Well, we're a season past Yzerman's retirement

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I miss him like crazy!

But did I know it was time to retire? Yes , he was playing on Heart , and as courageous as that is (and beleive me , it is!) his body just couldnt do it.

Do I think with a healthy Schnieder and a 06/07 Yzerman we wouldve won the cup? Of course I do , but that doesnt change the fact that it cant happen now.

I miss you Stevie , help out Holland bring one or two more back to Detroit before Chelios and Lidstrom retire.

[Systemfel 33]

Where was Lidstrom in the 05-06 playoffs? He was terrible. He was on ice for just about every single Edmonton goal. Zetterberg and Yzerman were really the only two players that showed up for the 05-06 playoffs.

But where was Lidström in the '02 playoffs? You know, when he won the Conn Smythe, even though Stevie was still on the team? Edited August 23, 2007 by Systemfel

[Guest Yzer19]

But where was Lidström in the '02 playoffs? You know, when he won the Conn Smythe, even though Stevie was still on the team?

I'm sorry for falling for the bait, but I can't help myself. Those trophies don't always go to the right player. It's completely subjective. Lidstrom was also Mr. Invisible in 02. That conn smythe should've went to Yzerman. He was by far and away the Red Wings best player in the 02 playoffs and it wasn't even close. Fedorov was the second best Red Wing in the playoffs. Without Lidstrom we would've still won the cup, but without Yzerman we would've got knocked out in the first round. Lidstrom did not deserve the conn smythe. Yzerman was the Wings MVP in the 02 playoffs. Yzerman shouldn't have even been playing in the playoffs in the first place with his bad knee. That was a big mistake on his part. He should've been in the hospital getting the surgery done on it.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I'm sorry for falling for the bait, but I can't help myself. Those trophies don't always go to the right player. It's completely subjective. Lidstrom was also Mr. Invisible in 02. That conn smythe should've went to Yzerman. He was by far and away the Red Wings best player in the 02 playoffs and it wasn't even close. Fedorov was the second best Red Wing in the playoffs. Without Lidstrom we would've still won the cup, but without Yzerman we would've got knocked out in the first round. Lidstrom did not deserve the conn smythe. Yzerman was the Wings MVP in the 02 playoffs.

You are also being just as "subjective" as that last poster, and as "subjective" as I am going to be, and as "subjective" as the people who acutally vote for the Conn Smythe trophy.

While nobody is denying Yzerman's huge importance to the playoffs in 2002, especially in that first round where he was the Wings best player, Lidstrom was the most consistent player/performer THROUGHOUT THE PLAYOFFS, hence why he probably won the Conn Smythe.

Edited August 23, 2007 by SouthernWingsFan

[norrisnick 1]

I'm sorry for falling for the bait, but I can't help myself. Those trophies don't always go to the right player. It's completely subjective. Lidstrom was also Mr. Invisible in 02. That conn smythe should've went to Yzerman. He was by far and away the Red Wings best player in the 02 playoffs and it wasn't even close. Fedorov was the second best Red Wing in the playoffs. Without Lidstrom we would've still won the cup, but without Yzerman we would've got knocked out in the first round. Lidstrom did not deserve the conn smythe. Yzerman was the Wings MVP in the 02 playoffs. Yzerman shouldn't have even been playing in the playoffs in the first place with his bad knee. That was a big mistake on his part. He should've been in the hospital getting the surgery done on it.

You're out of your mind. There are only two parts of this post that come even remotely close to possibly being correct. A. That the trophies don't always go to the right guy. B. That Fedorov was the 2nd best Wing in the '02 Cup run (it's a debatable point at least). Other than that it's crap.

[Guest Yzer19]

You are also being just as "subjective" as that last poster, and as "subjective" as I am going to be, and as "subjective" as the people who acutally vote for the Conn Smythe trophy.

While nobody is denying Yzerman's huge importance to the playoffs in 2002, especially in that first round where he was the Wings best player, Lidstrom was the most consistent player/performer THROUGHOUT THE PLAYOFFS, hence why he probably won the Conn Smythe.

Lidstrom was horrible in the 02 playoffs. He had one flukey goal in the 1st round and then didn't bother showing up again until the finals. Yzerman and Fedorov were the two most consistent players in that playoffs. I have no idea why Lidstrom won, but he didn't deserve it. Maybe it was for PR reasons so that he would become more popular. He definitely wasn't the Wings best player in the playoffs. Yzerman lead the Wings in scoring while playing on one leg. There is nothing subjective about that. Yzerman got robbed of a trophy that he deserves just like what usually happend during his career. If you guys don't honestly think that Yzerman was more deserving of the conn smythe than Lidstrom, then his number shouldn't be in the rafters. Yzerman's MVP performance in 02 is the main reason his number is up there.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[norrisnick 1]

Lidstrom was horrible in the 02 playoffs. He had one flukey goal in the 1st round and then didn't bother showing up again until the finals. Yzerman and Fedorov were the two most consistent players in that playoffs. I have no idea why Lidstrom won, but he didn't deserve it. Maybe it was for PR reasons so that he would become more popular. He definitely wasn't the Wings best player in the playoffs. Yzerman lead the Wings in scoring while playing on one leg. There is nothing subjective about that. Yzerman got robbed of a trophy that he deserves just like what usually happend during his career. If you guys don't honestly think that Yzerman was more deserving of the conn smythe than Lidstrom, then his number shouldn't be in the rafters. Yzerman's MVP performance in 02 is the main reason his number is up there.

Can you troll elsewhere?

[Guest Yzer19]

Can you troll elsewhere?

I beg your pardon? All I'm doing is defending my favorite player. There were countless polls about this on all sorts of hockey websites and every time Yzerman won, not Lidstrom. The voting for the conn smythe in 02 was messed up. Outside of Wings fans, everyone else thinks Yzerman should've won the conn smythe.

BTW, I apologize for coming back in this topic. I should've stayed away, but sometimes I can't help myself. Don't get me wrong, I think Lidstrom is a great player, but he just didn't deserve the 02 conn smythe. There was nothing wrong with him being outplayed by a one legged player.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[norrisnick 1]

I beg your pardon? All I'm doing is defending my favorite player. There were countless polls about this on all sorts of hockey websites and every time Yzerman won, not Lidstrom. The voting for the conn smythe in 02 was messed up. Outside of Wings fans, everyone else thinks Yzerman should've won the conn smythe.

BTW, I apologize for coming back in this topic. I should've stayed away, but sometimes I can't help myself. Don't get me wrong, I think Lidstrom is a great player, but he just didn't deserve the 02 conn smythe. There was nothing wrong with him being outplayed by a one legged player.

Yzerman's '02 season was legendary. I will not deny that in any way. But the reason it's mostly non-Wing fans (as you put it) that place Yzerman ahead of Lidstrom is because of Lidstrom's subtle brilliance. A lot of people don't realize just how mind-bogglingly good he is and has been. He was the Wings' 3rd leading scorer in those playoffs, but by FAR the leader defensively. He played more in every situation and was nearly flawless. He matched up against the opposition's best in every round and managed to do so by only taking a single penalty during the entire run.

You called him Mr. Invisible but yet that's really not a bad thing for a defenseman. Though he was also involved in the three most pivotal plays of that run. Plays that turned series around (the 2nd round vs the Blues was never in question).

He's the one who shattered Cloutier in game 3 of round 1.

It was his intitial shot that Patrick couldn't handle and Yzerman shot back into Roy that became the Statue of Liberty play.

It was his shot that Hull deflected by Irbe in the waning moments of game 3 that then allowed Igor to play hero in triple OT (Nick played over 52 minutes that night).

As it stands any of Lidstrom, Yzerman, and Fedorov could have won that Conn Smythe and it wouldn't have been a decision I would have argued. But flat out stating that any one of them didn't deserve it is just stupid.

[Guest Yzer19]

Yzerman's '02 season was legendary. I will not deny that in any way. But the reason it's mostly non-Wing fans (as you put it) that place Yzerman ahead of Lidstrom is because of Lidstrom's subtle brilliance. A lot of people don't realize just how mind-bogglingly good he is and has been. He was the Wings' 3rd leading scorer in those playoffs, but by FAR the leader defensively. He played more in every situation and was nearly flawless. He matched up against the opposition's best in every round and managed to do so by only taking a single penalty during the entire run.

You called him Mr. Invisible but yet that's really not a bad thing for a defenseman. Though he was also involved in the three most pivotal plays of that run. Plays that turned series around (the 2nd round vs the Blues was never in question).

He's the one who shattered Cloutier in game 3 of round 1.

It was his intitial shot that Patrick couldn't handle and Yzerman shot back into Roy that became the Statue of Liberty play.

It was his shot that Hull deflected by Irbe in the waning moments of game 3 that then allowed Igor to play hero in triple OT (Nick played over 52 minutes that night).

As it stands any of Lidstrom, Yzerman, and Fedorov could have won that Conn Smythe and it wouldn't have been a decision I would have argued. But flat out stating that any one of them didn't deserve it is just stupid.

You are wrong about the statue of liberty play. It was Yzerman that shot puck and Shanny tipped it in. It would've went in without Shanny touching it anyways. I watched the entire playoffs and I just didn't think Lidstrom was all that great. Yzerman single-handedly beat Vancouver. Yzerman took out the Blues best player with his rear end. Yzerman was responsible for the statue of liberty goal. Yzerman won a huge faceoff in the third period of one of the Carolina games that resulted in the tying goal of the game we won in triple overtime. Without that faceoff win we lose the game. It doesn't matter anyways. Yzerman didn't need a silly trophy telling him he was the Wings best player. Though, it would be nice to have on his resume since he is so very underrated.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[norrisnick 1]

You are wrong about the statue of liberty play. It was Yzerman that shot puck and Shanny tipped it in. It would've went in without Shanny touching it anyways. I watched the entire playoffs and I just didn't think Lidstrom was all that great. Yzerman single-handedly beat Vancouver. Yzerman took out the Blues best player with his rear end. Yzerman was responsible for the statue of liberty goal. Yzerman won a huge faceoff in the third period of one of the Carolina games that resulted in the tying goal of the game we won in triple overtime. Without that faceoff win we lose the game. It doesn't matter anyways. Yzerman didn't need a silly trophy telling him he was the Wings best player. Though, it would be nice to have on his resume since he is so very underrated.

I'm not wrong about the Statue of Liberty play. Nick took the shot from the point. Roy couldn't handle it. Yzerman one-timed the rebound back at Roy. Roy thought he had it. Puck in net.

If Lidstrom doesn't destroy Cloutier's (and by extension the Nucks') confidence I don't think we could have climbed back out of that hole. Nick, and a couple other Wings, took looooong shots on Dan throughout the rest of the series and he didn't feel at all comfortable with any of them. He was rattled and rattled bad.

I do believe Fedorov won that faceoff to Nick (after quick review, yeah it was Stevie that won the draw back to Fedorov). Nick took the waist high wrister and Hull tipped it in.

Nick didn't need the silly trophy either (silly yet you make a big fuss about Stevie being robbed of it....) And Yzerman is most certainly not underrated. He's a legend of the game and most everyone will agree with that. If anyone is underrated it's Lidstrom as he deserves to be right there with Stevie on the all time lists. Fedorov as well. It's a shame he didn't get a Conn. It would have been fitting if the three most important players of that era would all have one and Fedorov had a legitimate claim at any of the three.

[Guest Yzer19]

I'm not wrong about the Statue of Liberty play. Nick took the shot from the point. Roy couldn't handle it. Yzerman one-timed the rebound back at Roy. Roy thought he had it. Puck in net.

If Lidstrom doesn't destroy Cloutier's (and by extension the Nucks') confidence I don't think we could have climbed back out of that hole. Nick, and a couple other Wings, took looooong shots on Dan throughout the rest of the series and he didn't feel at all comfortable with any of them. He was rattled and rattled bad.

I do believe Fedorov won that faceoff to Nick (after quick review, yeah it was Stevie that won the draw back to Fedorov). Nick took the waist high wrister and Hull tipped it in.

Nick didn't need the silly trophy either (silly yet you make a big fuss about Stevie being robbed of it....) And Yzerman is most certainly not underrated. He's a legend of the game and most everyone will agree with that. If anyone is underrated it's Lidstrom as he deserves to be right there with Stevie on the all time lists. Fedorov as well. It's a shame he didn't get a Conn. It would have been fitting if the three most important players of that era would all have one and Fedorov had a legitimate claim at any of the three.

Cloutier's confidence was rattled after Yzerman started scoring on him. He was getting beat by a one legged player. Getting beat by a player like that would destroy anyones confidence.

Here's the recap, from the game with the statue of liberty goal. Shanny scored the goal, but notice Yzerman got the first assist and Lids had the second assist: 02 playoffs. That tells me that Yzerman shot the puck.

As for the Carolina game, it was Yzerman that won the faceoff to Fedorov and then Fedorov paseed it to Lidstrom, who then shot it and Hull deflected it. That faceoff win by Yzerman was huge. It helped set up the goal.

As for Lidstrom being underrated, that's just not true. He's won more awards than Yzerman. He's been selected to more post season all-star teams, he is now always ranked higher than Yzerman in all-time lists. I believe Lidstrom is ranked in the top 25, while Yzerman is ranked around 40. It's only a matter of time before Wings fans start ranking Lidstrom as the #2 Red Wing of all-time behind Howe. Mark my words, it will happen the question is when. Yzerman is the one that is extremely underrated, not Lidstrom. Yzerman has won very few awards and has only 1 measley post all-star team selection. He constanly got overlooked for awards during his career.

As for Fedorov, I thought he deserved the conn smythe in 98. He is right up there with Lidstrom in all-time rankings. I believe Fedorov was ranked ahead of Yzerman. So based on all-time rankings: Lidstrom is #1, Feds is #2, and Yzerman was #3. Which one is really underrated out of the 3 players?

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[norrisnick 1]

Cloutier's confidence was rattled after Yzerman started scoring on him. He was getting beat by a one legged player. Getting beat by a player like that would destroy anyones confidence.

Here's the recap, from the game with the statue of liberty goal. Shanny scored the goal, but notice Yzerman got the first assist and Lids had the second assist: 02 playoffs. That tells me that Yzerman shot the puck.

As for the Carolina game, it was Yzerman that won the faceoff to Fedorov and then Fedorov paseed it to Lidstrom, who then shot it and Hull deflected it. That faceoff win by Yzerman was huge. It helped set up the goal.

As for Lidstrom being underrated, that's just not true. He's won more awards than Yzerman. He's been selected to more post season all-star teams, he is now always ranked higher than Yzerman in all-time lists. I believe Lidstrom is ranked in the top 25, while Yzerman is ranked around 40. It's only a matter of time before Wings fans start ranking Lidstrom as the #2 Red Wing of all-time behind Howe. Mark my words, it will happen the question is when. Yzerman is the one that is extremely underrated, not Lidstrom. Yzerman has won very few awards and has only 1 measley post all-star team selection. He constanly got overlooked for awards during his career.

As for Fedorov, I thought he deserved the conn smythe in 98. He is right up there with Lidstrom in all-time rankings. I believe Fedorov was ranked ahead of Yzerman. So based on all-time rankings: Lidstrom is #1, Feds is #2, and Yzerman was #3. Which one is really underrated out of the 3 players?

Why do we have to go through all this crap every few months?

Here's a pretty good list put together by a hockey historian.

http://legendsofhockey.blogspot.com/search/label/Top%2036

Stevie is quite appropriately ranked #19 all time. Nick is at #35. Fedorov isn't on it.

Stevie doesn't have a closet full of individual accolades but he has the near unanimous respect of the hockey world. Very few players have been as beloved as Yzerman.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Just making a quick point to what NN and Yzer19 are argueing over. I think Hasek couldve been a candidate for the Smythe that year too.

But Yzerman , Lidstrom , Fedorov or Hasek all wouldve been deserving of it.

[Guest Yzer19]

Why do we have to go through all this crap every few months?

Here's a pretty good list put together by a hockey historian.

http://legendsofhockey.blogspot.com/search/label/Top%2036

Stevie is quite appropriately ranked #19 all time. Nick is at #35. Fedorov isn't on it.

Stevie doesn't have a closet full of individual accolades but he has the near unanimous respect of the hockey world. Very few players have been as beloved as Yzerman.

We don't have to discuss it. It doesn't matter anyways. It's all in the past. I don't really care about all the meaningless individual trophies and awards anyways. When I take off my Yzerman glasse, I know that Yzerman wasn't as great as Lidstrom or Feodorov or Hasek or Chelios, but I don't care. I appreciated Yzerman's loyalty, effort, and classiness. It didn't matter to me that others were better. Enough with this topic. It's time to move on and bury the past.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Yzer19

[Yzermania19 1]

Yzerman's MVP performance in 02 is the main reason his number is up there.

I cut out the rest of this post because it is such garbage (laughable garbage, at that), but I wanted to address this last sentence.

Yzerman's number is in the rafters because of everything he has done throughout his entire 22-year career with the Wings. There is no one specific event or goal or playoff season that is the reason for that banner. What you are insinuating is just not true. But then just about everything you have insinuated throughout this entire thread has been untrue, so at least you are being consistent.

To say to Stevie, "the main reason your number is hanging from the rafters is because of your tremendous and gutsy performance in the 2002 playoffs" is just...wow. I can't even think of the words. It goes beyond insulting. It cheapens his entire career.

[Yzermania19 1]

All I'm doing is defending my favorite player.

No, you're not...you are making it look like there is/was a huge conspiracy theory in place to force Steve to retire before he wanted to and that if said supposed conspiracy theory didn't exist, he'd still be playing. You are going on to further say there were yet more conspiracy theories that prevented him from getting certain accolades and trophies throughout his career, including the 2002 Conn Smythe trophy.

I can pretty much guarantee you there are/were no conspiracies against Steve Yzerman. He retired because he knew he physically couldn't handle playing anymore. End of story. Nothing dramatic or shocking, no hidden agendas. Just a pro athlete who knew his time was up and bowed out of the game gracefully.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I was flipping through some of the old videos I have on my computer, and I came across a couple of Yzerman tribute videos some people had made. It struck me that it still seems like it was yesterday when we were all here a year ago wondering if Red Wings hockey would ever be the same again without Steve Yzerman. A year later, I've found myself feeling amazed at just how much this team has grown in that short time. The difference between then and now feels like the difference between night and day.

Does anyone else feel the same way--that we've grown so much since last offseason, so much that perhaps the Yzerman days seem like a distant memory already?

I didn't read thru the entire thread so I apologize if this was answered already. But the only thing I want to know now in regards to Stevie is how long is the mandatory wait before he's eligible for the HOF.

AND. does anybody think there will be any dissent amongst the voters who get to choose. Usually there's a fuddy duddy in there who doesn't like to let anybody in on their 1st ballot. Of course we all know stevie qualifies as a unanimous 1st ballot inductee if not even somebody who should have the wait period waived for him. Well, maybe that's a stretch.

[Yzermania19 1]

I believe it is three years post-retirement, so that would make him eligible in 2009.

I really don't think it's going to be a problem for him to go in on the first ballot. I think Stevie's probably as close to a slam dunk as possible.

[WingsZR2 1]

Yzerman's MVP performance in 02 is the main reason his number is up there.

Steve Yzerman's # hangs from the rafters of JLA because from 1983 to 2006 he gave everything he had and then some to the Detroit Red Wings and their fans. Its not because he scored 692 goals or 1755 points. He was the PIECE the Wings started building around that restored them to a winning franchise. The personal awards, although nice to have were not the reason he played for so long. It was because he was a warrior, a competitor, and a champion. You're attempt to classify his career by one year holds no merit. He became a legend long before 2002, that year just added to it. Also your bashing of Lids, a player whom Yzerman has said for a # of years has been the Wings best player is weak sauce. Lids play in the 02 cup run, averaging 31 minutes a night while scoring one of the biggest series turning goals can not be looked at in a negative light. He has been the BEST D man in the NHL for the last 10 years. Every member of LGW can probably say that Howe and Yzerman are 1a and 1b as far as importance goes to this franchise, with Lids getting strong consideration as 1c.

Oh and Yzerman will be a first ballot HOF'er.

[Guest snowman89]

First I apologize this may be the longest single post in history, at least that I have seen

I'm sorry for falling for the bait, but I can't help myself. Those trophies don't always go to the right player. It's completely subjective. Lidstrom was also Mr. Invisible in 02. That conn smythe should've went to Yzerman. He was by far and away the Red Wings best player in the 02 playoffs and it wasn't even close. Fedorov was the second best Red Wing in the playoffs. Without Lidstrom we would've still won the cup, but without Yzerman we would've got knocked out in the first round. Lidstrom did not deserve the conn smythe. Yzerman was the Wings MVP in the 02 playoffs. Yzerman shouldn't have even been playing in the playoffs in the first place with his bad knee. That was a big mistake on his part. He should've been in the hospital getting the surgery done on it.

I wont argue that Yzerman should have been in the trio that deserved the Conn Smythe but to say that they would have not LIdstrom(I know other people have said this) COMPLETE LUNACY!!!!

You are also being just as "subjective" as that last poster, and as "subjective" as I am going to be, and as "subjective" as the people who acutally vote for the Conn Smythe trophy.

While nobody is denying Yzerman's huge importance to the playoffs in 2002, especially in that first round where he was the Wings best player, Lidstrom was the most consistent player/performer THROUGHOUT THE PLAYOFFS, hence why he probably won the Conn Smythe.

TRUE STORY

You're out of your mind. There are only two parts of this post that come even remotely close to possibly being correct. A. That the trophies don't always go to the right guy. B. That Fedorov was the 2nd best Wing in the '02 Cup run (it's a debatable point at least). Other than that it's crap.

TRUE STORY

Yzerman got robbed of a trophy that he deserves just like what usually happend during his career.

Yzerman's MVP performance in 02 is the main reason his number is up there.

I thought you did not care about individual trophies and acculades. If Yzerman retired in 01, he still would be a hands down 1st ballot HOF and would have had his jersey hung in the rafters in 02!

Can you troll elsewhere?

TRUE!!!

Yzerman's '02 season was legendary. I will not deny that in any way. But the reason it's mostly non-Wing fans (as you put it) that place Yzerman ahead of Lidstrom is because of Lidstrom's subtle brilliance. A lot of people don't realize just how mind-bogglingly good he is and has been. He was the Wings' 3rd leading scorer in those playoffs, but by FAR the leader defensively. He played more in every situation and was nearly flawless. He matched up against the opposition's best in every round and managed to do so by only taking a single penalty during the entire run.

You called him Mr. Invisible but yet that's really not a bad thing for a defenseman. Though he was also involved in the three most pivotal plays of that run. Plays that turned series around (the 2nd round vs the Blues was never in question).

He's the one who shattered Cloutier in game 3 of round 1.

It was his intitial shot that Patrick couldn't handle and Yzerman shot back into Roy that became the Statue of Liberty play.

It was his shot that Hull deflected by Irbe in the waning moments of game 3 that then allowed Igor to play hero in triple OT (Nick played over 52 minutes that night).

As it stands any of Lidstrom, Yzerman, and Fedorov could have won that Conn Smythe and it wouldn't have been a decision I would have argued. But flat out stating that any one of them didn't deserve it is just stupid.

TRUE STORY!!!

I'm not wrong about the Statue of Liberty play. Nick took the shot from the point. Roy couldn't handle it. Yzerman one-timed the rebound back at Roy. Roy thought he had it. Puck in net.

If Lidstrom doesn't destroy Cloutier's (and by extension the Nucks') confidence I don't think we could have climbed back out of that hole. Nick, and a couple other Wings, took looooong shots on Dan throughout the rest of the series and he didn't feel at all comfortable with any of them. He was rattled and rattled bad.

I do believe Fedorov won that faceoff to Nick (after quick review, yeah it was Stevie that won the draw back to Fedorov). Nick took the waist high wrister and Hull tipped it in.

Nick didn't need the silly trophy either (silly yet you make a big fuss about Stevie being robbed of it....) And Yzerman is most certainly not underrated. He's a legend of the game and most everyone will agree with that. If anyone is underrated it's Lidstrom as he deserves to be right there with Stevie on the all time lists. Fedorov as well. It's a shame he didn't get a Conn. It would have been fitting if the three most important players of that era would all have one and Fedorov had a legitimate claim at any of the three.

YOU HAVE BEEN 100% Right!!!

Cloutier's confidence was rattled after Yzerman started scoring on him. He was getting beat by a one legged player. Getting beat by a player like that would destroy anyones confidence.

Here's the recap, from the game with the statue of liberty goal. Shanny scored the goal, but notice Yzerman got the first assist and Lids had the second assist: 02 playoffs. That tells me that Yzerman shot the puck.

As for the Carolina game, it was Yzerman that won the faceoff to Fedorov and then Fedorov paseed it to Lidstrom, who then shot it and Hull deflected it. That faceoff win by Yzerman was huge. It helped set up the goal.

As for Lidstrom being underrated, that's just not true. He's won more awards than Yzerman. He's been selected to more post season all-star teams, he is now always ranked higher than Yzerman in all-time lists. I believe Lidstrom is ranked in the top 25, while Yzerman is ranked around 40. It's only a matter of time before Wings fans start ranking Lidstrom as the #2 Red Wing of all-time behind Howe. Mark my words, it will happen the question is when. Yzerman is the one that is extremely underrated, not Lidstrom. Yzerman has won very few awards and has only 1 measley post all-star team selection. He constanly got overlooked for awards during his career.

As for Fedorov, I thought he deserved the conn smythe in 98. He is right up there with Lidstrom in all-time rankings. I believe Fedorov was ranked ahead of Yzerman. So based on all-time rankings: Lidstrom is #1, Feds is #2, and Yzerman was #3. Which one is really underrated out of the 3 players?

????????????????????????? Who has ever underrated STEVE YZERMAN? ONLY RETARDS

We don't have to discuss it. It doesn't matter anyways. It's all in the past. I don't really care about all the meaningless individual trophies and awards anyways. When I take off my Yzerman glasse, I know that Yzerman wasn't as great as Lidstrom or Feodorov or Hasek or Chelios, but I don't care. I appreciated Yzerman's loyalty, effort, and classiness. It didn't matter to me that others were better. Enough with this topic. It's time to move on and bury the past.

Oh wait you dont care about individual trophies and awards... No one says you have to bury the past, You can Love Steve Yzerman till the day you die, I will, no one has argued with you on that.

I cut out the rest of this post because it is such garbage (laughable garbage, at that), but I wanted to address this last sentence.

Yzerman's number is in the rafters because of everything he has done throughout his entire 22-year career with the Wings. There is no one specific event or goal or playoff season that is the reason for that banner. What you are insinuating is just not true. But then just about everything you have insinuated throughout this entire thread has been untrue, so at least you are being consistent.

To say to Stevie, "the main reason your number is hanging from the rafters is because of your tremendous and gutsy performance in the 2002 playoffs" is just...wow. I can't even think of the words. It goes beyond insulting. It cheapens his entire career.

TRUE TRUE TRUE TRUE

No, you're not...you are making it look like there is/was a huge conspiracy theory in place to force Steve to retire before he wanted to and that if said supposed conspiracy theory didn't exist, he'd still be playing. You are going on to further say there were yet more conspiracy theories that prevented him from getting certain accolades and trophies throughout his career, including the 2002 Conn Smythe trophy.

I can pretty much guarantee you there are/were no conspiracies against Steve Yzerman. He retired because he knew he physically couldn't handle playing anymore. End of story. Nothing dramatic or shocking, no hidden agendas. Just a pro athlete who knew his time was up and bowed out of the game gracefully.

TRUE TRUE

I didn't read thru the entire thread so I apologize if this was answered already. But the only thing I want to know now in regards to Stevie is how long is the mandatory wait before he's eligible for the HOF.

AND. does anybody think there will be any dissent amongst the voters who get to choose. Usually there's a fuddy duddy in there who doesn't like to let anybody in on their 1st ballot. Of course we all know stevie qualifies as a unanimous 1st ballot inductee if not even somebody who should have the wait period waived for him. Well, maybe that's a stretch.

SLAM DUNK 1ST BALLOT, if not I will find everyone who voted against him and they will be dead.

Steve Yzerman's # hangs from the rafters of JLA because from 1983 to 2006 he gave everything he had and then some to the Detroit Red Wings and their fans. Its not because he scored 692 goals or 1755 points. He was the PIECE the Wings started building around that restored them to a winning franchise. The personal awards, although nice to have were not the reason he played for so long. It was because he was a warrior, a competitor, and a champion. You're attempt to classify his career by one year holds no merit. He became a legend long before 2002, that year just added to it. Also your bashing of Lids, a player whom Yzerman has said for a # of years has been the Wings best player is weak sauce. Lids play in the 02 cup run, averaging 31 minutes a night while scoring one of the biggest series turning goals can not be looked at in a negative light. He has been the BEST D man in the NHL for the last 10 years. Every member of LGW can probably say that Howe and Yzerman are 1a and 1b as far as importance goes to this franchise, with Lids getting strong consideration as 1c.

Oh and Yzerman will be a first ballot HOF'er.

YUP!

[Guest Yzer19]

I have no comments on any of the Yzerman stuff, but I do want to clarify my stance on Lidstrom. I think he is a great player and I do think Lidstrom is by far and away the greatest Red Wings defenseman of all-time. He probably has been the Wings best player for quite a while now, but I just don't think he was the Wings best player in the 02 playoffs.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

Where was Lidstrom in the 05-06 playoffs? He was terrible. He was on ice for just about every single Edmonton goal. Zetterberg and Yzerman were really the only two players that showed up for the 05-06 playoffs.

You can't be serious. I hate to get off topic since this is Stevie's thread, but you are way off.

Let me make it short and sweet: Nick Lidstrom has been, is, and will be the Red Wings best player until the day he retires. You have to do some serious nitpicking if you are looking for any faults with Lidstrom. Nobody means more to the Red Wings ON the ice than Lidstrom, and that was true even during Yzerman's days.

I'm not trying to downplay what Yzerman did for the Red Wings, because we all know what he meant to the team and the city of Detroit. Stevie is my hero and I miss him like crazy, but to go overboard and start questioning Lidstrom's play, when he is easily the best defensemen in the league, is a little bit overdone.

[Guest Yzer19]

You can't be serious. I hate to get off topic since this is Stevie's thread, but you are way off.

Let me make it short and sweet: Nick Lidstrom has been, is, and will be the Red Wings best player until the day he retires. You have to do some serious nitpicking if you are looking for any faults with Lidstrom. Nobody means more to the Red Wings ON the ice than Lidstrom, and that was true even during Yzerman's days.

I'm not trying to downplay what Yzerman did for the Red Wings, because we all know what he meant to the team and the city of Detroit. Stevie is my hero and I miss him like crazy, but to go overboard and start questioning Lidstrom's play, when he is easily the best defensemen in the league, is a little bit overdone.

I'll explain the Lidstrom stuff one more time. Like I said before Lidstrom is a great player and yes he has meant more to the Red Wings and the city than any other Detroit athlete, but the truth is he had a really bad playoff in 05-06. I don't know if he was burnt out from the olympics or what, but for some reason his play was no where near what it normally was. He was on the ice for just about every single Edmonton goal. To say Lidstrom was the best player in that playoffs is a major slap in the face to Zetterberg, Schneider, and everyone else that played better. Don't get me wrong, I think Lidstrom is a great player and he's right up there with Gordie Howe. His number #5 probably should've been the first number retired from the modern era.

[Guest DetroitIan]

I couldnt disagree more. I mean, yeah I love the current Wings. And Im totally pumped for the season to start, so this team can show what it can do. But to this day, I still miss Steve. I was lucky enough to grow up time period, where I always had number 19 to watch and enjoy. He's the first hockey player I ever remember. So many great times throughout my life, so many great memories. I always longed for October soley because of Mr. Steve Yzerman. He's the only player I have ever shed tears for. And If he could have played just one more season. I would have had a huge smile on my face. No one can beat father time. And I accept that. But to say Yzerman is like a distant memory, couldnt be further from the truth. Well, atleast not for this Red Wings fan.