I wore No. 19 because of Bryan Trottier. I liked the overall aspect of his game. I liked the way he conducted himself on the ice. He was a quiet guy. He played really hard; just a good all-around, prototypical center man who could do everything.

Steve Yzerman

We penalize and suspend players for making contact with the head while checking, in an effort to reduce head injuries, yet we still allow fighting. We're stuck in the middle and need to decide what kind of sport do we want to be. Either anything goes and we accept the consequences, or take the next step and eliminate fighting.

Steve Yzerman

And for the team, I always tried to do the right thing.

Steve Yzerman

I'm exhausted trying to stay healthy.

Steve Yzerman

There used to be an old thing where every team had a heavy bag in their locker room for people to punch, but again, it was more about conditioning because if you hit a heavy bag for a minute, it feels like your arms are about to fall off.

Steve Yzerman

I don't know that I'd agree I was our best player.

Steve Yzerman

I don't know if I've ever had a memorable body check. It's not really part of my game.

Steve Yzerman

Playoff hockey is the best way to market your team. It's the best way to grow your fan base and give hope to your players and for them to develop.

Steve Yzerman

I knew if I wanted to be a general manager, I was going to have to leave to work for another organization.

Steve Yzerman

I hope people like me and appreciate me the way I am.

Steve Yzerman

When it gets to this point, it's just hard to pull the trigger.

Steve Yzerman

I don't take anything for granted.

Steve Yzerman

Whether somebody is really competent - whether he has a good hockey mind, whether he's a good person to lead a hockey club - is something determined over a long period of time, not one tournament.

Steve Yzerman

I look forward to a lot more free time, at least initially, with my wife, Lisa, and our three children.

Steve Yzerman

When you're on the ice, you have very little time, you see very little, and everything happens really quick.

Steve Yzerman

I wore No. 19 because of Bryan Trottier. I liked the overall aspect of his game. I liked the way he conducted himself on the ice. He was a quiet guy. He played really hard; just a good all-around, prototypical center man who could do everything.

Steve Yzerman

It's been a great honor for me to be a player for the Detroit Red Wings, to play for an Original Six franchise. I know I'm far from perfect, but I learned a lot.

Steve Yzerman

We used to play a lot outdoors, not in leagues, but just in our spare time.

Steve Yzerman

We have two tables on our airplane that are set up with the games.

Steve Yzerman

We have to get better at that. All of the Stanley Cup winning teams throughout the past few seasons, when they needed to play defense, they did it. If you can play defense, that's when you know it's game over.

Steve Yzerman

Very few cities in the NHL have the history or the following of the Detroit Red Wings.

Steve Yzerman