Steve Yzerman 05-06 Season

[Air Budd Dwyer]

What do people remember about his final season in the NHL?

I have vague memories of him being around the crease after whistles and opposing players not even touching him, as opposed to if Zetterberg or anyone else were around the net and they'd get shoved away.

I also recall him getting really hot in March. I don't know how to verify anything about that but if memory serves me he had a good month.

Anyway, maybe it's a lame thread but share your memories.

Click to read more...

 

[solidmotion]

I also recall him getting really hot in March. I don't know how to verify anything about that but if memory serves me he had a good month.

your memory serves you well - Steve Yzerman 2005-06 Game Log | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[GMR]

Sadly, not much. I remember thinking before the season that he had a good chance at 700 goals if healthy, but he fell just short.

The team that year had an incredible regular season, but that chokejob against Edmonton, especially in game 6, put a stain on that final season. I wish he retired under better circumstances.

 

[Sentinel]

He was invited to play in the Olympics but, luckily for everybody, turned it down.

 

[JackSlater]

Probably the most one-legged player I've ever seen. Played a lot of wing by that point, still smart, really bad movement. Not a bad player in the offensive zone.

 

[tony d]

Had 34 pts. that final season in 61 games. Not bad for someone at 40 yrs. old but injuries really hurt him.

 

[VanIslander]

He was 41 years old in his last NHL playoffs in 2006 as the #1 Wings forward in assists with 4 in 4 games.

'Nuff said.

 

[86Habs]

Stevie didn't exactly go out on top, but he certainly didn't embarrass himself. He was still a useful player. It's tough to see players who you grew up watching and admiring so physically diminished, though.

 

[86Habs]

He was invited to play in the Olympics but, luckily for everybody, turned it down.

I probably would have still preferred Yzerman on that team instead of Bertuzzi.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

He did finally get hot the last month or so (14 points in the final 11 games or so). I heard something that he had soft tissue tears 4 separate times that last season. When he was healthy Babcock didn't give him the ice time he was used to getting, but being the class guy he was he was accepting of that "role" player amount of ice time when I selfishly still wanted 17 minutes a night or so. The last game situation he was in kinda bugged me that he wasn't involved....and offensive zone faceoff in the Game 6 loss to the Oilers and Babcock didn't have him out there to take the draw to try and get the tying goal.

 

[The Panther]

He was invited to play in the Olympics but, luckily for everybody, turned it down.

Right, I remember that. What the heck was Gretzky thinking there? I think maybe Wayne forgot how old he himself was, and thereby how old Yzerman was by then...


October 5th, 1983:
Yzerman's first goal, at the old Winnipeg Arena, in a 6-6 tie with the Jets. His score staked the Wings to an early 4-1 lead. (Yzerman also got his first assist that night, midway through the third, on a goal by mostly-forgotten winger Eddie Johnstone.)

April 3rd, 2006:
Yzerman's last goal, at the Saddledome in Calgary. The game-tier in a 2-1 OT win over the Flames. Yzerman had 6 shots on goal, went +1, and played 15:57.

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

The title explains the video. You can definitely see his skating isn't great but he still made one last highlight reel play here.

 

[Big Phil]

Right, I remember that. What the heck was Gretzky thinking there? I think maybe Wayne forgot how old he himself was, and thereby how old Yzerman was by then...

It really made me nervous the way Gretzky and Lowe were running things for Team Canada by then. 2006 was just a prime example of getting a little too cocky after winning the last two major tournaments. Gretzky was sold on Yzerman being on the team - and Mario - if they wanted it. Mario retired before then and Yzerman bowed out before getting picked anyway. My guess was it was based solely on loyalty. He did the same thing to Yzerman in 2004 but Yzerman who had that puck in the face against Calgary in the playoffs bowed out and it was Lecavalier if people remember that replaced him. I am all for loyalty, but he was not in shape to play in that type of tournament anymore, he was a far different player by then. 2002 Olympics and then 2002 playoffs are the last greatness we saw of Yzerman. After that, he was a shell of his former self.

I prefer to forget Yzerman in 2006. Just too much pain, and his play was just so far from what it used to be. You hate seeing the all-time greats like that.

 

[ShelbyZ]

Unfortunately, for me it's mostly the vision of him quickly leaving the ice after the handshake line at Rexall Place. Always thought it sucked Yzerman didn't at least play his last game at Joe Louis where he could at least get a much deserved proper send off (IE like Selanne recently got). However, I'll bet the notably humble Yzerman might have tried to make it as quick as possible.

Hindsight's 20/20, but I do wonder how much different that series might have gone with a somewhat healthier Yzerman that could've played all 6 games in that series. Especially since, as you mentioned, he went into those playoffs hot (8G 10A in his last 20 RS games) and continued as a PPG player for the playoffs. And also because the team had some notable ghosts through that series named Shanahan and Datsyuk.

IIRC, he started the year getting regular PP time, but at even strength he played wing in the bottom 6 with guys like Draper, Maltby, Holmstrom, Williams, Cleary and a rookie Franzen.

Also IIRC, there was speculation that at that stage of their careers, Yzerman and Shanahan eventually weren't thrilled playing for a more demanding coach like Babcock after they had it pretty easy with Dave Lewis. That said, it isn't like Yzerman was at all obligated to come back and give one more season with a bad knee at the age of 41.

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

Unfortunately, for me it's mostly the vision of him quickly leaving the ice after the handshake line at Rexall Place. Always thought it sucked Yzerman didn't at least play his last game at Joe Louis where he could at least get a much deserved proper send off (IE like Selanne recently got). However, I'll bet the notably humble Yzerman might have tried to make it as quick as possible.

Hindsight's 20/20, but I do wonder how much different that series might have gone with a somewhat healthier Yzerman that could've played all 6 games in that series. Especially since, as you mentioned, he went into those playoffs hot (8G 10A in his last 20 RS games) and continued as a PPG player for the playoffs. And also because the team had some notable ghosts through that series named Shanahan and Datsyuk.

IIRC, he started the year getting regular PP time, but at even strength he played wing in the bottom 6 with guys like Draper, Maltby, Holmstrom, Williams, Cleary and a rookie Franzen.

Also IIRC, there was speculation that at that stage of their careers, Yzerman and Shanahan eventually weren't thrilled playing for a more demanding coach like Babcock after they had it pretty easy with Dave Lewis. That said, it isn't like Yzerman was at all obligated to come back and give one more season with a bad knee at the age of 41.

Yeah, I do seem to recall reading years later that Babcock came in and Yzerman and Shanahan were completely put off by his hard line approach. I also remember during that season Yzerman not being a huge fan of the new rules and how liberal the refs were with hooking, holding, and interference penalties. He said something to the effect that the new rules were "taking the integrity out of the game".

 

[Jim MacDonald]

Yeah, I do seem to recall reading years later that Babcock came in and Yzerman and Shanahan were completely put off by his hard line approach. I also remember during that season Yzerman not being a huge fan of the new rules and how liberal the refs were with hooking, holding, and interference penalties. He said something to the effect that the new rules were "taking the integrity out of the game".

Now that you are saying this I'm wondering if this correlates with me hearing/reading that Babcock didn't give Yzerman the ice time he (Yzerman) was once used too....

 

[Sadekuuro]

If memory serves, Yzerman even said he thought about quitting mid-season, didn't think he could do it anymore. That 9 or 10 or whatever game point streak convinced him he still had a little bit left in the tank, but that gruesome chest injury (torn rib muscles? I don't recall precisely) was the last straw. He was quite good in that playoff series considering his limitations; four primary assists in four games was it?

 

[Jim MacDonald]

If memory serves, Yzerman even said he thought about quitting mid-season, didn't think he could do it anymore. That 9 or 10 or whatever game point streak convinced him he still had a little bit left in the tank, but that gruesome chest injury (torn rib muscles? I don't recall precisely) was the last straw. He was quite good in that playoff series considering his limitations; four primary assists in four games was it?

Spot on with everything......it was a torn rib cage muscle that had him miss a couple of those playoff games. A nice pass to Lang for a goal in Game 6 and he hit the post on a shot that night too....ugh!

 

[ShelbyZ]

Yeah, I do seem to recall reading years later that Babcock came in and Yzerman and Shanahan were completely put off by his hard line approach. I also remember during that season Yzerman not being a huge fan of the new rules and how liberal the refs were with hooking, holding, and interference penalties. He said something to the effect that the new rules were "taking the integrity out of the game".

I don't remember it as much with Yzerman, but definitely do with Shanahan when it came to guys rubbed the wrong way by Babcock.

I remember the first game out of lost season pretty clear. Shanahan (who during the Dave Lewis years took some lessons from teammate Brett Hull and had completed his transition from power forward to perimeter/PP sniper/wait for a one-timer/etc. that might get in a fight here and there) was playing an engaged gritty game, mixing it up with Tkachuk and then soon after getting out of the box he fought Jamal Mayers. During the game, Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond constantly informed fans that "This is how Mike Babcock wants Brendan Shanahan to play". However, it didn't last. He went back to being floaty before becoming a scapegoat when he almost completely disappeared against the Oilers in the first round. This was why despite Shanahan being a 40G scorer and PPG guy, there wasn't a huge panic among Red Wings fans when he left.

It really isn't hard to build a case saying that a lot of the more HOF bound or at one time elite veteran Red Wings coming out of the lockout weren't fans of playing for Babcock: Shanahan left and cooked up some silly excuse about being part of the teams past (despite them still having Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Draper, Maltby, Chelios, a recently returned Osgood, and would eventually bring back Hasek and McCarty); Schneider was quick to join the Ducks; Robert Lang was a pretty easy whipping boy; and eventually Chelios wasn't shy about unleashing his disdain for the coach.