Yzerman Has Knee Surgery

NHL teams

"He said it felt strong enough to play, but he had to play with pain," Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman said.

Teammate Brendan Shanahan said it's good Yzerman had the surgery now.

"If there was a good time do it, it's good to get it over with early in the season," he said. "It's a huge loss. ... Steve contributes so much offensively and defensively."

The Red Wings do not plan any immediate roster changes.

"He missed several of the last few games so we don't need to make roster moves," a team spokesman said.

"Hopefully everybody realizes that we've got to step up, all of us, not just one or two players, because it's important to play well as a team," Sergei Fedorov said.