Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
If your coach is going to cost you both your franchise star player and your hotshot young prospect, then you fire the coach. In that regard, this is on Yzerman.
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I think I've brought this up before, but to understand Yzerman you need to understand his history.
In 92-93, Yzerman had 137 points, and the Wings lost in the second round. By that point, Yzerman was 27 years old, had over 1,000 points in the NHL, and had never made it to the Finals.
The Wings brought in Scotty Bowman, one of the most hard-ass men to ever coach in the NHL. Yzerman didn't buy what the new coach was selling. Did the Wings get rid of Bowman? Nope. They put their biggest star on the trading block. Eventually Yzerman realized that winning was the most important thing, and came around to Bowman's way of thinking.
In the lockout-shortened 94-95 season, Yzerman was shunted to the second line behind a younger centre (sound familiar?), and got 38 points (pro-rated to 66 points in a full season). That's a 71 point drop from his total the season before Bowman took over. For the first time in Yzerman's career, the Wings played in the Finals. Yzerman never scored more than 100 points again, but he went on to win 3 Cups with the Wings.
The Wings remain one of the flagship franchises in the league with a top-down, team-first approach to the game. Why
wouldn't Yzerman model Tampa off that approach? He must think
If I could change my game, do what my coach said, and do what's best for the team when I was one of the superstars in the league, then anyone can.