From the Archive: Yzerman Arrives in Detroit
From the THN archives, Steve Yzerman appears on the cover of a February 1984 issue, reading Gordie Howe's biography
There are many people responsible for the success the Detroit Red Wings had in the late 1990s – but Dick Todd doesn’t usually get mentioned. In this 1984 cover story on future Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman, the OHL Peterborough coach gets his due (in a roundabout way). “Every night when I go to bed, I say a prayer and thank God for Dick Todd,” said Detroit GM Jimmy Devellano. “Thank God for Dick Todd and the fact he only used Steve Yzerman every fourth shift and only sometimes on power plays.”
The joke here is that Yzerman went fourth overall in the 1983 draft in part because he was harder to scout than Brian Lawton and Pat LaFontaine. Yzerman quickly made a mark in Detroit, where the moribund Red Wings (a.k.a. ‘Dead Things’) needed hope. And ‘Stevie Y’ provided it. “He’s got so much composure for an 18-year-old,” said Wings vet John Ogrodnick. “He never panics out there. He’s just one smooth hockey player.”
Yzerman lived up to his promise, first as a prolific scorer and then as a two-way center who won three Cups with the Wings. Now he’s their GM, looking for a fourth title someday.
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