The Captain's story provides good hockey fix

Author: Joe Conklin / The Grand Rapids Press

Article Text:

The NHL lockout may damage the sport permanently. The bitterness on all sides -- fans, owners and players -- intensifies every day.

It hits hardest for loyal fans who over two decades watched the awakening of the Detroit Red Wings from a laughingstock franchise into a three-time Stanley Cup champion. They may never see captain Steve Yzerman, the player most responsible for the turnaround, wear the Winged Wheel again.

Injuries and the wear and tear of a 20-year career have taken their toll. Our last image of Yzerman the captain and leader may be of him skating off the ice with a serious eye injury in last spring's playoff series against Calgary.

Yzerman reappeared to introduce captains Bernhard Langer and Hal Sutton at the opening Ryder Cup ceremonies in September at Oakland Hills Country Club, his home course.

He looked refreshed and ready for another season, but with each passing day it appears No. 19 may have played his last game.

At a time when athletes crave attention,Yzerman steadfastly avoids the spotlight. He declined the author's interview attempts for this book, but didn't prevent friends, teammates and business associates from cooperating. The only Yzerman quotes come from old newspaper clippings.

"I have no intentions to look back at my time as a hockey player," Yzerman is quoted as saying. "When it's over, it's over."

The narrative will provide a quick holiday fix for Wings fans weary of watching game tapes. It chronicles Yzerman's career from the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League to the Red Wings to international competitions.

Possible trades are detailed. "There were two times in Steve's career when there were definate trade possibilities," Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano told author Douglas Harvey. The first was for Michigan native Pat LaFontaine; the second would have been a multi-player deal with the Ottawa Senators.

The deals were never made, of course, allowing Yzerman to become the second greatest player in Hockeytown's fabled history.

One of the best moments in Yzerman's career came in the spring of 1997 when the Wings finally ended their 42-year Stanley Cup drought. Wearing the captain's 'C' on his left shoulder, Yzerman is the heart of the team photo taken moments after the cup presentation.

There was no other place for Yzerman. His place in hockey's hall of fame and in the hearts of Red Wings fans is secure.