Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2009
Yzerman in 2012
Born (1965-05-09) May 9, 1965 (age 59)
Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Detroit Red Wings
National team  Canada
NHL draft 4th overall, 1983
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1983–2006
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City
World Cup
Silver medal – second place 1996 Canada
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1985 Czechoslovakia
Silver medal – second place 1989 Sweden
Canada Cup
Gold medal – first place 1984 Canada
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Soviet Union

Stephen Gregory Yzerman[1] (/ˈaɪzərmən/ EYE-zər-mən; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player currently serving as executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he spent all 22 seasons of his NHL playing career. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he is a Detroit sports icon and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.[2] After his retirement as a player, he served in the front office of the Red Wings, and then as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, while also being executive director for Team Canada in two Olympics.

Prior to the 1986–87 season, at age 21, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings and continuously served for the next two decades (dressing as captain for over 1,300 games), retiring as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history. Once voted to be the most popular athlete in Detroit sports history, locals often simply refer to Yzerman as "Stevie Y", "Stevie Wonder", or "The Captain".[3][4][5] Yzerman led the Wings to five first-place regular season finishes and three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998 and 2002).

Yzerman won numerous awards during his career, including the Lester B. Pearson Award (Most outstanding player) in the 1988–89 season, the Conn Smythe Trophy (Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup playoffs) in 1998, the Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward in 2000 and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance in 2003. He played in ten All-Star Games, and was a first team All-Star in 2000 and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984.

On July 3, 2006, Yzerman officially retired from professional hockey, finishing his career ranked as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history, having scored a career-high 155 points (65 goals and 90 assists) in 1988–89, which has been bettered only by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Yzerman's #19 jersey was retired on January 2, 2007, during a pre-game ceremony at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. On November 4, 2008, he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. He also became an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility, inducted alongside 2001–02 Red Wing teammates Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.[6] In 2017, Yzerman was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.[7]

On September 25, 2006, Yzerman was named as a vice president and alternate governor of the Red Wings, winning a fourth Stanley Cup championship as an executive in 2007–08.[8][9] In May 2010, he left the Red Wings organization to become general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving in that capacity until September 2018. On April 19, 2019, Yzerman was named the general manager of the Red Wings.

Yzerman has represented his country in several international tournaments as a member of Canada's national hockey team (Team Canada). In 2002, Yzerman won an Olympic gold medal, making him one of few players to win an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Yzerman was the general manager of Team Canada for the 2007 IIHF World Championship, which they won. Yzerman was appointed executive director of Team Canada on October 7, 2008, for the 2010 Winter Olympics.[10] Team Canada went on to win the gold medal by defeating the United States. Yzerman was again appointed executive director of Team Canada on March 5, 2012, for the 2014 Winter Olympics.[11] Canada went on to win their second-straight gold medal after defeating Sweden.[12] He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014.

  1. ^ "ESPN Steve Yzerman Stats, News, Photos - Detroit Red Wings". ESPN.com. May 9, 1965. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  2. ^ "Steve Yzerman Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "Gretzky & Lemieux comment on Stevie Y". NHL.com. July 3, 2006. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  4. ^ Detroit Free Press (2006). The Captain: Steve Yzerman: 22 Seasons, 10 Cups, 1 Team. Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-57243-935-1.
  5. ^ Fachet, Robert (January 22, 1989). "YZERMAN LEADS BY EXAMPLE". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Induction Showcase - Steve Yzerman". Hockey Hall of Fame Website. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  7. ^ "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  8. ^ "Red Wings bring Yzerman into front office". TSN.ca. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  9. ^ Beam, Todd (April 19, 2019). "Red Wings name Steve Yzerman Executive Vice President and General Manager". NHL.com. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Yzerman named executive director of Canada's men's team". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  11. ^ Hockey Canada tabs Yzerman head for 2014 Olympics Archived January 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine National Hockey League, March 5, 2012
  12. ^ Canada wins second straight gold medal Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine National Hockey League, February 23, 2014