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    • Steve Yzerman

    Wikipedia

    IMDb

    Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    Steve Yzerman is a legendary Canadian ice hockey player who spent his entire 22-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. He served as captain for the longest tenure in North American major league sports history, leading the team to three Stanley Cup championships. Yzerman is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

    Table of Contents

    Occupation

    ice hockey player

    About the Steve Yzerman

    Stephen Gregory Yzermanis 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. 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 decadesin the 1988-89 season, the Conn Smythe Trophyin 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 pointsin 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. In 2017, Yzerman was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.

    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. 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. 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. Canada went on to win their second-straight gold medal after defeating Sweden. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Steve Yzerman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who spent his entire 22-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

    Steve Yzerman served as captain of the Detroit Red Wings for over two decades, dressing as captain for over 1,300 games, making him the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history.

    Steve Yzerman won numerous awards during his career, including the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Selke Trophy, and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. He was also a ten-time NHL All-Star and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984.

    Steve Yzerman led the Detroit Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships, winning in 1997, 1998, and 2002.

    After retiring as a player, Steve Yzerman served in the front office of the Red Wings and then as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2019, he was named the general manager of the Red Wings.

    Steve Yzerman represented Canada in several international tournaments, winning an Olympic gold medal in 2002 and serving as the general manager for Team Canada, leading them to gold medals at the 2007 IIHF World Championship and the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

    Steve Yzerman was a Detroit sports icon and was once voted to be the most popular athlete in Detroit sports history. Locals often referred to him by nicknames like ,Stevie Y,, ,Stevie Wonder,, and ,The Captain,.

    24 Quotes by Steve Yzerman

    1. 1.

      Since the season ended, I’ve let things settle down, and I have to talk to the coaching staff and management. I really don’t want to turn this into a big drama. So I plan on making a definite decision relatively quickly.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    2. 2.

      It’s been a great honor for me to be a player for the Detroit Red Wings, to play for an Original Six franchise. I know I’m far from perfect, but I learned a lot.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    3. 3.

      And for the team, I always tried to do the right thing.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    4. 4.

      I don’t know that I’d agree I was our best player.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    5. 5.

      I’m never gonna play again, and I know I’m really, really going to miss it.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    6. 6.

      I don’t know if I’ve ever had a memorable body check. It’s not really part of my game.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    7. 7.

      When you’re on the ice, you have very little time, you see very little, and everything happens really quick.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    8. 8.

      Darren McCarty is a big video game guy, and he brings his systems with him on the road.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    9. 9.

      We used to play a lot outdoors, not in leagues, but just in our spare time.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    10. 10.

      Very few cities in the NHL have the history or the following of the Detroit Red Wings.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    11. 11.

      I also feel I adapted. I was willing to try to fit into any role. The way I figured, it was always up to me to prove my worth, that I deserved to be here.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    12. 12.

      When it gets to this point, it’s just hard to pull the trigger.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    13. 13.

      I look forward to a lot more free time, at least initially, with my wife, Lisa, and our three children.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    14. 14.

      As a kid in British Columbia, going back a long way, I learned to skate.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    15. 15.

      I’m exhausted trying to stay healthy.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    16. 16.

      The 70’s hair with the long on the sides, just doesn’t look good coming down the sides of the helmet.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    17. 17.

      We have to get better at that. All of the Stanley Cup winning teams throughout the past few seasons, when they needed to play defense, they did it. If you can play defense, that’s when you know it’s game over.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    18. 18.

      I’m very confident my health isn’t going to allow me to be a good player, especially in the spring.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    19. 19.

      Balanced is probably what I am, although that’s just a polite way to say that you don’t do anything very well.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    20. 20.

      I’ve been hit hard a few times, been hit really hard a few times, but I don’t think I’ve ever left a memorable, lasting impression on anyone I’ve ever hit.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    21. 21.

      It’s almost like you see too much, because when it happens for real, everything flies at you so fast, you never get a sense of the ice and where everyone is at that one moment.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    22. 22.

      I hope people like me and appreciate me the way I am.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    23. 23.

      We have two tables on our airplane that are set up with the games.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)

    24. 24.

      There used to be an old thing where every team had a heavy bag in their locker room for people to punch, but again, it was more about conditioning because if you hit a heavy bag for a minute, it feels like your arms are about to fall off.

      Steve Yzerman

      Canadian ice hockey player (born 1965)