from Mark Falkner of the Detroit News,
Former referee Paul Stewart paints a rather unflattering picture of Steve Yzerman's on-ice behavior during Yzerman's 22-year NHL career.
In Stewart's new book "You Wanna Go," Stewart said Yzerman was his least favorite player to deal with because the Red Wings' captain showed little respect for his officials.
"I made it my business to step up and defend the linesmen whom he treated the most poorly, in my opinion," Stewart wrote in the book. "In Minnesota, he berated a linesman to the point where I felt awful for this guy....
Ex-teammates of Yzerman disagree with Stewart's point of view.
"He's (Stewart) trying to sell a book, right?" said Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan, a former Red Wing and the only player in NHL history with 600 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.
"Steve had that fire in the belly, that relentless, unyielding will to win, but you would be mistaken and it would be inaccurate to say he was disrespectful. He wasn't that kind of guy. He held everyone accountable on the ice, even the officials."
Also from Falkner,
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