Stevie Y Flies The Coop

Freep - Yzerman, who turned 45 earlier this month, will be taking over running the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team is set to announce this afternoon. Yzerman will be the club’s sixth general manager. Yzerman was not immediately available for comment. From the time he was drafted by the Red Wings in 1983 to his retirement at the end of the 2005-06 season to his taking a job in the front office as a team vice president, Yzerman never has known any other NHL club. His number, 19, was raised to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 2, 2007, and last December, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. With general manager Ken Holland well entrenched in Detroit, however – he’s due to sign an extension this summer, even with a year still left on his current deal – Yzerman knew he’d have to eventually align himself with another team if he wanted to run his own club. Last fall, he told the Free Press he was giving the matter a great deal of thought.

Well if this isn't just a massive kick square in the nuts then I don't know what is. I mean the writing has been on the wall with this one for awhile so I can't say it really came as a surprise but it still stings. Stings bad. Stings like a bad case of the clap. It stings cause Yzerman IS Detroit. Like that 15 story billboard says, Born: Cranbrook, BC 1965. Adopted: Detroit, MI 1983.

Yzerman is special because he reminds the people of Detroit who they are. He's been the consummate leader and warrior through good times and bad. The more dire the situation the more steadfast Stevie Y became. If he thought it would be okay so did I, so did Detroit. He was Detroit's savior and alongside Scotty Bowman, the father, and Ken Holland, the holy ghost, it was always easy to have faith in Detroit's sports trinity.



Now I completely understand Steve's desire to make this move and tackle a different type of challenge in a sport where he has already reached the pinnacle. And to be completely honest the only way this was gonna happen, short of Ken Holland and his #2 Jim Nill getting crushed by that giant octopus at Joe Louis, was for Yzerman to seek employment elsewhere. Ken Holland is and has been the best GM in professional sports over the last decade and a half and he isn't going anywhere. So Yzerman was left with little choice if he wanted to pursue this opportunity. And not a single person in Detroit should blame him. In fact we should all be lining up to kiss his ass for inspiring Hockeytown, cause you can't tell me that shit wouldn't have hit the fan in this city a lot earlier if we didn't have the Wings raking in cups. Imagine the Lions on ice. FML.

It's just sucks to see him go cause he's always been there. Since before my birth, Steve Yzerman has been a Redwing. Before I was born! That shit is crazy. Loyalty like that is nonexistent in sports today. And don't be surprised if you see Stevie Y head to Tampa for a few years, build up a winner, maybe even a cup or two, and then come rolling back to the D just in time for Ken Holland to hand over the Blackberry.