Of course, there are times to celebrate, often in unbridled fashion. He had to buy into what the coaches were trying to implement and hes done that, which is a big reason why weve been successful.. Yzerman, born in Cranbrook, B.C., and raised in Nepean, Ont., was drafted in 1983, a year after Mike and Marian Ilitch bought the Red Wings during one of the lowest stretches in franchise history. cottage, and last year he and his wife, Christine, and their two . That year, Yzermans chronic right knee injury had flared up while representing Team Canada at the Olympics (where he won gold) in February. Red Wings coach Nick Polano noticed the change when Yzerman returned to training camp. But let's play hockey.". 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. He's patient, he's been through it all.". All NHL team jerseys customized with NHL players' names and numbers are officially licensed by the NHL and the NHLPA. Yzerman said he's happy with the signings the Red Wings made and is confident Detroit will a better team in 2021-22 than it was last season. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He goes through a lot of a process, to eventually make a decision.. Photos: Lightning fall 4-1 on home to Panthers. Weather you loved the Detroit Red Wings . Yzerman was captain of the Detroit Red Wings from 1986 to 2006, and led the team to three Stanley Cup victories. Steve was quoted as saying My first game in Detroit was in October 1983 against the New Jersey Devils and it was a thrill for me just to step on the ice. Not necessarily aiming to be an All Star or being voted into the Hall of Fame, Yzerman was just happy to be playing the sport he loved at the highest level possible. Yzerman called it a very difficult decision. "I can relate to Mario, because I played with him," he says, sitting at a table beside a huge black-and-white of former Wings Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio. Yzerman sat in on all the meetings, from those at the trade deadline to others with amateur scouts involving the draft. Transactions (1) CONTRACT HISTORY HISTORICAL SALARY "He remade himself in to really versatile player. Former teammate Gerard Gallant will never forget the season opener that followed the trade rumors. In the six years that followed, Yzerman consistently maintained an average of over 100 points per season and, for most of those seasons, scored over 50 goals per year. Take, for example, the reddish crescent-moon dent where the bridge of his nose meets the centre of his forehead. He singled out Scotty Bowman, telling the crowd that the coach hadnt been thanked properly for the 3 Stanley Cups that hed won in Detroit and Mr. Yzerman also completed his worst trade as GM of the Red Wings by trading prospect Alec Regula for Brendan Perlini. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman and Hurricanes wing Jeff O'Neill are among the other players who summer on Lake Joe. On November 4, 2008, he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. "Steve Yzerman (Profile). Him and I were getting into it, and he about choked me out, Verbeek recalled, laughing. But I felt like I really wanted to do this. Use arrows to navigate between autocomplete results. 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? Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings Youth Adidas Authentic Purple. There was only one thing that team could do in 02, and that was (win) the Stanley Cup, Draper said. Steve finished his career after 23 years in the winged-wheel of the Red Wings (the last 20 as captain), retiring as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history. Steve Yzerman Jerseys & Merchandise While a sports collection is a great way to impress friends and family at home, the best way to impress fellow fans at the game is to buy a Red Wings Detroit Steve Yzerman Jersey or stock up on Red Wings apparel items. Some of the music had to be edited out due to copyright claims. 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. He had an issue with his elbow that he had to take get taken care of. I didnt really know how to pronounce his name, but you knew right off the bat he was good.. Still, from the people who lived those years alongside Yzerman, the popular lore has truth to it as well not in that he necessarily needed to learn to become a so-called defensive player, but in realizing just how significant total defensive commitment was to winning a championship. 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. But while Yzerman wants to remain anonymous, he can't escape the reality of how famous he is. He made the greatest commitment, in my mind, when Scotty Bowman showed up, to sacrifice. In my opinion hes the best general manager in the National Hockey League, Holland said. Yzerman jets back and forth as often as he can, squeezing in trips to Michigan to reconnect with his family. "I'm in a really good situation here," he says, "with really good guys." My jersey is going to go up there, he told the crowd, and I hope as you watch it go up and when you come back and you look up there you give yourself a pat on the back.. Can he take the team to the next level?' Although he later was added to the team, St. Louis, who had also been left off the 2010 team, demanded a trade to the Rangers, but Yzerman managed to net Ryan Callahan and two first-round picks. "(Fans) didn't pronounce his name properly," Devellano said. Yzerman knew he had to tell "Mr. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Yzerman, who grew up in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, was an unknown to fans. "It wasn't a proud moment on my part - I came totally unglued. How old is Steve Yzerman? ". Be humble in your celebrations (but when it is warranted, celebrate big). W ITH: "I like being part of something where winning matters, losing matters. Max is a graduate of the University of Michigan, where he covered Michigan football and men's basketball. But on the ice, when they were competitors, he got a taste of just how that determination manifested itself. Coach Jon Cooper laughs when he recalls his interview with Yzerman, back in 2010, for the AHL coaching job. In last week's game, Toronto winger Garry Valk made the mistake of slashing Yzerman on the knee between where one pad ends and another begins. He was used in Arizona, in all situations really -- power play, penalty killing, even strength," Yzerman said about the 29-year-old Oesterle. But, Yzerman was also the GM of the Lightning, and his captain, Marty St. Louis, the best player in franchise history, didn't initially make the Canada roster. in. "He just likes to go about his business and be left alone." "What I like about management is I like building a team," Yzerman said. He led by example more so than with fiery tirades with teammates recalling him laying out to block shots, and setting a standard in the gym as examples. But we're starting to build something and, hopefully, we can get there and win, and just keep doing it over and over and over. Connor Bedard, the projected 2023 No. Steve Yzerman weighed 185 lbs (83 . He won the Stanley Cup three times and the 1998 Conn Smythe Trophy. Steve Yzerman (Profile). Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 3, the Red Wings settled for Yzerman. He grinds. He could have comfortably stayed in his "lifetime" appointment as an executive with the Red Wings. "As superstars go, he's definitely unique." "I'm not one of those guys.". At 16, Steve Yzerman joined the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes, where scouts for the Detroit Red Wings soon took notice. Deacon, James. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. He could be riding out his retirement in style, playing golf, signing autographs, relaxing at his northern Ontario lakefront cottage with his family. He's not that tough. Stanley Cup Championships (1997, 1998, 2002) ". But we've got to wait and see.". By 1997, Yzerman negotiated his own contracts. Do I think that Steve played defense before that? He held the C until his retirement in 2006 two decades as the on-ice leader of the franchise. 250. 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 Yzerman had seen a successful rebuild before he was part of one. [DIRK SHADD | Times], Lightning assistant GM Jamie Pushor found his post-playing passion in scouting, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning shut down Red Wings, As one generation awaits womens pro hockey, they pass their lessons down to the next, Panthers pile on early, snap Lightnings home points streak, New Lightning forward Tanner Jeannot ready to get things going, This Lightning trade is not just a risk, its a full-blown battle cry, Maple Leafs: Lightning, other division rivals did not spur deal. That year he was also part of the gold medal Olympic mens hockey team at the Winter Games in Salt Lake. Steve Yzerman had 692 goals over his career. TAMPA He often sits alone in a press box booth, his intense glare pouring through his brown eyes. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. "I consider Mario the most talented player that ever played. Minutes into his retirement speech in 2007 Stevie Y had already thanked the visiting team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, twice for their cooperation and patience in his long ceremony that evening. $149.99 $219.99. Do you have a sports website? Steve Yzerman weighed 185 lbs (83 kg) when playing. Verbeek found a young Yzerman to be friendly and a bit quiet. While Yzerman was a quiet leader, he would still pick his spots to deliver a message. Steve Yzerman is a 57 year old centre who was born on May 9, 1965. Their 600 goals are different from the 600 goals I have. Transaction information may be incomplete. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. Devellano wanted to pick Pat LaFontaine, a local product (and future Hall of Famer) who could put butts in the seats. Yzerman's best and worst move as Lightning GM might have been the same moment. Thank you for your support! And I think (its) because of his work ethic, and all those intangibles that he had as a player, hes taken to the front office. His eldest. Yzerman was also clear about Seider's chances to make the 2021-22 roster. Any other third party trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. 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. Five days later, he raised the Stanley Cup for a third time. in. " Bowman said. Max Bultman. Steve Yzerman was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Player in 2009. "I don't take the game as seriously as I used to," he says. "There was a time he was on, and a time he was off. Though Yzerman was the only one of five children who didn't go to college, he earned a Ph.D. in hockey. "My game preparation would start the night before at dinnertime - I'd be on a strict schedule of sleeping and eating." As for Oesterle, Yzerman said he likes the versatility that the defenseman brings to the club. By all accounts, he was a quiet leader. He has been GM of the Red Wings since April 19, 2019. Devellano admits there were two scenarios where trading Yzerman was pondered in the early-to-mid 1990s. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. It was everything it took for him to get on the ice and play, he said. How tall is Steve Yzerman? "I know that winning, one way or another, isn't going to change my life.". As the executive director for Team Canada, Yzerman was determined to lead his home country to its second straight gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Yzerman went on to explain that this was just the final straw for him as he really is not a big fan of Ilitch. 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. (Bruce Bennett Studios / Getty Images), the best 100 players in modern NHL history. He is known for The Joe: The Detroit Red Wings & Joe Louis Arena (2018), Salt Lake City 2002: XIX Olympic Winter Games (2002) and Gold Rush 2002 (2002). Thanks for contributing to The Canadian Encyclopedia. When you talk about the ultimate will and determination, willing yourself through a hockey game we knew how important that game was too, and theres no way that he was going to miss it, let alone miss a shift.. I think he's got good hockey sense. "He got to play a lot and he's gotten much stronger over the last 18 months. "I think every team sits back and you look at your board and you think, you know what, I think we're a better hockey team. But the Lightning, which hasn't won a playoff game since 2011, is still in the "relatively early" stage of his plan. With 10 picks in this year's entry draft . Ask him about being here 27 years, as he was in Detroit, and Yzerman laughs. 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 we all like some form of certainty, and this is the biggest period of uncertainty for us all. He really worked on his strength, Polano said. Watching these players develop, you start watching them at 16-17, they start coming into the organization at 18-20. Stephen "Steve" Gregory Yzerman, hockey player, general manager (born 9 May 1965 in Cranbrook, BC). We present them here for purely educational purposes. While Yzerman's work ethic has always been strong, it is his commitment to defence that gets his teammates' attention. The greatest compliment comes from crusty Detroit legend Ted Lindsay, now 74, who stopped by the Wings' locker room last week. But after the Islanders snagged LaFontaine at No. Besides being astronomically incorrect, this is an overused saying and sets one up for disappointment. "But Bobby Hull? Contact Joe Smith at joesmith@tampabay.com. Conn Smythe Trophy (1998) This moment required one. The rest was history.". When the playoffs began, though, Detroit lost the first two games of its opening series against Vancouver at home. So good, in fact, that Detroit brought the 18-year-old directly into the NHL where he put up 87 points as a rookie. What about Yzerman? "It hurt him. And Yzerman, as their leader and the 1998 playoff MVP, was at the center of it. Hockey Hall of Fame (2009) Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Yzerman had taken his two daughters to the St. Pete Times Forum to see Justin Bieber in concert, but Bieber only had eyes for Stevie Y, pointing out to the crowd how honored he was to be in Yzerman's presence. Max Bultman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Red Wings. Currently, the 19-year-old University of Denver defenseman has six points . A man can only take so much, Yzerman added. But the moniker became perhaps most fitting in the second half of Yzermans career, and especially during the 2002 Cup run. "Boy, sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart. "What I'm not necessarily doing is going to leave spots open just to hand it to one of the younger players.". 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. Steve Yzerman spoke to the media following the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and it is clear that the Detroit Red Wings are still in rebuild mode. Yzerman's #19 jersey was retired on January 2, 2007, during a pre-game ceremony at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Though merely 18, Yzerman became known as one of the Red Wings' more formidable players, amassing 39 goals (a team record for a rookie) and 87 points in his first season.