Bob Wojnowski

Steve Yzerman cherishes trip to Hall

Detroit

When the call came, he was doing what he usually does, what he has done all his adult life. It was late morning, and Steve Yzerman was in a Joe Louis Arena office, working to help make the Red Wings better.

The amazing career circle isn't closing but it grows more complete as the years pile up. And it's safe to say, Yzerman won't have many years like this, or an honor like this. A Red Wing for 22 years and captain for an NHL-record 19 seasons, Yzerman received the grandest honor possible Tuesday, voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

When he spoke, he used words of humility such as "lucky" and "fortunate," and I suppose there's some of that. But this goes deeper, an acknowledgement of a life's work, of a journey that took Yzerman to heights and depths and every station in between, but never took him away from Detroit.

I think that's why Detroiters sometimes get more emotional about Yzerman's deeds than he does himself, because he's one of the best and he never left, enduring injuries, trade rumors and crushing losses.

But on this day, even the stoic Captain confessed to a rare lump in the throat.

"It was a thrilling moment," Yzerman, 44, said of the call he received from the Hall's Bill Hay. "I'd read about other guys and how exciting it was, and when I got it, it was very emotional, actually. I really, really appreciate it."

This is the newest pinnacle in a career loaded with them, and it'll be capped by the induction Nov. 9, when Yzerman will be joined by three other former players -- Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Brian Leetch. Yzerman, Hull and Robitaille were part of the Wings' 2002 Stanley Cup champions, coached by Hall-of-Famer Scotty Bowman. We knew that team was special, and this is fitting confirmation.

Still a leader

Somehow, Yzerman's spotlight keeps growing, even after skating away from it and into the Wings' front office. Later this week, he'll perform one of his biggest duties as executive director of Team Canada when he names the coach for the 2010 Olympics, widely expected to be Mike Babcock.

For Yzerman, the transition continues, three years after leaving the ice, his ravaged right knee worn out. First injured in 1988, the knee became a symbol of Yzerman's perseverance, and in a strange way, the beginning of his transformation, as he had to train harder to keep up.

Always quiet, always humble -- that's how Yzerman is portrayed and it's wholly accurate, and also misleading. Quiet never meant he didn't have a voice, and humble never meant he didn't want to win as much as he could, for as long as he could.

Yzerman became a truly unique leader, and I think it's because he did things the hard way, starting with all the injuries. He learned he couldn't win by himself, so he had to instill in others that winning came from defense and hard work, after Bowman instilled it in him.

"A lot of what people think a leader is, it's influenced by the movies," Yzerman said Tuesday. "The reality is not as dramatic. You come to work every day, you conduct yourself a certain way, and you're accountable. Players are very astute, and they don't fall for insincerity or hype. It's not about making big speeches. It's not what you say or how you say it, but how you do it."

And that's what endures long after the knee stops working.

We can recount the statistics -- the three Cups Yzerman helped deliver, the 692 goals (eighth all-time) and 1,755 points (sixth all-time) -- but the moments of adversity are what shaped him, and his reaction defined him.

After Jimmy Devellano made Yzerman the first draft pick of Mike Ilitch's new regime, selecting him fourth overall in 1983 (behind the guy the Wings admittedly coveted, Pat LaFontaine), the flashy center revived the team, scoring 39 goals his first season.

"He had an unbelievable amount of ability; but he also had a will that was second to none," Devellano says now. "When he first had that bad knee injury, I figured, well, his career probably won't last very long. But he worked his (butt) off. Gordie Howe carried this franchise for a quarter-century, and then Steve pretty much carried us through the '80s, and it was hard. We had a few good years and some not-so-good years, but there was always Yzerman."

Always Yzerman, as true a Detroit sports icon as Howe and Al Kaline and Barry Sanders and Isiah Thomas. The good times sprang from the tough times, like in the early '90s, when Bryan Murray mulled trading Yzerman after early playoff ousters. Then Bowman arrived and seriously considered trading him to Ottawa.

Yzerman didn't want to leave, and you wonder about the source of his humility and resolve? It comes from his parents, but it also comes from the dual humblings of injuries and Bowman, who demanded Yzerman become more than a scorer.

He gave his all

On a day of introspection, listen to what Yzerman says about the issues that molded him.

On the trade possibilities: "I certainly wasn't caught totally by surprise. Every year I'd be driving home thinking we'd failed again, so we all were on pins and needles. It turned out to be a good learning experience. It made me mentally stronger and better able to deal with adversity, and I came out of it a better player."

On adapting to Bowman's harsh style: "Scotty asked us to play a different way, and it was difficult. But when we got into those playoff situations, we didn't blink an eye, and I attribute a lot to him being so demanding. He pushed us and made us know we were playing for our jobs. We had to answer to him, and when you finally survived it and were able to play for Scotty Bowman, you knew you'd proved something. You became hardened, you believed in yourself. He made you earn it."

In every way, Yzerman earned this. During that 2002 Cup run, the Wings fell behind Vancouver, 2-0, in the first round and Yzerman quietly swore all would be fine. The Wings went on to win the Cup with his knee so severely damaged, he'd undergo a radical osteotomy -- almost never performed on active athletes -- barely six months after he also helped Team Canada win Olympic gold. Three seasons later, he was done as a player, every last drop drained out of him.

Yes, it's a long, long trip to the big Hall, and for Yzerman, the phone call was thrilling. But the trip itself -- ah, that's what he cherishes, still.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com