Steve Yzerman = Class

One of the biggest class acts ever to don a pair of hockey skates had his number retired tonight.

DETROIT (AP) -- Steve Yzerman spent his entire career trying to avoid the spotlight.

Even when the Detroit Red Wings retired his No. 19 jersey Tuesday night, he deflected credit during a ceremony at Joe Louis Arena.

Yzerman praised his family, the franchise's front office, former coach Scotty Bowman and former teammates. Then, the usually stoic Yzerman got emotional when he addressed his adoring fans.

"My jersey is going to go up there and I hope as you watch it go up, and when you come back and see it, you give yourself a pat on the back because you're a big reason why that jersey is up there," he said. "It doesn't represent what I did, but what we did as an organization." (H/T - Yahoo.com)

I am by no means a Red Wings fan, but every hockey fan was a fan of Steve Yzerman.