Monday, November 27, 2006
Tough Night For The Kid
| This is very off topic, but still important to me. Tonight at 7pm on the "Versus" Channel (formerly OLN, and in my opinion, both are stupid names for the network) will be a hockey game between my beloved Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars. If you've been here for more than a few months then you probably know that few things rival my love of Krystals, but hockey is among them. My track record of watching games live in unmatched by anyone in Macon. OK, so it's not exactly fair to compare myself with others from Middle Georgia when it comes to hockey, but lets not quibble. You may recall that my road trip that took me to Krystal Mecca back in April centered around seeing the Red Wings, but more specifically, seeing Steve Yzerman, the Captain. Over the years of watching the Wings, "Stevie Y" had grown to become my favorite player. I could easily spend hours extoling the virtues of #19, but I think I will spare you. Suffice it to say he is in plenty of record books mostly for longevity categories. The one category that you won't find in record books is the one he most qualifies for: heart. Steve played and captained the team through some of the worst years in Detroit Hockey history. Not an easy task in a town that prides itself on being called "Hockeytown." It took decades but Stevie eventually carried his team to win not one, but three Stanley Cups. One of the hardest tropies on Earth to get. The years were brutal on Stevie, though. Chronic back problems that cost him games as he got older. Having knee surgery that is almost too painful to imagine: they saw off the top part of your shin bone (tibia), reposition it, and bolt you back together with metal pins. He went on to have a stellar season the next year. Three years ago, however, in the playoffs, he was struck in the eye with a deflected puck. I saw it as it happened on TV. I cried and I prayed. I have seen MANY players here in Macon have their careers ended and lose sight in an eye from the exact same injury. I felt certain that Steve injury would remove him from the game forever. I at least got to see him play once the first season Atlanta had the Thrashers. Well the NHL went on strike (don't get me started on my opinions of millionaires fighting will billionaires over money). And oddly enough the time off allowed Steve to rehab and get into better shape than when he last played. Last year he had a stellar season, but as the season wore on his inuries started keeping him out of games. I knew deep it would be his last season. I made a point to get to Atlanta when the WIngs came through and sat 3 rows behind the Red Wings goal. Sadly 2 games prior to the Atlanta game, Steve pulled a grion and was on the DL for the Atlanta game. That night I swore I would see him, somewhere, somehow, before the seaosn ended. It turned out that a game had been rescheduled due to a freak accident in Detroit when Jiri Fisher's heart stopped during a game. A quirk in rescheduling that game added one more game to the schedule in Nashville. I bought my ticket and waited. Hoping Stevie would hit the ice. Standing in front of Gaylord Arena in Nashville among the throngs of Wings fans, I was told that "The Captain" had been a scratch the night before and he probably wouldn't play in Nashville. I was crushed. But since the Wings had clinched first place by a mile already they were resting their better players, and who can argue with that. Imagine my surprise when #19 skated out on the ice for warm ups. I screamed so loud I got light headed. The game that night went against Detroit. it meant more to nashville than it did to the Wings. But I got to see Stevie Y one last time, so nothing else mattered. Sadly, the wings were bounced from the playoffs early by Edmonton. I watched the game on TV and knew that night that one of the greatest hockey careers had ended. I wish I could have seen his last game in person. I am glad, however, I got to see his last regular season game. That memory will be mine forever.  Stevie leaving the ice in Nashville, his last regular seaosn game.  Stevie Leaving the ice in Edmonton, his last NHL game. I had considered sharing with you the letter I wrote to Steve once I heard he had announced his retirement, but I think it's best left between he and I. You cannot ask for a better hero and role model, especially in a world where sports is the LAST place to find heros and role models: Mike Tyson, TO, OJ, Iverson, the steroid kids in MLB and cycling, and the list gets longer daily. For many Steve Yzerman is known as "The Captain" but to me, he is "My Captain." Tonights game will be the first hockey game I watch live or on TV since the end of last season. I have been in mourning for the loss of Yzerman. But it is finally time to move on. A new era has come to Hockeytown. No one will ever match Steve in quality, excellence, and sportsmanship. But we can all try. Thats all Steve ever asked of others and all he ever did: Try |
