04/26/24
January 31, 2008
Steve Yzerman Duped.: How an 11-year-old (and his dirtbag father) fooled the Selke, Conn Smythe and treble Stanley Cup winner, and future Hall of Famer.
posted by lawn_wrangler to hockey at 11:31 AM - 25 comments
Talk about a total dirtbag! That kids dad is a fine example of a real asshole.
posted by B10 at 12:03 PM on January 31, 2008
Steve Yzerman a Hall of Famer? Hah! Maybe in some alternate universe where the world's dirtiest, me-first players are lauded like kings. We're talking about the Greg Maddux of hockey here, people. What an awful parent that kid's dad is.
posted by holden at 12:16 PM on January 31, 2008
Thems fightin' words. I'll let a Wings' fan do the fightin' though. But I will say he is pretty much a lock for first ballot admittance.
posted by garfield at 12:20 PM on January 31, 2008
holden's full of sh*t. we watched Stevie Y's final game together and holden stood up on the bar shouting "Oh captain my captain!!" whilst clutching his #19 sweater and bawling like a baby.
posted by lawn_wrangler at 12:54 PM on January 31, 2008
That's too bad. This kid thinks he's meeting his hero, and then finds out the only reason why if because Stevie Y thinks he has cancer. Does anyone know if Braxton and Yzerman have talked since this?
posted by Tom5467 at 12:58 PM on January 31, 2008
On the flip side, a bit of a tear jerker, but good on the athletes who take some time for kids. Even ones with assholes for dads.
posted by tselson at 01:07 PM on January 31, 2008
Crazy Story. I am glad Stevie Y. will continue to reach out to kids. His impact on a "real" sick kid could be enormous. But all in all, the impact that a loving, caring, honest father could have is immeasurable.
posted by BoKnows at 01:18 PM on January 31, 2008
Okay, I won't drag Yzerman's name down any further for cheap laughs. My favorite Red Wing ever, for sure. (I know that that may be anathema to some Gordie fans out there, but I was a southern transplant to Michigan around the time Stevie made his debut and was introduced to hockey through the mid-80s Red Wings.) This kid's dad is the Jeramy Stevens of dads.
posted by holden at 01:21 PM on January 31, 2008
Steve Yzerman a Hall of Famer? Hah! Maybe in some alternate universe where the world's dirtiest, me-first players are lauded like kings. We're talking about the Greg Maddux of hockey here, people. I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not, but are you really suggesting that Greg Maddux is NOT a Hall of Famer? I know nothing about hockey, so I might have missed the joke...
posted by Chargdres at 01:27 PM on January 31, 2008
Don't worry, Chargdres. There's a sort of inside joke here about Greg Maddux. I think this is the thread that got the "Greg Maddux is the devil" joke going. Read the whole thread, it gets pretty damn funny. This story just proves what a great guy Stevie Y is. That poor kid, though, getting used like that by his own father. Makes me want to a buy a WTF? t-shirt.
posted by NoMich at 02:00 PM on January 31, 2008
Thanks NoMich. Man, I love that rookie card posted on there. Hey Adam Morrison, 1980's Greg Maddux called, he wants his moustache back!
posted by Chargdres at 02:29 PM on January 31, 2008
Where do these people come from, and now he drives a Range Rover and coaches kids, the guys a sociopath
posted by thatch at 02:54 PM on January 31, 2008
My day was just ruined, as I realize how clever I'm not. Not being privy to that origanal Maddux thread, I didn't realize that freakin' grum had beaten me to the Candyman reference. I feel like Professor Chaos right now.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:18 PM on January 31, 2008
Too bad this guy wasn't married to Loreena Bobitt.
posted by Shotput at 03:19 PM on January 31, 2008
And more on topic, the post really shows what a class act Yzerman is and always has been. Even when he has every right to go ballistic on some assface, he maintains his composure and continues to do nice things for people in need. Now if Nicky Lidstrom would retire, I could just get back to hating the Wings...
posted by tahoemoj at 03:20 PM on January 31, 2008
Frankly the Denver or Detroit DA should charge this monstrous father with some kind of fraud (certainly the value of tickets and the playoff travel are enough for a felony weight) as well as possibly child abuse. I would kick in $100 bucks to a fund for the mom to get his parental rights terminated for sure.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:20 PM on January 31, 2008
Steve Y is a class act as far as the kids go. Being duped and not getting angry is almost unthinkable for today's sport's personalites.
posted by Nakeman at 03:23 PM on January 31, 2008
The only knock on Yzerman that I ever heard was that he should have retired a year or 2 earlier. Otherwise, I always heard that he was one of the "good guys". NoMich, thanks for posting the Maddux link. I'd not seen it before, and always wondered where the "Evil Maddux" references came from. My one question remains. That is, how high was Smoltz flying when Maddux and Glavine tried to shoot his balls out of the air with the ManPADS (man-portable air defense system)?
posted by Howard_T at 04:12 PM on January 31, 2008
I've always been a fan of Steve Yzerman. Always a class act, great leader, and easily one of the best players of all time. His goal against the Blues in the 1996 playoffs will always be memorable.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:32 PM on January 31, 2008
Not for me YYM. My love for Jon Casey ended that night. By the way, there is a Jersey Swap in the locker room, and there is a Blues jersey just like Casey's available for trade.
posted by BoKnows at 04:42 PM on January 31, 2008
His goal against the Blues in the 1996 playoffs will always be memorable There isn't a wings fan out there that doesn't remember that goal!
posted by B10 at 06:45 PM on January 31, 2008
Can't pretend I like Steve Y...and I still have nightmares about that 1996 goal being the blues fan I am...but damnit, what a hell of a guy off the ice to have done all that stuff for a sick kid. Then you've got this dousche coming and bs-ing his way into free tickets, hotel rooms, and just overall taking a positive action and ruining it. I do believe that the punishment should fit this crime and in this case, he aught to be put out on the ice with just the league's enforcers for the length of that 1996 playoff game blues vs. wings. Only instead of handing out penalties for roughing, each time Davis gets hit, that's a pay bonus for the NHL players. What an ass.
posted by Bleedinbluno2 at 11:27 AM on February 01, 2008
As horrible as this story is, i loved the reaction that steve y had to the news "I'm not going to stop reaching out," Yzerman says. "Actually, I think I might do it more often." And the little boy? "Braxton is a nice young boy who seems to have been manipulated. I hope he can realize he did something wrong. It's not too late for him." He shows the attitude that everyone should take. Reaching out to someone you believe is in need is up to us, what our benifactors do with it is on them. Many if not most people in yzermans position would have been humiliated, and angry. Nobody would blame him if he decided that it isnt worth the headache of reaching out to people. Instead he intends to do so more. I dont even really like hockey, but i am now a steve yzerman fan.
posted by elijahin24 at 11:41 PM on February 01, 2008
I just read the maddux thread, that is some funny shit! Now i get some of the other stuff i have had to scratch my head about since ive been here.
posted by elijahin24 at 11:57 PM on February 01, 2008
Incredible. The things people do just to meet their favorite stars or to get tickets for a sporting event. I feel bad for Braxton because from the sound of it he didn't have a clear idea what was going on. It is sickening hearing stories about how parents manipulate their kids for their own ends.