Steve Yzerman had some candid things to say about the difference between his professional hockey start and the way players enter the NHL today.
The Detroit Red Wings legend recently spoke to NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika about his rookie year which included a trip to the All-Star game.
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He was a relatively unknown 18-year-old who was quick to make a name for himself with 39 goals and 87 points during the 1983-84 season.
"Now these kids, they're household names around the world before they're even drafted," Yzerman said. "For me, nobody even knew how to pronounce my name, where I played. And it was good, because you just came in and did your thing. But I had no idea if I was even going to make the Red Wings, let alone be an all-star."
And now his name hangs from the rafters at every Red Wings home game.