Steve Yzerman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Yzerman's journey began when he joined the Peterborough Petes, where his exceptional talent was undeniable even during a single training camp session. Selected fourth overall by Detroit in 1983 after Pat LaFontaine was taken third, Yzerman made an immediate impact as an 18-year-old rookie, becoming the youngest player to appear in an NHL All-Star Game under the current format. His leadership solidified on October 7, 1986, when head coach Jacques Demers named him captain, citing his desire for a leader with the "Red Wings crest tattooed on his chest." Over the next two decades, he dressed as captain for over 1,300 games. His career peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s, culminating in three Stanley Cup titles in 1997, 1998, and 2002. During the 1996 playoffs, he scored a legendary double-overtime goal against the St. Louis Blues, beating goaltender Jon Casey with a slap shot from the blue line to win Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Known for his evolution into a two-way force under coach Scotty Bowman, Yzerman won the Selke Trophy in 2000 as the league's best defensive forward and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1998 as playoff MVP.

In Their Own Story

On March 31, 2006, Yzerman reached a personal milestone by scoring his 691st career goal, passing Mario Lemieux for eighth place all-time. In a moment of characteristic humility before the game, he remarked, "I don't really know the significance. If anything, it shows how good [Lemieux] is; he played almost five years less than I did." Just days later, on April 3, he netted his final NHL goal, the 692nd of his career, against the Calgary Flames. His last professional game occurred on May 1, 2006, a loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the first round that eliminated Detroit from the playoffs. Earlier in his career, he faced severe adversity, including a knee injury in March 1988 that cost him the rest of the regular season, yet the team still won their first division title in 23 years. In 2004, a deflected slapshot by Rhett Warrener broke his orbital bone and scratched his cornea, forcing him out for the remainder of the playoffs and the World Cup of Hockey; teammates Joe Thornton and Joe Sakic refused to wear his number 19 jersey in his honor during that tournament. Despite these injuries and surgeries, including an osteotomy before the 2002–03 season, he returned to win the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance in 2003.

Reader's Guide

Yzerman's international career with Team Canada is as decorated as his club tenure. In 2002, he won an Olympic gold medal, joining a select group of players to achieve both an Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in the same year. He served as executive director for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics, where they defeated the United States for gold, and again for the 2014 Winter Olympics, leading Canada to a second-straight gold medal against Sweden. His management roles extended to serving as general manager of Team Canada for the 2007 IIHF World Championship, which they won. After his playing retirement in July 2006, he moved into the Red Wings front office and later served as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Currently, he holds the title of interim executive vice president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, with plans to transition into an advisory role ahead of the 2026–27 NHL season. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014.

Did You Know?

• Yzerman was the first 18-year-old and youngest player to play in an NHL All-Star Game since 1969, a record that stood for 27 years until Jeff Skinner broke it by eight days.
• During his rookie season, he tallied 39 goals and 87 points, finishing second in Calder Memorial Trophy voting.
• In the 1996 playoffs, Yzerman scored what is considered his most memorable goal: a double-overtime winner against St. Louis where he stole the puck from Wayne Gretzky.
• During the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, Joe Thornton and Joe Sakic refused to wear number 19 out of respect for an injured Yzerman who could not play due to an eye injury.
• Yzerman handed the Stanley Cup first to Vladimir Konstantinov in 1998 after his teammate had been severely injured in a car accident just six days following their 1997 victory.