Steve Yzerman

Stephen Gregory Yzerman ( EYE-zər-mən; born May 9, 1965) is a Canadian former professional hockey player who is currently a senior advisor for the Detroit Red Wings. A Detroit sports icon and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Yzerman played his entire 22-season career with the Red Wings. 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 decades (dressing as captain for over 1,300 games), retiring as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history. Locals often simply refer to Yzerman as "Stevie Y", "Stevie Wonder", or "The Captain". Yzerman led the Wings to five first-place regular season finishes and three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, and 2002). He retired in 2006 among the NHL leaders in total career points and went on to a further career in NHL and international management. Yzerman won numerous awards during his career, including the Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstanding player) in the 1988–89 season, the Conn Smythe Trophy (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 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. 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...