from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

It was during a less formal interview Yzerman raised eyebrows.

“It’s been an interesting morning, actually,” Yzerman said. “Leading up to coming here this afternoon, reality starts coming in – I have to be on my game here. I’m excited to be back.

“Truthfully I’ve been in Detroit for the last bit, nobody really knows who I am or recognizes me. That’s been nice.”

That Yzerman, whose local legend was cemented with three Stanley Cup championships as a player, could go unrecognized around Detroit is hard to imagine. But he is almost a decade removed from leaving the team, and says things have changed. Or had.

“It’s different now,” Yzerman said. “Now you’re coming back as the general manager of the Red Wings. People that didn’t recognize me might watch the news and say, ‘oh that guy.’ There’s a little bit more attention now. But I have a lot of work to do.”

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