A Moment For The Captian

By Adam W Parks

This morning, along with former Red Wings Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, Steve Yzerman received his Hall of Fame ring. There are plenty of articles circulating out there about Yzerman right now, and I would advise reading as many as you can. It is not the job of this blog to break any earth-shattering news or rehash somebody's professional career; that is what Mitch Albom is for. With LAMP THE LIGHT I would just like to honor Yzerman in my own way: by reminiscing about all of my childhood sports heroes, and explaining why #19 tops them all.

Growing up in Michigan during the early 1980s and into the '90s, us kids had plenty of superstars to emulate and call our heros. For this writer, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell were the guys to idolize on the baseball field. Even though I was just three-years-old for the Tigers' 1984 World Series Championship, I recall pretending to be Sweet Lou at second base when turning double-plays for my Little League team with my friend, Mark, who was my Trammell at shortstop. If you look back on the last fifteen years of Tigers baseball, in the era of steroid monsters and monstrous free agency contracts, how many Detroit baseball players have kids been able to look up to that can even compare to this dynamic duo? Maybe Curtis Granderson, Justin Verlander, or Brandon Inge, but none of them are yet comparable to Whit and Tram.

The Bad Boys were the epitome of basketball to me when I was a kid watching Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, etc...and they still are. The late Chuck Daly led what was the best NBA team I have ever seen. They played tough, they played hard, they played together. They played true, team-oriented basketball. With the exception of Isiah, none of those guys were real superstars...at least not on the same level as Magic, Bird, or Michael. They were all blue-collar, Detroit-style guys, Thomas included. Forget his personal life and his career after retirement, Isiah is pound-for-pound one of, if not the, toughest competitors to ever play the game. I used to sit directly in front of my parents' old, wood-encased television set and watch every game I could on PASS. Remember that old TV station? I would tally all of his stats in a notebook and was always amazed by his assist totals. I would try to copy his sharing style of play in the driveway or on the courts at school. Even today I still consider myself as more of a pass-first type of armchair sportsman (anyone need a beer?). Zeke was the perfect role model for any wannabe point guard such as myself growing up in Michigan.

And then there's Barry Sanders. I feel so very, very sorry for everyone out there who never had the opportunity to see this guy play live. I honestly do not understand how someone could ever become a Lions fan post Barry's retirement. Nobody in the NFL comes close to him. I mean, take a look at this picture! You try to run at full speed at that angle! The memories that I have of Barry are the only reason why I still consider myself a Lions fan. Because I grew up watching Barry every Sunday afternoon is the only reason why I still watch that pathetic excuse of a football team every single week (if for no other reason than to possibly see a flashback highlight of him). It really makes me sick to my stomach to think about how his talents were wasted in Detroit. Seriously, I'm getting nauseous and a little light-headed writing this. As sad as it was to watch Barry retire so abruptly and so early in his career, I have never once felt sore towards him or his decision. Football was a job to him, one that he happened to be the best ever at doing, and he simply had experienced enough losing, made enough money, and got out. Isn't that what we all ultimately strive for in life with our own careers?

As much as I may have idolized all of the above athletes, 'The Captain' stands high above everyone else when it comes to sports heroes of my generation. Again, there are plenty of articles out there that will tell you why Steve Yzerman is one of the best players to ever skate in the NHL. How he is one of the greatest leaders to ever play in any sport. How he exemplifies and identifies with his team more than anyone else, even after retirement. Steve Yzerman, to me, is the greatest sports idol the state of Michigan has ever produced. Obviously I am biased because I was able to watch him play, but I think anybody would be hard-pressed to make an argument over #19, even for Mr. Hockey. Unfortunately I never saw Gordie Howe skate with the Winged Wheel sweater on, but I have to believe the circumstances of Yzerman's era make his a little more special. He brought the 'Dead Wings' back to life. He reformed himself, his style of play, and his entire thought process to better his team. To win. He suffered through set backs, doubts, trade rumors, injuries, and crushing failures. In 1994 the Wings were the top-seed in the Western Conference but were ousted in the first round by the San Jose Sharks. In 1995 the Wings rolled their way to the Finals, only to be flattened by the New Jersey Devils. In 1996, we had to sit idly by and watch the Colorado Avalanche become Stanley Cup Champions at the expense of the Wings. Then, in 1997, what was once thought would never happen again, did happen when Stevie Y and the Wings brought the Stanley Cup back to Detroit for the first time in 42 seasons. I experienced a sense of sports-related jubilation that is doubtful to ever be duplicated in my lifetime. I also doubt that I will ever watch a jersey raised to the rafters in Joe Louis Arena, or any other stadium for that matter, with tears in my eyes again.

Peace. Go Wings. Thank-You Yzerman.