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Steve Yzerman

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Steve Yzerman
Hockey Hall of Fame, Eligible in 2009
Born May 9, 1965
Cranbrook, BC, CAN
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Played for Detroit Red Wings
NHL draft 4th overall, 1983
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1983–2006

Stephen Gregory Yzerman [EYE-zer-man] (born May 9, 1965, in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada) is a former professional hockey player who played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings. Yzerman led the Wings to three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998 and 2002). Prior to the 1986-87 season at the age of 21, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings and continuously served as captain until his retirement two decades later. Yzerman retired as the longest-serving captain of any team in NHL history.

Yzerman won numerous awards during his career, including the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1989, the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 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 was a nine-time NHL All-Star, a First Team All-Star in 2000, and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984.

On July 3, 2006, Yzerman officially retired, finishing his career ranked as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history and on September 25, 2006 was named as a team vice president. [1] His jersey number, 19, was officially retired on January 2, 2007 during a pre-game ceremony at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Playing career

Yzerman was born in British Columbia, but grew up in Nepean, Ontario (a suburb of Ottawa, now a district in that city) where he attended Bell High School and played for his hometown Nepean Raiders Junior A hockey team. After one season with the Raiders, Yzerman was drafted by the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, and played center for the Petes from 1981 to 1983.

The 1983 NHL Entry Draft was the first for Mike and Marian Ilitch, who purchased the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 1982. Looking to inject some excitement into a once-proud franchise, Jim Devellano, the Red Wings' then-general manager, wanted to draft Pat LaFontaine, who grew up outside Detroit and played his junior hockey in the area. However, when LaFontaine was taken 3rd overall by the New York Islanders, Devellano settled on Yzerman, drafting him fourth overall in the first round of the draft.

Standing 5'11" and weighing just 160 pounds, the Red Wings were prepared to send him back to Peterborough for another year, but "after one (training camp) session, you knew he was a tremendous hockey player," said Ken Holland, the current Red Wings general manager who was a minor league goaltender for the Wings during Yzerman's rookie training camp. [2] Yzerman tallied 39 goals and 87 points in his rookie season, and finished 2nd in Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) voting. [3] That season, Yzerman also became the youngest player in an all-star game at the age of 18. [1]

In 1986, Jacques Demers, who was the Red Wings coach at the time, named Yzerman captain of the team, making him the youngest captain in the team's history. Demers said he "wanted a guy with the Red Wings crest tattooed on his chest."[4] The next season, Yzerman led the Wings to their first division title in 23 years.

During the 1988-89 season Yzerman recorded 155 points (65 goals/90 assists), a total that only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have surpassed. Yzerman finished third in regular season scoring behind Lemieux and Gretzky and won the Lester B. Pearson Award (MVP as voted by the NHLPA), and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy (MVP as voted by the NHL writers).

When Scotty Bowman took over as coach in 1993, Yzerman initially chafed under Bowman's stern coaching style. Bowman, for his part, felt that Yzerman wasn't concentrating enough on defense. At one point, the Red Wings seriously considered trading him to the expansion Ottawa Senators. However, Yzerman gradually became a better defender, and is now considered one of the best two-way forwards in the history of the game.

In 1995, Yzerman led Detroit to its first Stanley Cup finals series since 1966, but the Red Wings were swept by the New Jersey Devils. In 1996, Detroit finished with an NHL-record 62 regular season wins but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Colorado Avalanche.

In 1997, Detroit won its first Stanley Cup in 42 years by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. The following year Detroit repeated the feat, sweeping the Washington Capitals. Yzerman earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He handed the Cup first to wheelchair-bound Vladimir Konstantinov, who had been severely injured in a car accident just six days after the Cup victory in 1997.

On November 26, 1999, Yzerman became the 11th player in NHL history to score 600 goals. In 2000, he made the NHL All-Star First Team and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

In 2001-02, Yzerman re-aggravated a knee injury, forcing him to miss 30 regular season games.[5] Yet, he still finished sixth in team scoring and led Detroit to its 3rd Stanley Cup in six years—the 10th in franchise history.

That summer, Yzerman underwent a knee realignment surgery known as an osteotomy, a procedure usually reserved for the elderly. He missed the first 66 games of the 2002-03 season, but got an assist in his first game back on February 27, 2003. On August 2, 2005, Yzerman signed a one-year deal. On March 31, 2006 he scored his 691st NHL career goal, passing Mario Lemieux for 8th place all-time.[6] He scored his final NHL goal, the 692nd of his career, on April 3, 2006, in a game against the Calgary Flames.

File:Yzerman on Si.jpg
Yzerman on the cover of Sports Illustrated's commemorative edition dedicated to him on July 14, 2006.

On July 3, 2006, Yzerman announced his retirement. Shortly afterwards Sports Illustrated published a special commemorative edition dedicated to Yzerman entitled "Yzerman: A Salute to Stevie Y" which featured Yzerman's first appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Yzerman currently holds the NHL record (19 seasons/20 years) as the longest serving captain of a single team.[7] In addition to being eighth all-time in regular-season goals and sixth in overall scoring, Yzerman finished his career seventh all-time in regular season assists, and eighth in all-time playoff scoring. He ranks second in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history behind Gordie Howe except assists; Yzerman has 1,063 assists to Howe's 1,020. Only Howe and Alex Delvecchio played more games as a Red Wing.

On September 25, 2006, the Red Wings named Yzerman a team vice president. He is now a key assistant in the team's hockey operations.

File:Retired Banners.jpg
Yzerman's #19 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena.

On January 2, 2007, the Red Wings retired Yzerman's jersey number, 19, before a game against the Anaheim Ducks. The official retirement ceremony was hosted by Yzerman's long-time friend, former NHL goalie and ESPN hockey analyst Darren Pang and featured such Red Wing luminaries as Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio (the three still-living Red Wings players to have their uniform numbers retired by the team), and Scotty Bowman. For the ceremony, the active Red Wings players wore Yzerman throwback jerseys representing the Red Wings, Team Canada (Canada won gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games), the Campbell Conference All-Star team and the Peterborough Petes. On January 30, 2007, Hockey Canada named Yzerman the general manager of Team Canada for the 2007 World Championships in Moscow, April 27-May 13.

Yzerman is one of the most powerful figures in Red Wings history, and is considered a hero outside hockey as well. On January 2, 2007, Yzerman was presented the key to the city of Detroit by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick at a luncheon prior to the jersey retirement ceremony. On January 13 Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm visited Detroit and the Joe Louis Arena and proclaimed the day as "Steve Yzerman Day” in the state of Michigan. [8]

Personal

Yzerman and his wife Lisa (b. 17 June 1965) were married on June 10, 1989 and have three daughters, Isabella Katherine (b. 23 February 1994), Maria Charlotte (b. 21 April 1998), and Sophia Rose (b. 14 May 1999).

Not far from where Steve Yzerman grew up, the Nepean Sportsplex named one of its indoor ice surfaces the Steve Yzerman Arena in 1997 in his honour. This is the home rink of the CJHL's Nepean Raiders, the Tier II Junior "A" team Yzerman played on during the 1980-81 season. The Raiders currently play in the Yzerman Division.

Awards and achievements

  • NHL All-Star Roster - 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000
  • NHL First Team All-Star, Center - 2000
  • Lester B. Pearson Award - 1989
  • Conn Smythe Trophy - 1998
  • Frank J. Selke Trophy - 2000
  • Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - 2003
  • Lester Patrick Trophy - 2006
  • Sixth in NHL history in points, eighth in goals and seventh in assists
  • First in Red Wings history in assists; second in points and goals; third in games played
  • Number (19) retired with Detroit Red Wings - 2007
  • Named Vice President of Detroit Red Wings - 2007
  • Named General Manager of Team Canada - 2008

Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1981-82 Peterborough Petes OHL 58 21 43 64 65 6 0 1 1 16
1982-83 Peterborough Petes OHL 56 42 49 91 65 4 1 4 5 0
1983-84 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 39 48 87 33 4 3 3 6 0
1984-85 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 30 59 89 58 3 2 1 3 2
1985-86 Detroit Red Wings NHL 51 14 28 42 16 - - - - -
1986-87 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 31 59 90 43 16 5 13 18 8
1987-88 Detroit Red Wings NHL 64 50 52 102 44 3 1 3 4 6
1988-89 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 65 90 155 61 6 5 5 10 2
1989-90 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 62 65 127 79 - - - - -
1990-91 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 51 57 108 34 7 3 3 6 4
1991-92 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 45 58 103 64 11 3 5 8 12
1992-93 Detroit Red Wings NHL 84 58 79 137 44 7 4 3 7 4
1993-94 Detroit Red Wings NHL 58 24 58 82 36 3 1 3 4 0
1994-95 Detroit Red Wings NHL 47 12 26 38 40 15 4 8 12 0
1995-96 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 36 59 95 64 18 8 12 20 4
1996-97 Detroit Red Wings NHL 81 22 63 85 78 20 7 6 13 4
1997-98 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 24 45 69 46 22 6 18 24 22
1998-99 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 29 45 74 42 10 9 4 13 0
1999-00 Detroit Red Wings NHL 78 35 44 79 34 8 0 4 4 0
2000-01 Detroit Red Wings NHL 54 18 34 52 18 1 0 0 0 0
2001-02 Detroit Red Wings NHL 52 13 35 48 18 23 6 17 23 10
2002-03 Detroit Red Wings NHL 16 2 6 8 8 4 0 1 1 2
2003-04 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 18 33 51 46 11 3 2 5 0
2005-06 Detroit Red Wings NHL 61 14 20 34 18 4 0 4 4 4
OHL Totals 114 63 92 155 130 10 1 5 6 16
NHL Totals 1514 692 1063 1755 924 196 70 115 185 84

International play

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City Ice hockey

Played for Canada in:

Yzerman was considered a leading candidate for the captaincy of Team Canada in 1998, along with Wayne Gretzky and Ray Bourque. Yzerman had led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup during the previous season and he was one of the longest serving team captains. However, General Manager Bobby Clarke instead selected Eric Lindros.

In late 2005, after Yzerman ruled himself out of a third Olympic appearance, Wayne Gretzky announced that no one would ever again wear jersey #19 for Team Canada, in Yzerman's honor.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ "Red Wings bring Yzerman into front office". Retrieved 2006-09-25.
  2. ^ Free Press staff, "The Captain: 22 Seasons, 3 Cups, 1 Team," page 15. Detroit Free Press, 2006
  3. ^ Shelley Lazarus, "Hockeytown Hero: The Steve Yzerman Story." appendix pages xiii and xv. Proctor Publications, 2000
  4. ^ DetroitRedWings.com, Wings Of Legend: Steve Yzerman
  5. ^ The Detroit Red Wings, "The Detroit Red Wings 2005-06 Media Guide", page 86, The Detroit Red Wings, 2005
  6. ^ "Yzerman passes Lemieux on goals list". CBC. 2006-03-31. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  7. ^ Free Press staff, "The Captain: 22 Seasons, 3 Cups, 1 Team.", page 11. Detroit Free Press, 2006
  8. ^ Ansar Khan (2007-01-03). "Yzerman honored by city, state". mlive.com. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
  9. ^ "Report: Yzerman's No. 19 untouchable". TSN. 2005-12-14. Retrieved 2006-08-06.

See also

Preceded by Detroit Red Wings Captain
1986 - 2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award
1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy
2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bill Masterton Trophy
2003 		Succeeded by

External links


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