This morning, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff attempts to disrupt the myth that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman has a Michigan-born player bias:
“We don’t care where the players are from,” Yzerman said. He only cares that the players are good.
“That they’re from the area is nice, but most importantly, we’re trying to build a good team on the ice,” Yzerman said.
Beyond this quartet of ex-Wolverines [J.T. Compher, Andrew Copp, Dylan Larkin and Tyler Motte), the Red Wings were also signing UFA forward Sheldon Dries, who’s from the Detroit suburb of Macomb. Then there are holders such as defenseman Jeff Petry (Ann Arbor) and winger Alex DeBrincat (Farmington).
Yzerman is quick to point out that the reason he brought these players into the fold was entirely about their hockey skills. It has nothing to do with what it says on their birth certificates.
Still, even if it wasn’t foremost in his mind as he was adding these players, Yzerman does recognize that by onboarding so many locals, it certainly is proving beneficial to the marketing of the club.
“I think it’s good,” Yzerman acknowledged. “I think it’s good for our market.”
Continued; I don’t think that Yzerman is seeking out Michigan-connected players, but I do believe that players with Michigan ties are beginning to seek out the Red Wings in free agency, just as Toronto-born players tend to accumulate on the Maple Leafs.
It’s not that Steve Yzerman is a “Michigan Man” as much as Michiganders want to play for the home team.
