Steve Yzerman speaks for 1st time since Patrick Kane signing
The Red Wings GM sheds light on the move for the future Hall of Fame forward.
HockeyFeed
The Detroit Red Wings have made a considerable splash today, bringing aboard 3-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane. He had been mulling a handful of suitors as he continued his recovery from hip resurfacing surgery, and ultimately, it was the Red Wings that he decided to take his talents to.
It was Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman who pulled the trigger on the signing, and did so after careful consideration and due diligence.
"We had Patrick in Detroit yesterday and met not only with our doctors but with our performance staff, and they're pretty extensive in their evaluations of players for their return to play," Yzerman said. "They were really pleased with the results of the exam and testing evaluation. He's worked extremely hard and outside of the hip, he's in very good shape. The tests in regard to his hip, and we're very pleased with where he's at today."
"We think this is a worthwhile opportunity to take advantage of."
Red Wings fans will remember that it was Yzerman himself who underwent a major knee operation shortly after the 2002 Stanley Cup championship, which had never previously been done on a professional athlete. The hip resurfacing operation that Kane underwent is extensive - the upper part of the thighbone is repositioned after being dislocated. The surgeon trims and reshapes the bone, often removing damaged cartilage before reinserting it into place.
"Going back on my own situation on the time, I loved played and would have kept playing forever, honestly," Yzerman said of the procedure he underwent. "I'm not sure it was the right decision, but I loved to play, and that's all I'd ever done my whole life. Patrick Kane is a competitive person and he wants to play hockey, so I totally understand without having a long discussion on 'Why do you want to do this', I get it."
At 35 years of age and with 1,180 career regular season games under his belt, Kane has plenty of mileage on his body. However, the fact remains that he is just one full season removed from posting 92 points with the Blackhawks.
"If he's healthy, he can really help us a lot," Yzerman said. "Even if he is what he was last year, that's not too bad. We expect him to be better than what he was last year and closer to the player he was two years ago - then he could really help us. There's definitely an unknown to this, but this summer we talked about it. We didn't give it too much consideration until the last few weeks and when we had communication back and forth."
Recommended articles:
