't care about any other games, I just wanted to be at this one."

Rick Warren, 42, Windsor: "I find him a very stand-up guy. Not a lot of guys when their jersey's being raised up, they thank the other team for being patient. But that's the type of guy he is. He has always been there for the fans, there for the teams, there for everybody else, never for himself."