It happened as the regular season was winding down and people were speculating on Detroit's prospects in the playoffs. The team let the word out that he had just a sprained ankle, and he was able to skate with the injury intermittently. But questions started to rise about when he might recover and return to full strength, and they were never settled until after Detroit was eliminated in the playoffs. Then the team announced he had fractured his fibula, the smaller of the two leg bones extending from the knee to the ankle. According to ESPN, hockey is different from other pro sports in that full extents of injuries need not be revealed.
Doctors can confirm that a bone is broken by taking an X-ray.
Interestingly, the Red Wings finally announced that their captain had his leg X-rayed many times, but the break did not appear on the image until April 11. At the time, Yzerman was also being treated for a broken finger. There are different types of fractures. Yzerman's seems like a simple one, because he still was able to skate after it happened, although he did miss much of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings. It should heal now that his season is over and it will get proper rest.