Red Wings turn back clock to honor 1997-98 Stanley Cup Champions

DETROIT -- For the
second time in three days
, the Detroit Red Wings took a good hard look into their storied past.

Saturday marked the second half of the ceremonies honoring the 25th anniversary of the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Stanley Cup Champions.

This time, instead of Scotty Bowman taking center stage to speak on behalf of the team, it was their captain and the team's current general manager, Steve Yzerman.
"This is obviously a great weekend for our fans, because you are getting to put faces with the names you heard about all those years ago," Yzerman said. "We don't all look the same as we did back then, but this has been a great weekend for us, as well. We've all traveled different paths over the last 25 years, and there are guys here who I might not have seen since 1998, along with the guys I still see every day."
On Thursday, Bowman and 1997 Conn Smythe winner Mike Vernon dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff, but there was no question who would perform the task on Saturday.

Vladimir Konstantinov's career ended in a limo crash during the celebrations of the 1997 championship, but his fight to survive became a rallying point for the 1998 team. Yzerman

after the Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals in Game 4, and he still gets a standing ovation when he is shown attending games at Little Caesars Arena.