Diminutive draft pick Yzerman grew into legend

	The face of the Wings in 1983 -- at age 18. AP
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Start with a day at the Montreal Forum in 1983, when Jim Devellano, then the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, was still trying to convince his staff, his owner, local reporters and anyone who would buy it that the wisp he had just entrusted with his team's future really weighed 160 pounds -- sure, maybe with Canadian conversion or dipped in molasses or toting some school books that seemed to complement his 12-year-old face.

Had the Red Wings really spent the fourth overall pick in the NHL draft on someone who looked like he was only a few years removed from baby fat?

That people needed convincing that Steve Yzerman was bigger than they imagined was only a distant memory on Tuesday night, as the Captain's No. 19 was raised to the top of Joe Louis Arena. Yzerman, one of the great warriors and leaders in the history of the game, spent the better part of his reluctant acceptance speech trying to undo a perception that he took 22 glorious years to build. Who else, but Yzerman, could try to convince anyone that he wasn't nearly so big after all?

"My image as a great leader is greatly overblown," he told a dissenting audience. "I realize that because I played with some of the greatest hockey players in the league. All I did was play like they did. I did nothing different than them."

Yzerman's personal success was astounding. He recorded 1,755 points (sixth all-time) in the regular season and 185 in the playoffs, despite missing large chunks of seasons because of knee surgeries.

The boy captain served the only NHL sweater he ever wore for a record 20 seasons. In the mid-90s under head coach Scotty Bowman, Yzerman pulled off a remarkable transformation from highlight-reel artist with gaudy stats rather than championships to a winner who backchecked, won faceoffs, killed penalties and mastered the subtleties of success.

Eleven years after he amassed 155 points in one season, Yzerman won the Frank Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in 2000. Even when the baby face hadn't quite worn away, he played through pain, stuck his nose into scrums and commanded off-ice respect of teammates who never crossed him.

In leading Detroit to the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002, Yzerman often deflected praise and absorbed responsibility with such class that the team's amazing roster of future Hall-of-Famers (Brett Hull, Nicklas Lidstrom, Dominik Hasek, Igor Larionov, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Larry Murphy, Luc Robitaille) and grinders (Darren McCarty, Joe Kocur, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby) reflexively deferred to him.

The deference and festivity lasted all of Tuesday. In the morning, Yzerman received a key to the city and had the corner of Atwater and 3rd Streets, by the entrance to Joe Louis Arena, renamed Steve Yzerman Drive.

The master of ceremonies at the evening event, goaltender-turned--broadcaster Darren Pang -- Yzerman's best friend -- introduced Red Wings legends Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio, as well relatives of another two: Terry Sawchuk's grandson, Jonathan, and Sid Abel's son, Jerry. Their numbers, lowered for the ceremony, were re-raised to the arena rafters.