Stevie Y to announce his retirement today

Re: Steivie Y to announce his retirement today

Of course, Hubert Davis might have been the best guard in Knicks history if not Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier or a few others.

 

Am I out of bounds on this?
I've always felt the Steve Yzerman was the Isiah Thomas of Hockey (in playing only) -- specifically, a superb talent and a solid leader, but a step behind the Jordans, Birds and Magics (or the Greztkys and Lemieuxs) of his time...
That said, he was one impressive player///

 

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux also commented on Yzerman's legacy:

"Steve Yzerman was a tremendous hockey player who epitomized everything good about our game. He loved the game and played with passion every night. He was a winner who led Detroit to three Stanley Cups and was always there for his country to represent Canada on the international stage. He was the face of the Detroit Red Wings for the past 20 years and will be remembered as one of the best players and leaders that ever played the game of hockey. It was a pleasure to have worked with him.
-Wayne Gretzky

"Steve was a great ambassador for the game of hockey and will be sorely missed by everyone associated with the Nation Hockey League. Steve was a great leader, a great teammate and most importantly is a great person. I was fortunate to play at the 2002 Olympics with Steve and we won a gold medal together. It was a memorable experience and something I'll always cherish. I wish Steve the best of luck."
-Mario Lemieux

 

Re: Steivie Y to announce his retirement today

Yes, but Gretzky's was the last. Lemieux first retired at the end of the 96-97 season and got his, and Gretzky's was at the end of the 98-99 season.

 

Gretzky and Lemieux were immensely talented on the attack side of the puck. Stevie Y is the best two-way player in the modern era. He took care of business at both ends. I'm sure going to miss watching him play and I also thank God I got to see him play live once in my lifetime.

 

I don't know of another 60-goal scorer who ever won the Selke for best defensive forward but even Yzerman will admit he didn't pay a lot of attention to defence back in the day. It was something he worked hard at after Scotty Bowman came to Detroit.

Here's another interesting tidbit -- in the 20 years that Stevie Y captained the Wings, which is a record, 200 other guys wore the "C" for other NHL teams.

 

His leadership is unquestionable and incomparable.

 

The only leader who comes to mind who carried himself with the same kind of class, grace and dignity is Jean Beliveau.

Jean Ratelle would fit in this category too but he never wore a "C" with either the Rangers or the Bruins.