|
|
|
March 20, 2003
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy -- awarded annually to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey" -- by the Detroit chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
Each PHWA chapter nominates someone from the team it covers, the association elects the winner at the end of the regular season and the trophy is presented at the NHL Awards in Toronto in June. Montreal captain Saku Koivu, who came back from cancer, won it last season, and Yzerman might be the favorite this year.
"I don't know that I'm in the same category of comebacks that (Koivu) is," Yzerman said. "But I know some guys with pretty good character have won that award. Good people have won it. So I think that in itself makes it nice to be nominated."
After winning an Olympic gold medal for Canada and a Stanley Cup for the Wings on a wrecked right knee last season, Yzerman underwent an osteotomy, a knee realignment procedure usually performed on geriatric patients with degenerative bone disease. It never had been done on a professional athlete.
Most men in Yzerman's shoes might have quit. He was 37, he was a champion, and he had amassed Hall of Fame credentials and a fortune. But he rehabilitated hours a day for months, and Feb. 24 against Los Angeles, as his image was being painted on the Cadillac Tower downtown, he returned for his 20th season.
"It's an incredible story," general manager Ken Holland said. "He's my winner."
Yzerman has played nine games, and the Wings have won them all. He has five assists and a plus-7 rating. He's averaging about 15 minutes of ice time. But he said he didn't consider his comeback complete yet.
"I'm still expecting to get better here," he said.
Coach Dave Lewis has said Yzerman is still in training camp mode. Yzerman cracked, "I'm not that bad." But he's trying to skate faster -- and get over an important hump.
"I don't have the confidence yet to just take off without thinking about what position my leg's in," Yzerman said. "I'm literally skating around thinking about my stride, because it's still a little bit difficult to twist and turn."
Yzerman played 20:32 at Los Angeles on March 10, and said he wasn't thinking about the knee by the third period. But he said he was thinking about it the whole game two nights later at Phoenix.
"A couple games I've been really happy, and a couple I haven't really felt good about," Yzerman said. "It's just going to take time."
|
|
|
Yzerman nominated for Masterton award New 
BoaterTalk 
