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A man with incredible accomplishments and integrity, he was a dedicated captain and dedicated to his teammates and his fans. His fans, in turn, were just as dedicated to him.
And I think I probably speak for every one of them when I say it was a really sad day when he retired. We would have been happy just to see him out there skating around.
It was almost like the lights went out in Michigan.
He is a shining example of what every hockey player should strive to be but he was pretty unique and he'll be hard to beat. A wonderful keepsake for anyone who wasand still isa Steve Yzerman fan.
We would have been happy to see him in a Red Wings jersey for many years to come.
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We get to see a young Yzerman, just 18 years old as he shakes hands with team owner Mike Illitch after being selected in the first round.only after the Wings first choice, Pat LaFontaine, was drafted one spot earlier. Reviewed by Tim Janson. A fierce competitor on the ice, who over came numerous injuries, and a pure gentleman off the ice, Yzerman retired after the 2005 - 2006 season to take a much deserved spot in the Red Wings front office. Re-live those early playoff disappointments including the Stanley Cup finals loss to New Jersey in 1995. The word legend is thrown about quite freely these days but it certainly applies to Yzerman. This is a must have for any Red Wings fan.
Yzerman's visit to the David Letterman Show and the tragic accident of Vladimir Konstantinov is also covered as well as Stevie's career achievements and milestones and his laundry list of injuries suffered throughout his career. We can all thank the NY Islanders for that. More than any other player, coach, or owner, Yzerman was responsible for resurrecting a once great hockey team that had fallen on lean times in the 1970's and early 1980's. Here was perhaps the most modest superstar you could ever hope to meet.
In this era of free agency and mega-million dollar salaries, Steve Yzerman was a rarity.a superstar athlete who played his entire career with just one team. This marvelous book from the Detroit Free Press and Triumph books traces the career of one of the greatest professional athletes in Detroit sports history. The book tracks Yzerman's career, season-by-season, reprinting articles by Free Press writers such as Mitch Albom, Keith Gave, and Nick Cotsonika. Then relive the glory of 1997 as the Red Wings took revenge on the hated Colorado Avs, first in the regular season, and then in the playoffs, on their way to their first Stanley cup since 1955. You need only mention "The Captain" to any Detroiter and they will know who you are talking about.
The tagline to this book says it all."22 seasons, 3 cups, one team" and that one team may be more important than the three Stanley Cups. Yzerman was named team captain in 1986, at just 21 years of age, making him the youngest captain in team history.
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It's pretty much the same format - reprints of news articles and photos that appeared in the paper, along with some original features. Whereas "Champion" covered the first 10 or so years of Stevie's career, "The Captain" covers all of it.
The articles, written by Detroit Free Press writers Bill McGraw, Mitch Albom, Nicholas Cotsonika and others, follow Steve from his early days as a teenage Red Wing, referring to Steve as "baby-cheeked" and telling us "if he shaves, it's only for practice" (and that he used to order white milk in bars).; as he becomes The Captain; blossoms into one of the NHL's most prolific goal scorers under Jacques Demers and then a three-time Stanley Cup champion under Scotty Bowman. "The Captain" is a great tribute to a man who personifies the words "class" and "perseverance" and the ice is a colder place without him.
All while playing for only one team - the Detroit Red Wings.
This book is a must-have for Yzerman fans everywhere, regardless of which team you cheer for. This book reminds me a lot of my all-time favorite Yzerman book, "The Making of a Champion," which came out about 10 years ago.
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