Hockey Hall of Fame

Memories of Wings' 2002 Cup team dominate Hall of Fame

Chris McCosky / The Detroit News

Toronto --Steve Yzerman stood in the middle of a large circle of media Monday, wearing his Hockey Hall of Fame blazer and his brand new hall of fame ring several hours before the formal induction ceremony and he was struck by how easily his career could have gone a completely different direction.

"There is such a fine line between winning and losing," Yzerman said. "I came into the league in 1983 and retired in 2006. You win three Cups and you say, 'Wow, it was a successful career.' But the 19 other years weren't so successful. You grind it out just to win one Cup and you can consider yourself a success."

Yzerman, Red Wings captain for 20 seasons, went into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday with former teammates Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, as well as former New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch and longtime New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello.

"I just feel really lucky," Yzerman said. "Mr. (Mike ) Ilitch bought the team in 1982 and I was drafted in 1983 and we were able to build a team that eventually won a bunch of Stanley Cups. I was just real fortunate to play with such great players, with great coaches and for an ownership group that insisted on and demanded winning."

Ilitch was on hand for the ceremonies, along with the most of the Wings' front office -- including Ken Holland, Jimmy Devellano, Jim Nill and Mike Babcock, along with current captain Nick Lidstrom and former Wings Chris Chelios, Gerard Gallant and Bob Probert.

"I feel like a hockey dad," Ilitch said. "Steve was 17 years old when we drafted him. He came in wearing a red tie and Mrs. Ilitch thought that was so cute. He's just like a son to us. I never dreamt he would be such a superstar."

Hull and Robitaille felt equally blessed, if not somewhat astounded, by their induction. Hull was the 117th player drafted in 1984 and couldn't even get a fourth-line spot with the Calgary Flames early in his career. Robitaille was taken 171st that same year by the Los Angeles Kings who earlier in that draft took a player named Tom Glavine, even though they knew he was going to pursue a career in baseball.

"I just wanted to play in the NHL so badly," Robitaille said. "It was just dedication and not listening to people, not listening to the people who said I couldn't play."

Here's the combined resume of the four inductees:

Seven Stanley Cups (10 if you count Lamoriello's), 34 All-Star appearances, 2,348 goals, 5,518 points, two Conn Smythe trophies, two Lester B. Pearson trophies, two Norris trophies, two Calder trophies, a Lady Byng, Selke, Hart and a Masterton.

"Things would've been a heck of a lot easier had I won a Cup earlier in my career, I can tell you that," Yzerman said with a chuckle. "But looking back, going through some of those things made me appreciate winning. When you win early you don't understand how hard it is. Some of those ups and downs, I mean you go through it -- I went through everything you can go through in this game.

"I've experienced it all and it made me a better player and in the role I am in now (vice president of hockey) it makes me more educated and better able to relate to players and coaches."

As you would expect, with Yzerman, Hull and Robitaille going in together, there was a lot of talk about the 2002 Stanley Cup championship team in Detroit.

"Playing with Stevie and Luc in Detroit was tremendous," Hull said. "I played a lot against them, especially Stevie being in the same division all those years I was in St. Louis. But knowing what he was on the ice and getting to know him and learning what he was all about off the ice, really showed why he was considered one of the greatest leaders in all of sports."

"That was a dream year," Ilitch said. "I couldn't believe the stars we had on that team and how they jelled. Everybody said, 'Everybody is going to want the puck. You can't win.' Well, we won everything and it was great."

Hull called it "the greatest team ever assembled," and why not? That 2002 team was coached by a Hall-of-Famer (Scotty Bowman), built by a future Hall-of-Famer (Holland), and propelled by Hall-of-Famer Igor Larionov, the three new inductees plus future Hall-of-Famers Brendan Shanahan, Dominic Hasek, Nick Lidstrom, Chris Chelios and perhaps Sergei Fedorov.

"It was ridiculous how many Hall-of-Fame caliber players that were there," Hull said. "But the greatest thing was how everyone just put their egos aside and played the game.

"We just really enjoyed playing the game together. I mean to have 600 goals from Shanny, 700 from me, 600 from Robitaille and 600 from Stevie and nobody complained about getting the puck or scoring goals."

Yzerman has been given a lot of credit for keeping the egos in check on that team, but both he and Hull said it went deeper than that.

"It was just the blueprint," Hull said. "When you walked in that door, you checked your ego and played the game. You watched Stevie on the ice and off the ice, playing the game the way Scottie wanted us to play. I mean, it was just a matter of fact that that was the way you were going to do it. If not, you got the boot."

Said Yzerman: "We didn't look at it like that. I mean, we didn't sit around the room admiring each other's careers. We just really had a lot of fun."

During his acceptance speech, he added, "I know I was never a natural born leader. I was molded into a leader for the Detroit Red Wings by my teammates, management and my coaches. As I stand here tonight, I represent all of you."

Yzerman finished his speech by telling the story of the 1997 Stanley Cup presentation, on the ice at Joe Louis Arena.

"I had the great fortune to present the Cup to Mike and Marian Ilitch on the bench with the entire family behind them. It was a great moment of pride and a great moment of relief for me," he said. "I thank the Red Wings organization for all you've done for me. I've made it to the finish line.

"I've been playing this game since the age of five and I've had outstanding coaches from Day One, starting with my dad and ending with my final coach in the NHL, Mike Babcock. I played on great teams with great players and great people. All contributed greatly to my journey here to the Hall of Fame.

"In my fourth year of retirement, I look back on my life in hockey, how it shaped me and all it's given me, and I am certain of one thing -- I am where I want to be."

chris.mccosky@detnews.com (313) 222-1489