In anticipation of the upcoming Winter Classic (82 days, but who’s counting?) I asked you to tell me about your favourite Toronto Mpale Leaf or Detroit Red Wing in 500 words or less. Today’s guest column is from Travis Wonsch of Windsor. My favourite Red Wing player of all time is Steve Yzerman. As the longest serving captain of the Detroit Red Wings (1986-2006) Yzerman was the face of the franchise.

PHOTO CREDIT - Tim Cornett, HometownHockey.ca

Windsor - October 11, 2013 - In anticipation of the upcoming Winter Classic (82 days, but who’s counting?) I asked you to tell me about your favourite Leaf or Wing in 500 words or less. You will be published in this space. E-mail your story, and a photo of yourself wearing your team colours to tcornett@ourhometown.ca Today’s guest column is from Travis Wonsch of Windsor.

By:Travis Wonsch, Windsor Ontario

My favourite Red Wing player of all time is Steve Yzerman. As the longest serving captain of the Detroit Red Wings (1986-2006) Yzerman was the face of the franchise. He took the team out of the basement, carried the team on his back and led the Wings to three Stanley Cup championships. He played with a lot of heart, courage and even played through injuries including the 2002 playoffs where he played with a knee injury. I still watch his most memorable goals on Youtube, especially his double overtime blue line slap shot goal on Jon Casey of the St. Louis Blues to win Game 7 of the second round in the 1996 playoffs.

To this day we still see the legacy of his leadership passed on to Nicklas Lidstrom and now Henrik Zetterberg.