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Captain Yzerman Meets Lord Stanley

DETROIT, June 8 — After the Detroit Red Wings delivered the Stanley Cup back to this city by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena, team captain Steve Yzerman took the first victory lap, circling the rink with the trophy overhead and cheers raining down.

It was a fitting celebration because Yzerman, more than any other Red Wings player, symbolizes the long wait Detroit has had since winning its last Cup in 1955. At 32, Yzerman has played all of his 14 NHL seasons in Detroit, and he's been the team captain for 12 of them.

"I don't know how to describe how I feel," Yzerman said after the Red Wings' 2-1 victory in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series. "I'm glad the game is over, but I wish it never would have ended. Since I was 5 years old, I have watched the Stanley Cup ... presented in the locker room and always dreamed of the day that maybe I would get there. Sometimes you wonder if you will ever get there, and so as the game was going on and when we finally won, it is almost like I wanted to get it back and watch the whole thing and not miss a minute of it."

Although the moment is gone, Yzerman and his mates will have plenty of time to celebrate. City officials will hold a parade to honor the team Tuesday. Of course, residents created their own parade of sorts when they poured onto the streets to celebrate Saturday night.

The long wait for another Stanley Cup was frustrating for this city, which earned seven previous Cups, including four from 1950 to '55, and earned the nickname "Hockeytown USA."

The frustration was particularly great the past two seasons. The Red Wings were swept by the New Jersey Devils in the Cup finals in 1995 and beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference finals last year after compiling an NHL-record 62 victories in the regular season.

"I think we all had in the back of our minds two seasons ago and how devastating it felt to lose to Jersey," said goalie Mike Vernon. "We were glad to have an opportunity to prove ourselves again, and I think we all had that in mind. We wanted to taste victory."

Coach Scotty Bowman gambled by going with Vernon in goal instead of Chris Osgood, who had started and won more games than Vernon had during the regular season. That move worked so well that Vernon, who had a 1.76 goals-against average in the playoffs, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the finals.

Even as they basked in the afterglow of their victory, however, the Red Wings could not escape questions about next season. Foremost are the futures of Bowman, whose contract has expired, and defenseman Viacheslav Fetisov, who might retire.

Both said they will strongly consider returning to the Red Wings. Bowman has won seven Stanley Cups and became the first coach to win with three teams, including five with Montreal and one with Pittsburgh. Bowman needs one more Cup to tie the coaching record of eight set by Toe Blake, Bowman's mentor, who led Montreal from 1956 to '68.

"This makes it a tough decision," Bowman said. "I will wait a couple weeks and talk to the people who own the team and just see where my priorities lie. ... I am going to agonize over it."

That was the only agonizing the Red Wings were doing Saturday night after finally ending their Stanley Cup drought.