SI.com's David Vecsey tackles three issues from around the league:

1	Just how unlikely was Steve Yzerman's comeback?

Steve Yzerman AP You know Steve Yzerman's comeback from knee surgery was improbable. But do you know really just how improbable? Let's put it this way: The doctor who perfomed the osteotomy on Yzerman's 37-year-old right knee in August said it was the first time he had ever heard of a pro athlete having the procedure done. Much less an active pro athlete. The operation was to realign the bones in the knee. The six-month recovery usually implies getting people up and walking normally again. Not playing in professional hockey games. "I had never heard of one before last June," Yzerman said. "It's pretty common, although they had never done it on a competitive athlete. What they did was, in my tibia right below right knee, they sawed 9/10ths of the way through and bent it a little and put a wedge in it. It made me a little more bowlegged. When you're knockkneed, I guess, you bear more weight on the outside of your knee. And when you're bowlegged, you bear the weight more on the inside. Since I have a healthier surface on the inside of my knee, they made me more bowlegged." So there was Yzerman, just more than six months later -- the minimum -- back on the ice for the Red Wings. At first he talked about sitting out the year and coming back strong in the fall. Then he started thinking about the playoffs. Then he was just, well, back. For a player who bristled at the notion of retirement, you had to wonder if Yzerman wasn't motivated to not miss a whole season. Would that have somehow pushed him closer to being retired than being active? "No, not really," he said. "It just kind of went along and I progressed relatively well. It just worked out that I was ready to play a game. If I wasn't ready to play, I wouldn't have played, There wasn't any set time. It just happened that things progressed that way." Yzerman says retirement is still a year away. "I haven't thought seriously about it," he said. "I don't know if I'll ever set a date. I'm going year-to-year now. I'm planning on playing next season, and beyond that I'm not really sure. In order just to play next season, I have to get through this one healthy." His effect on the Wings was obvious. In four games, Yzerman has two assists in about 13 minutes per game. And the Wings are 4-0. "There's no words to explain [Yzerman's return]," Red Wings goalie Manny Legace said. "It just feels so good to just have him sitting here in the dressing room with his uniform on. To have him sitting on the bench ... he's the greatest leader I've ever seen."

2	Are the Bruins going to fire Robbie Ftorek?

Robbie Ftorek Mitchell Layton/Getty Images/NHLI Not only are the Bruins going to fire Robbie Ftorek, but you better refresh your browser every few minutes just make sure it hasn't happened while you're reading this. Robbie Ftorek knows a thing or two about job security – or lackthereof. Remember, he was fired from a first-place team in New Jersey late in the 1999-2000 season, and his replacement, Larry Robinson, took the team to a Stanley Cup championship. Isn't it ironic that Robinson is one of the names being mentioned to replace Ftorek in Boston, whether it be today, tomorrow or after the season? It is, because New Jersey and Boston have always been run similarly by GMs Lou Lamoriello and Harry Sinden, who is now the Bruins' team president but has entrusted the GM duties to the similarly hard-line Mike O'Connell. Neither team overpays, and neither team puts up with disgruntled players. And, more importantly in this context, neither team is afraid to jettison a coach who isn't motivating his players. Ftorek did himself in with the Bruins in two ways: 1) He took a shamefully underwhelming team out of the gate for a 19-4-3-1 start to this season. There was no place to go but down. And when they went down, they went down hard. There was the 3-14-1 stretch that followed, and then – after a five-game unbeaten streak that temporarily saved Ftorek's job – the 3-8-3-2 stretch that brings us to this very day. And 2) The loyalty he has shown to struggling players has drawn the attention of fans and media in Boston would rather see him shorten the bench and play only the players who are getting it done. Boston is hanging around in the playoff picture. The Bruins are holding onto eighth place while the Rangers (four points back) and Canadiens (six points back) give desperate chase into the final 15 games or so. Time may be on the Bruins side … but a point or two wouldn't hurt. A coaching change might be just what the Bruins need to hold on and get into the playoffs, where – as Robinson proved in 2000 – a little momentum goes a long way.

3	Is Doug Gilmour going to retire or not?

Doug Gilmour Dave Sandford/Getty Images/NHLI Ah, spring traditions. The trees blooming, award shows on TV, young men's hearts turning to fancy … and Doug Gilmour contemplating retirement. I think the first time it came up was toward the end of his rookie season in 1983-84 and the last time it came up was last week, near the end of his 20th season. Gilmour turns 40 in June and he has a player option to return the Montreal Canadiens next season. His 10 goals and 19 assists are a far cry from his salad days and he's played more wing than center this season, but "Killer" still plays hard every night. Pressed on whether this would be his last season on the ice, he hedged. "Let me answer that at the end of the year," Gilmour said last week. "Whether it's this year or not, I can't say. It's a good possibility that it is this year, but I'm not saying I will." As far as milestones are concerned, Gilmour's about done. He passed Dale Hawerchuk for 13th on the all-time points list at 1,413. He has an outside shot at catching Bryan Trottier (1,425) for 12th this year, but very little chance of catching Stan Mikita (1,467) for 11th even if he comes back next season. He's got a ring from the '89 Flames, and he's not about to pick up another one in the next two years with Montreal. When Gilmour does retire, there's a spot behind somebody's bench waiting for him. And it's probably in his native Toronto, where he is still revered for taking the Leafs to the conference finals in each of his first two full seasons there in 1993 and 1994.

 

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