THE MAIN MAN

Time was running down in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals and the defending champion Detroit Red Wings were on the ropes. They trailed Washington by two goals six minutes into the third period, and the Capitals were looking for more with a man advantage.

Veteran Steve Yzerman, Detroit’s captain since he was 21, knew that if his team didn’t begin a rally, the Red Wings would lose home-ice advantage and find themselves tied at 1-1 with the Capitals in their best-of-seven series.

So Yzerman, an undersized 5-foot-11 185-pound center, took it upon himself to turn things around. He scored his second goal of the game (short-handed) to give the Red Wings new life and later made a key hit on 6-3 defenseman Mark Tinordi behind the Washington net that led to a goal by Doug Brown as Detroit rallies for a 5-4 overtime victory.

Because of games like that, Yzerman, 33, has become the Red Wings’ modern version of Gordie “Mr. Hockey” Howe around the Motor City. He’s the leading scorer of the playoffs with 24 points in 21 games and has a finals scoring streak of seven consecutive games, dating to last season.

“The leadership is very strong on this team,” Detroit Coach Scotty Bowman said. “It starts with Steve and his performance on the ice, the way he plays. When you have a player [of that stature] playing as hard as he does, game in and game out, it spills over.”

Yzerman’s reputation hasn’t always been this solid. Early in his career, he was regarded as a talented scorer who couldn’t lead the Red Wings the Stanley Cup.

Critics loved to downplay his 60-goal seasons and question his skating, shot and vision at the same time. Yzerman’s image around the league really did not get better until Bowman took over as coach of the Red Wings in 1993.

By stressing more of a defensive style, Bowman had an immediate impact on Yzerman, who scored only 24 goals in his first season under him after averaging 56 during the previous five.

“It’s not just my stats but the team’s stats that have drastically changed,” said Yzerman, the longest-serving captain in NHL history. “Our goals-against has been among the tops in the league [every year]. Our main objective is not allowing scoring chances. Things have changed, but I’m having the most fun of my career.”

Winning has a way of doing that.

Although he has never been a first- or even a second-team NHL all-star in his 15-year NHL career that includes six consecutive 100-point seasons, Yzerman is accurately known now as one the game’s best two-way forwards who can carry his team when he has to.

“He’s not a big rah-rah talker,” teammate Kirk Maltby said. “He says things when they need to be said. He does all of his talking on the ice. When you see him going out there blocking shots, regardless of what the score is, and sacrificing his body, you can’t help but want to go out and try to give it everything you have.”

Yzerman’s numbers speak for themselves.

He is fifth among active players in goals (12th all-time) and sixth in points (12th all-time). Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull are the only active players who scored 500 goals faster, and only Gretzky reached 1,000 points in fewer games. And, among the Red Wings, Yzerman trails only Howe in games, goals and points.

When the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup last season to end a 42-year span of “Wait until next year” seasons, Yzerman felt a big load lifted from his shoulders.

“There is always that question until you win a championship,” said Yzerman, the Red Wings’ top pick in the 1983 draft and fourth overall. “Does this player or does this team have what it takes to win? And myself being in the city for a long time and the captain of the team, there was always a question: does the team have strong enough leadership.

“After winning last year, it was almost like something has changed, but in effect, it really hasn’t. It is not really any special magical ingredient that one person has or another doesn’t have. I think there has definitely been a change in perception, not only of myself but of our entire organization after us winning the championship.”

Yzerman, who was named captain by then-Detroit coach Jacques Demers after only three seasons in the league, has experienced enough disappointment to know.

He played when Detroit finished 17-57-6 in 1985-86 and has had to overcome serious injuries such as a broken collarbone, a torn knee ligament and a herniated disc. He also was a Red Wing when the team gained a reputation as underachievers after reaching the conference finals and losing in 1987 and 1988.

Even under Bowman, Yzerman and the Red Wings suffered tough losses. In 1995, Detroit finally made it back to the finals only to be swept by New Jersey, and then was eliminated by underdog Colorado in the 1996 conference finals.

“We didn’t choke [then],” said Yzerman, one of the game’s top face-off players. “There is a huge difference with us because we’ve been through a lot as a team, good and bad. We feel comfortable in pressure situations because we’ve been there. That’s why we can go out and play well against a good team on the road. We’re just real comfortable together as a team.”

So after years of falling short, the Red Wings are one victory away from winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup. Something Yzerman can truly enjoy.