Hockey players are famously passionate about their game, and sometimes their emotions get the better of them. That was certainly the case when Steve Yzerman was cut from the 1991 Canada Cup roster—and nearly got into a fight over it.
No one can dispute what a great player Steve Yzerman was. Over 22 NHL seasons, he won three Stanley Cups, one Olympic gold medal, and a boatload of individual awards. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Yzerman also won the Canada Cup in 1984.
READ MORE: Steve Yzerman’s hilarious chirp after losing 8-1
Steve Yzerman cut from Canada Cup roster
But when it came time for the 1987 Canada Cup, Yzerman failed to make the final roster and had to watch the tournament from home. Then, in 1991, it happened again. Team Canada was stacked at center, and management wanted to see whether a young, unproven Eric Lindros could make an impact. As a result, they decided to cut Steve Yzerman.
In his book Iron Mike: My Life Behind the Bench, then–head coach Mike Keenan recalls the day he cut Yzerman from the team.
”His words were harsh”
In the book, Keenan writes:
“The next difficult step was at center. With Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Eric Lindros, Dale Hawerchuk, and Brent Sutter down the middle, we had to cut Yzerman. As a head coach, I had to tell Stevie he had been cut for a second time. I cut him back in ’87, too. He became very belligerent. He told me and the other coaches we were fools. His words were harsh. Brian Sutter got up and confronted Stevie and said, ‘I’m gonna beat the shit out of you,’ in the way only a Sutter can,” Keenan writes.
Not a very good day for Steve Yzerman, but it turned out quite well anyway.
READ MORE: Steve Yzerman got drunk at a bar in his rookie season
