Obvious why Y is a leader

Tony Gallagher, The Province

Steve Yzerman says he knew from very early on in his great playing career that he wanted to be part of an organization at the management level.

Turns out he’s not only getting to live out the childhood dream of starring in the NHL, he’s getting the management part as well as the chief understudy to GM and Vernon native Ken Holland and his assistant Jim Nill, with whom he played.

To say it couldn’t happen to a nicer fellow is a truism.

“I always asked questions and tried to delve deeper into why decisions were made when I was playing and sometimes players would wonder about why certain moves were made or not made,” said Yzerman Thursday from Detroit before deciding whether to travel to Calgary with the team or wait and go to Edmonton on Sunday.

“When you had the logic explained, a lot of times the decisions made more sense. I’ve known Kenny a long time and played with Jim and to listen to their rationale and their discussions on issues has been a great experience. I’d really like to win another Stanley Cup as part of a management team.”

Yzerman is careful not so say he wants to be a GM because he doesn’t want to put any pressure on Holland and, with his family still pretty young, he needs time with his kids as well so his position is perfect at this time.

And given he’ll be getting the Steve Tambellini training as GM of Team Canada’s entry into this year’s World Hockey Championships, which will be played in Canada for the first time ever in Halifax and Quebec in the spring, he has enough on his plate without making Mark Messier management noises.

Holland is fond of joking he’s just keeping the seat he’s occupying as the GM of the NHL’s top team right now warm for Yzerman.

But it would be wrong for the Red Wings and for both these two superb individuals to rush through any transition.

In fact, it’s pretty safe to say the longer the two can co-exist the way things are, the better for the team and for Yzerman.

And the fact he’s been freed up for Team Canada work at the same time the Wings could well be on their way to a Cup would indicate how far off from the job he is.

“For me it’s great because I’m just at the learning stage and don’t have to be right there all the time for every decision,” says Yzerman, whom Holland and Nill consulted for the players’ perspective when he was playing and very much the Wings captain and leader.

“Sure they would talk to me then a little bit, but they had to be careful because I was still and player and the relationship is different. But now I can say I’m learning and I had a great experience in Moscow with Team Canada last year, too.”

Yzerman has gained the attention of Hockey Canada executive director Bob Nicholson and for the second straight year he’ll be running Team Canada at the Worlds, with the country trying to become the first host team to win a gold medal in 20 years.

“It’s really an important tournament for us,” says Yzerman.

“The guys at Hockey Canada have made it a point to stress to me this year how important it is for us to do well because it affects the seeding and the schedule at the 2010 Olympics out there.

“I’m not sure exactly how it works, but they were pretty specific that we need to do as well as we can this year and finish ahead of Sweden in particular to be the No. 1 seed and get a better schedule.”

Yzerman should never feel bad about not being able to figure out how Olympic preliminary-round grouping and scheduling works. This is the exclusive preserve of the European mind and virtually no North American brain can penetrate the thinking.

Our job in the Olympics is going to be just wait and see who we draw and then try to win.

But winning the World title this year in Quebec will apparently help a great deal.

Source: Faceoff.com