Steve Yzerman

Steve Yzerman played professional hockey in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings for 23 seasons. Prior to the 1986 season, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings, a title which he held until his retirement nearly two decades later. At the time he was the youngest player ever to be captain of a NHL team.

Yzerman, who also serves as the Executive Director of Team Canada and Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2009. He was the Executive Director for the 2010 Canadian Gold Medal team in ice hockey.

Yzerman, after leading the Canadian Men's Hockey team to a gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics, was hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning to be their general manager after Brian Lawton was fired on April 12, 2010.

At the time of his hiring, Yzerman became among the highest paid front office men, as well as the highest NHL point scorer amongst general managers.

Yzerman played junior hockey with the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League starting in 1981. He was drafted fourth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1984 NHL draft. Although expected to play his first couple seasons in the minors, Yzerman earned a full roster spot for the 1984-1985 season. He finished his rookie season with 39 goals and 48 assists and was selected for the runner up for the Calder Trophy for the NHL's Rookie of the Year. He also earned his first of 10 NHL All-Star Game selections, making him the youngest ever to be selected.

The Red Wings went through a series of unsuccessful seasons in the 1980s, earning the nickname "Dead Wings." Yzerman led the team out of the slump in the mid 1990s, carrying them to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1996. The Wings however lost in four games to the New Jersey Devils.

The Wings entered the playoffs again in 1997, hungry for the championship. They again reached the finals, where they swept the Philadelphia Flyers to bring the Stanley Cup back to Detroit for the first time in 42 years. The Wings repeated as champions in 1998, defeating the Washington Capitals in the finals.

During the 1997 – 1998 campaign, the Red Wings finished second in the Central Division. The team fought its way to a second consecutive Stanley Cup. Yzerman was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the post-season Most Valuable Player with six goals, 18 assists and 24 points, which led all scorers. His regular season saw Yzerman score 24 goals with 45 assists, 69 points and a plus-3 for the year.

In that post season, the Red Wings swept the Washington Capitals in four games in the Stanley Cup Finals. Yzerman had two goals, including one short-handed, in a 5 to 4 win in Game 2 on six shots on goal. He ended the Finals plus-5 with two goals and two assists. He also ended plus-10 in the playoffs that season. His best game saw Yzerman score one goal and have three assists in a 6 to 1 win against the St. Louis Blues.

The Wings returned to the Stanley Cup finals in 2002, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games to win their third Cup in six seasons.

Following several injuries that kept him out of the lineup, on July 3, 2006, Yzerman announced in a tear filled press conference that he would be retiring from the game. He also announced that he would continue with the Wings, but in a management role rather than a player. Yzerman was named Vice President of the Red Wings shortly there after. His 20 years as captain is the record for the longest serving captain in NHL history.

In September of 2008, Red Wings fans who had subscribed to the team's mobile alerts were sent a text message stating that Yzerman would come out of retirement and return to the Wings in November. Although the message brought a good laugh to the Captain, he assured fans that the announcement was untrue. It was later revealed that the texting company, Textopoly, had mistakenly sent the message to fans.Detroit Free Press: Steve Yzerman amused by text messages

In a January 2, 2007 ceremony in Detroit, Yzerman's #19 jersey was retired by the Red Wings. The event was held before a scheduled regular season Wings game and was attended by dozens of current and former players, coaches and Red Wings management. The same day, Yzerman was given a key to the city of Detroit, and January 2nd was renamed Steve Yzerman Day in Detroit.