He entered the franchise in 1983. He has three Stanley Cup rings as a player and one in management. But most importantly of all, he came to a team down on its luck and brought about a miracle. That miracle was called 'Hockeytown', and now it is with a sad-but-grudgingly-hopeful heart that I write here today on the confirmation of Steve Yzerman as the new General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It is official: Stevie Y is saying goodbye to Hockeytown.
For Now.
In the previous days, there were many reports that Yzerman had turned down the offer to GM for the Bolts, but nothing concrete had ever surfaced to say that Steve was ever truly out of the picture. Tampa is scheduled to formally announce Yzerman's hiring at a press conference to be held just three hours from now, at 3PM EST. More recent reports that have come out since the confirmation are hinting at the idea that Steve could end up becoming the highest paid GM in the NHL. If that's the case, let's look at just some of what the Lightning are buying into:
- Steve had a brilliant career marked with success, both individually and with the Red Wings as a team, bringing Detroit to the postseason year after year, and leading them to 3 Stanley Cups.
- He has sat in the front office with Detroit since his hanging up of the skates, and has had the opportunity to watch the best GM in the league, Ken Holland, work his magic and likely pick up a few of Kenny's tricks as well as some of his savvy.
- Steve is an icon of the game, who will bring a lot of credibility to Tampa in a very short amount of time. This is something the Bolts fanbase should be going crazy over with excitement.
- Most recently Yzerman GM'd the Gold Medal-winning Canadian Olympic team in Vancouver, proving in no uncertain terms that he's ready for a spot like this.
As much as it hurts, and trust me it does, I obviously wish Steve nothing but happiness and success in his venture with Tampa. I only hope that our paths are meant to cross again, because the Red Wings will just not be the same without Steve Yzerman somewhere in the mix.
I will miss you Captain, and we all will always love you and what you did for us here in Detroit.
Thank you.
