Captain’s log
Yzerman a North Star? It almost happened. Here’s how the Wings landed their franchise savior 40 years ago today
June 8, 1983, marked a franchise-altering time in Detroit Red Wings history: It was the day they drafted Steve Yzerman, selecting him with the fourth overall pick. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of that event, here is an excerpt from the chapter Captain Consolation from “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” by Helene St. James. The book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
Steve Yzerman was 16 years old the first time Jimmy Devellano scouted him. It was clear Yzerman had a great deal of ability, that he was a very good skater and possessed tremendous hockey sense. But the coach he played for tended to divide playing time fairly equally, so Yzerman’s statistics weren’t as astronomical as some of his contemporaries.
In June 1983, Mike Ilitch had owned the Detroit Red Wings for one year. He was determined to distance them from the “Dead Wings” era of the 1970s, to restore the franchise to glory. He wanted the team to be the buzz of the city and he wanted fans crammed in the stands.
Salvation presented itself in the form of a winsome local hockey prodigy by the name of Pat LaFontaine. He was as good-looking as he was gifted, as grounded as he was genial. LaFontaine
The class of ’83
Of the 242 selections in the 1983 NHL draft, just three have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of
Fame. The picks:
No. 3: Pat LaFontaine,
Islanders
The Waterford product made five
All-Star Games over his 15 year career and was named to the NHL’s Top 100 list in 2018. His numbers aren’t the greatest, but his career
was derailed — and eventually ended — by multiple head injuries.
No. 4: Steve Yzerman, Red
Wings
Maybe you’ve heard of him? The Captain was wearing the “C” for the Wings by age 21, in his fourth NHL
season. He finished his 22-year career with 692 goals, 1,063 points and, oh yeah, three Stanley Cups as
a player for the Wings.
No. 199: Dominik Hasek,
Blackhawks
Blocked by Ed Belfour in Chicago, The Dominator became a star in Buffalo with his unconventional style. He finished with a .922 save percentage and 2.20 GAA and — most importantly — two Stanley Cups, both won with the Wings
(2002, 2008). had gone to Canada to play junior hockey but had grown up in Waterford Township, just outside Detroit. Devellano, whom Ilitch had hired in July 1982 to be the general manager, openly coveted LaFontaine. By the time the draft neared, nobody in hockey was unaware how much the Wings wanted LaFontaine.
“He would have been a superb marketing tool,” Devellano said in 2021. “We had 2,100 season ticket holders in 1983, and had missed the playoffs for the (fifth) year in a row. We needed someone special.”
The Wings were bad, but not bad enough to guarantee LaFontaine would be theirs. They finished 18th out of 21 teams, giving them the fourth pick. The order was: the Minnesota North Stars (with Pittsburgh’s pick), the Hartford Whalers, the New York Islanders (with New Jersey’s pick), and the Red Wings.
Knowing Devellano’s situation, North Stars general manager Lou Nanne tried to take advantage. In May, the two were at the Marriott Hotel in Uniondale, New York. Nanne approached Devellano and suggested the two make a deal. By flipping picks and trading down, Nanne’s plan was to draft goaltender Tom Barrasso. The Wings would get the first pick — and with it, LaFontaine — but Devellano was wary.
“I’m not trading with you; you’ve never made a bad deal,” Devellano told