They tell of a man who, though comparatively slight by modern National Hockey League standards (five-11, 185 lb. He immediately skated to the bench for a new stick, then picked up a loose puck in the corner and flipped a perfect pass to Sergei Fedorov, who scored. ". Yzerman logged 37 minutes on one leg that night, a 3-2 Red Wings win. Yzerman was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009. His 692 goals and 1,063 assists each rank in the top 10 all-time. I'm in a position now where you're trying to win. Detroit Red Wings and DetroitRedWings.com are trademarks of the Detroit Red Wings. in. March 3, 2023, 6:52 PM Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman: "I was not going to be a buyer under any circumstance. (2013). Yzerman jets back and forth as often as he can, squeezing in trips to Michigan to reconnect with his family. He goes to games. Steve was a conscientious hockey player, always, from Day 1.. Hockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame website features inductee's biographies, career highlights, and related video clips. Josh Berenter, acquiring 24-year-old center Mitchell Stephens. "The crowd showed there was no way they wanted him traded," Gallant said. In 200102, Yzerman seriously aggravated an existing knee condition. Take, for example, the reddish crescent-moon dent where the bridge of his nose meets the centre of his forehead. Yzerman said his time with the Red Wings "greatly influenced" how he performs his job, serving as model for Tampa Bay. Yzerman said while the Red Wings have several elite prospects, those young players still have to earn their roster spot and nothing will be given. But Vinik wooed Yzerman through a visit and a series of 100-minute phone calls, offering passion, vision and resources that reminded Yzerman of Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch. But here is Steve Yzerman, the former Red Wings iconic captain, staring down at the Amalie Arena ice, watching, analyzing a Lightning team he has molded since becoming general manager in 2010. To the right is an aerial view and pictures of Steve Yzerman's house in Bloomfield Hills, MI USA. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman and Hurricanes wing Jeff O'Neill are among the other players who summer on Lake Joe. The greatest compliment comes from crusty Detroit legend Ted Lindsay, now 74, who stopped by the Wings' locker room last week. " Devellano said. But that's for another day. Infamously, ownership was giving away cars at games just to try to generate fan interest. Everybody knows that Chris Ilitch is the worst owner in sports and, to be honest, he is a complete tool. While Yzerman's work ethic has always been strong, it is his commitment to defence that gets his teammates' attention. And I would probably say after we had lost in 96 to Colorado, I would have to say that (Yzerman was) like, I gotta do whatever I have to, we gotta win. May 2, 2022, 6:24 AM Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will be speaking Monday from Little Caesars Arena, just days after the team announced it was not bringing back Head Coach Jeff Blashill. He did in Tampa," Yzerman said about Witkowski, who is a Holland, Mich. native. Do I think that Steve played defense before that? 9922 Jefferson Blvd Culver City CA 90232. Or insist that his sticking with the Detroit Red Wings for his entire career, through bad times and good, sets a shining example of loyalty in an era of money-driven transience. Hes a grinder. All Rights Reserved. "We think he has a real bright future. But in playing against Steve all those early years, Steve was always competitive defensively. I think Steve certainly and the whole team in Detroit worked hard to become an elite defensive team. "But Bobby Hull? On a recent day, Verbeek who has spent more than a decade working with Yzerman in the front offices of both Tampa Bay and Detroit was asked: What is the legacy of someone who has accomplished all Yzerman has, between the statistics, the winning and the captaincy? ", Video: Steve Yzerman address Red Wings free agency moves. Steve Yzerman was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Player in 2009. Draper can still see that huge smile from Yzerman, who had lifted a mountain off his shoulders. "If you wanted to program the ideal child, hockey player, citizen, he's the guy you'd copy," says Lindsay. Yzerman wrote into his Red Wings contract that he'd have a position in management after he retired in 2006. But he never has been one for ceremonial titles. Where my stall was, I was watching just everything, Draper said. Yzerman said Veleno doesn't have a guaranteed roster spot this season, but he likes the development he's seen from the 21-year-old forward. Stephen "Steve" Gregory Yzerman, hockey player, general manager (born 9 May 1965 in Cranbrook, BC). This moment required one. The accepted narrative goes something like this: Yzerman entered the league as a pure offensive dynamo, but after years of playoff disappointments, proven winner Scotty Bowman arrived to coach the Red Wings in 1993 and made Yzerman realize he needed to learn to defend at which point, the Red Wings began winning championships. Some hockey portraits on this site are licensed from Images on Ice, Hockeys Photo Agency. Former teammate Gerard Gallant will never forget the season opener that followed the trade rumors. Guys like him are kind of like gods. "It hurt him. Weather you loved the Detroit Red Wings . Three of those players on the precipice of making their NHL mark are 2018 30th overall pick Joe Veleno, who made his Red Wings debut late last season, along with 2019 sixth overall pick Moritz Seider and 2020 fourth overall pick Lucas Raymond, who hope to make their NHL debuts at some point this season. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'detroitsportsnation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',894,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-detroitsportsnation_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'detroitsportsnation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',894,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-detroitsportsnation_com-medrectangle-3-0_1'); .medrectangle-3-multi-894{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}We have some absolutely stunning news to break this morning and it is going to send shockwaves through Hockeytown, along with the entire NHL. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players presented by Molson Canadian in 2017. But that's a long way off.". When he spoke, we all listened, because he didnt speak that often.. Then watch: he'll turtle. But his right knee throbs every time he jogs, a parting gift from a Hall of Fame career that included three Stanley Cups, 692 goals and one knee realignment surgery. Steve Yzerman was born in Cranbrook, Canada. In some ways, it was rather practical: In 1986, he was named the youngest captain in franchise history at age 21. "What I like about management is I like building a team," Yzerman said. Yzerman became vice president of the Detroit Red Wings following his retirement as a player, and in 2010 became general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. (Bruce Bennett Studios / Getty Images), the best 100 players in modern NHL history. Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. After all, Yzerman is as synonymous to the Red Wings as the winged wheel. Yzerman asked him to walk with him from the hotel to the rink. Cooper remembers when, a few months after he was hired in 2010, he joined the Lightning for its preseason game in Winnipeg. Yzerman was captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1986 to 2006, and led the team to three Stanley Cup victories. "For our younger players, if they come in at training camp and do well and they earn a spot, that's great," Yzerman said. He further heaped praise on the long-term owners of the team, the Ilitch family, the 8 NHL coaches he played under during his career, and the incredible players brought in for him to play with. He had already played more than 1,000 NHL games and statistically done enough to be a Hall of Famer and when he had finally reached the pinnacle of the sport, his teammates could see in him the joy of winning, Lidstrom said, but the relief of finally getting over the hump, too., He was the guy that, as the captain, made the greatest commitment because he had the most minutes and he had all the points, Holland said. DetroitRedWings.com is the official Web site of the Detroit Red Wings. Canadas Sports Hall of Fame (2008) March 1, 2023, 1:19 PM. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. I want him to play well. I like the whole process. For more of Steve Yzerman's 100 Greatest Players bio, please click here. And Yzerman, like any other starstruck fan, froze at the chance to say hello. The following year, he again won the Stanley Cup as captain of the Red Wings, and received the Conn Smythe Trophy as his team's most valuable player in the playoffs; he also played with Team Canada at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano that year. After more than a week of anticipation, Detroit Red Wings executive vice president & general manager Steve Yzerman announced Tuesday that coach Jeff Blashill's contract has been extended through . Stevie was a guy that wasn't 6-foot-6, but had the heart the size of the rink. Yzerman got comparatively little attention outside Detroit until the Wings won their two recent Cups. Yzerman, with his showy puck-handling abilities, quickly became a fan favourite. Includes Address (16) Phone (2) Email (2) See Results. He's not that tough. ", Brendan Shanahan, Yzerman's rugged left-winger and close friend, says the centreman prefers private life to the limelight. Steve was more on having him (on the team) than off. I was shocked when I found out what Chris did to Al (Sobotka), Yzerman said early Friday morning. "They called him 'Why-zerman.' "But it's exciting to me.". On car trips, he picked the brains of Holland and assistant GM Jim Nill. The Red Wings lost in Game 7 of the Norris Division semifinals the summer of 1993, and a dejected Yzerman took a seat in the dressing room. I watched him limp in and out of the rink in April, May and June, Holland added. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Yzerman said he's also pleased with Raymond's development and said the 19-year-old is on the right timeline to possibly join the Red Wings in the near future. But on the ice, when they were competitors, he got a taste of just how that determination manifested itself. Conn Smythe Trophy (1998) Max Bultman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Red Wings. His supporters are legion. He has also written for the Sporting News, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "A lot of guys, 14 years into it, they're on the way down. Joe Louis Arena was half empty. Yzerman begged to differ. Before Jeff Vinik bought the team a few months earlier, Tampa Bay was run by a couple of cowboys, meddling and bickering owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie. I remember everything stopped for me. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. But I felt like I really wanted to do this. The . "I think he's versatile. Steve Yzerman amassed some 1755 points (692 goals) in his illustrious career, but despite having plenty of reason to celebrate was often pretty mute after putting one in the net unless the goal was a big one. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Signing undrafted free agent Tyler Johnson or picking Ondrej Palat in the seventh round and seeing them blossom into Calder Trophy finalists gives Yzerman a sense of pride. All rights reserved. The only way we could truly honor them, he said, was to play the way they did: with pride.. The second-best player was Mario Lemieux in his prime. He loves the area and is excited about his team's nucleus, showing faith in Vinik by signing an extension last summer through 2018-19. Steve had the right to overturn, but throughout the whole process, he had never done that before, so he wasn't going to do it then.". "I know that winning, one way or another, isn't going to change my life.". It is a decision I cannot get behind, or accept, therefore, I am stepping down as general manager.. Their 600 goals are different from the 600 goals I have. Devellano admits there were two scenarios where trading Yzerman was pondered in the early-to-mid 1990s. But certainly watching him eight times last year live over a relatively short period of time gives you a good feel for what their strengths are.". 15 on The Athletics list of the NHLs 100 greatest players of the post-expansion era. "It was weighing on him and it bothered him," Coffey said. Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman watches from high above the ice during a game against the Florida Panthers in March in Tampa. Lightning trade Vladislav Namestnikov to San Jose. Add a comment. In 1986, at age 21, he was named captain, the youngest in Red Wings history. During that campaign, just two years removed from a 58-goal season, Yzerman went through a 24-game stretch in which he had just three goals. 19 jersey. That, as Shanahan alluded, can likely be traced to Yzermans competitive personality. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Those who lived the run have visceral memories of seeing Yzerman battle through his pain that summer including having to brace on his stick to get back up after being knocked down. How tall is Steve Yzerman? Over a career that spans 22 seasons (with at least 1 NHL GP), he has a total 1755 Pts in 1514 GP, and 185 playoffs Pts in 196 GP. On Day 2 of free agency, Detroit welcomed back defensemen Dan Renouf, Luke Witkowski and Brian Lashoff on deals that give the Wings some flexibility. This article was originally published in Maclean's Magazine on February 7, 2000, There are stories for every scar on Steve Yzerman's otherwise handsome mug, and they are not for the faint of heart. Though he played only 16 games the following season (20023), he was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance and dedication to his sport. He has been GM of the Red Wings since April 19, 2019. Steve Yzerman weighed 185 lbs (83 . And although the story, like the scars, testifies to his remarkable focus and competitive spirit, it masks another truth about the man known as Stevie Y. Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links. His eldest. Chris terminating Al because he slapped him in the face with an octopus was just the final straw for me..