Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman has a message for Wayne County voters:

Keep Arthur Lombard on the bench and off skates.

By Doug Durfee / The Detroit News

Yzerman subtly pokes fun at Lombard, who is running for Wayne County circuit judge, in a television commercial that begins airing Monday.

Ironically, Yzerman is Canadian and cannot vote for Lombard.

"I'm sorry that he can't (vote for me)," said the judge, who admits he skates poorly. "It's been a delight to have somebody of his stature and his level of sportsmanship come to my aid."

In the commercial, Yzerman praises Lombard's judicial demeanor but avoids talking about the judge's hockey skills. Yzerman calls Lombard "a great judge. As a hockey player... Eh."

"We are friends and neighbors (in Grosse Pointe Farms)," Lombard said, "and he asked me a long time ago what he could do for the campaign."

Yzerman was in Buffalo for Saturday night's game and couldn't be reached. But the judge, tongue firmly in cheek, believes the Red Wings star knows what it takes to be a sound jurist.

"He's spent time in the penalty box," Lombard said, referring to the spot where miscreant hockey players are sent for violating rules during games. "He understands about the law."

Lombard is making his second elective bid for the circuit court. Gov. John Engler appointed him to a vacancy in 1994, but he lost in the November election that year. In 1995, Engler reappointed Lombard to another vacancy after the judge received endorsements from lawyers and other judges.

Yzerman and Lombard have something else in common besides their neighborhood. The judge said both men know what it's like to come close and lose.

"We have commiserated losses and celebrated victories," he said. "Hopefully, this will be a winning year for both of us.

Copyright 1996, The Detroit News