Detroit Red Wings

Stevie Y embraces the Joe one last time
March 25, 2017, 2:57 PM ET [5 Comments]
Bob Duff
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On his farewell business trip to Joe Louis Arena, originally, Steve Yzerman wasn’t feeling the least bit sentimental.

Asked if he’d take a moment to look around and drink it all in, Yzerman remained focused on the task at hand.

“Depends on what the score is,” he remarked.

Queried as to what memento he’d like from the rink he’d called home for more than two decades, the former Detroit Red Wings captain, today the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, was only thinking about the present.

“Not likely, no,” Yzerman said. “I’m hoping to get two points that would be a nice way to get out of here.”

He got his wish. The Lightning, battling for an Eastern Conference playoff spot, beat the Wings 2-1 in overtime.

Eventually, Yzerman warmed up a bit when it came to his JLA memories, and reasoned why there was no need for him to grab onto anything tactile.

“I’ve got tremendous memories that I’ll always have and nothing is better than those,” Yzerman said. “I loved playing here, I loved being in the building, obviously I had a lot of very exciting moments. Every now and then you see a highlight on TV and it brings back some memories.”

“There’s a lot of memories. The Stanley Cups, obviously, getting the trophy twice here and the two Stanley Cups were the most exciting.”

Trying to decipher what made the rink special to him, Yzerman came up with a laundry list of items that warmed his heart.

“There’s a lot of things,” Yzerman said. “The simplicity of the building is what was great about it, why it lasted so long. The atmosphere in the building. The fans were right on top of you.

“I liked the ice surface. The ice was always good. The boards were good. They had a little cushion to them. As a player, all the things that were important to a player, this building had.”

That he was able to spend his entire playing career suiting up for the same team in one building also helped Yzerman to embrace the Joe.

“I take great pride in that,” Yzerman said. “I loved playing here, I loved playing in Detroit. It was really special to be a Red Wing my entire career.

“I was really lucky and I never forget that there was a lot of luck involved. The timing comes into it. We did a lot of winning as a team. When a team wins, they keep it together. That was one of the biggest reasons I stayed here.”

Even though it’s coming to an end, Yzerman also thinks than Wings fans should embrace with equal fervor the club’s 25-year run of playoff appearances, figuring that it will never happen again in pro sports.

“I think everyone in Detroit should be proud of it,” Yzerman said. “It’s incredibly difficult to make the playoffs in this league. Going back, I forget when the exact year it was, the last one, but the early ‘90s.”

It was 1989-90 that the Wings last missed the playoffs, Yzerman’s seventh NHL campaign, but from that point onward his was all gravy until he retired in 2006.

“This team was a legitimate competitor for the Stanley Cup for a lot of years,” Yzerman said. “It wasn’t just a four or five-year span, it’s been a 20-year span they’ve been legitimate contenders for the Cup. Kenny’s (Detroit GM Ken Holland) done a tremendous job of managing the team and keeping it competitive on a yearly basis.”