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Thanks, Stevie!
Jennifer Miller	1/04/2007
Recently I was watching a repeat episode of the NBC series "Scrubs." In it, Dr. Cox played by unabashed Chris Chelios fan John C. McGinley was stuck on a double date he would rather have avoided. At one point he asked the other man on the date what his favorite professional sports team was and the man replied that it was the Red Wings. Dr. Cox revealed that he was wearing his Red Wing jersey under his shirt and stated, "For the next 25 minutes, I will explain to you why the Detroit Red Wings are the greatest sports franchise ever." I know some will want to make a case for the New York Yankees but after watching the festivities last night from Joe Louis Arena, I think Dr. Cox may have a point. We know that hockey players are a different breed of athlete and anyone tuning in for the ceremony to retire Steve Yzerman's jersey number last night was privy to exactly what makes hockey players so special. The "C" on Yzerman's jersey stood for Captain. But really it stood for so much more. Character. Class. Courage. Champion. The character to be the leader at the tender age of 21. When he was still so baby faced he looked as if he still needed a note from his mom to be out there. It was character that brought him to the rink even when he was injured and couldn't really practice because he never wanted his players to think he thought himself above them. It was character that caused him to deny himself the sip of champagne from the Stanley Cup after the first win. Just so that he could support Darren McCarty's sobriety. It was character that made him hand over the cup to Vladimir Konstantinov after the win in 1998 rather than taking his own solo lap around the ice. I know he downplayed his leadership in his speech, to loud protests from those in attendance. He says all he did was play. That is bunk to put it bluntly. We all know it and I hope somewhere deep down he does too. We talk so often of the class of hockey players. How they deflect personal achievement to the rest of the team. The trips to the children's hospitals that no one reports on. Steve Yzerman never once threw a team member under the bus. He never once bragged about his personal skills. He could have but he didn't. In fan circles, I defy anyone to find one anecdote where Steve Yzerman behaves in a rude or ungracious fashion. I've never heard one. We saw the class on full display last night when he spoke of the legacy of such greats as Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. How he just wanted to carry on their tradition. I don't even think I need to speak of the word courage. I can just direct you all to the images burned into our collective psyche from the 2002 playoffs. Remember the times when he needed his stick to stand up and yet he skated and scored and checked and whatever else he needed to do to bring Lord Stanley's chalice back to Hockeytown. He deflects the praise for this as well with his typical "Shucks ma'am it weren't nuthin." demeanor. But we all know better. And he is a champion in the truest sense of the word. Not just because of the three Stanley Cup rings or the Olympic gold. But because he put all else aside for the good of the team. He sacrificed goals and accolades for the chance to take his team to the promised land. Just for a moment think of what numbers he could have racked up if he had continued to score at the torrid pace of his first few years in the league. In closing his speech, Steve said that he couldn't find the right words to adequately thank the fans for the support through the years. To him I say, it is we, the fans, who will never be able to thank you enough. The joy, the memories, the privilege of watching him play. Thank you, Mr. Yzerman. Thank you!