Steve Yzerman

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Stephen Gregory Yzerman (born May 9, 1965, in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada) is a professional ice hockey forward. Yzerman has spent his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings, leading the team to three Stanley Cup championships, in 1997, 1998, and 2002. At the early age of 21, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings in the 1986-87 season, and to date has been captain of his team longer than any other player in NHL history. He is the winner of numerous awards and trophies during his playing 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 is a nine-time NHL All-Star, a First Team All-Star in 2000, and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984. Yzerman currently ranks 6th all-time in NHL career points.

1 Playing career
2 Awards
3 Career statistics
4 International play
5 See also
6 External links

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Playing career

Growing up in his hometown of Nepean, Ontario, where he attended Bell High School, Steve Yzerman (pronounced EYE-zer-man) started out playing center in the juniors with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League, from 1981 to 1983. He had 91 points in 56 games in his second year with the Petes, but his numbers were far from what a future NHL phenom would have had because Peterborough rolled four lines, each having equal playing time.

Jim Devellano, the Wings GM at the time, had originally set his sights on Pat LaFontaine for the 1983 draft. LaFontaine was taken 3rd by the Islanders, so with the 4th overall pick the Wings selected Yzerman. After being drafted, the Red Wings feared he would be too small to compete in the NHL, measuring only 5'11 and 185 pounds. Detroit was fully prepared to send him back to Peterborough for another year of junior hockey. When Yzerman arrived at training camp in 1983, "he immediately was our best player," Devellano recalled. In his first professional season, Yzerman tallied 39 goals and 87 points, and finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1986 he was named captain, the youngest player to ever be named captain in the team's then 60-year history, and has held the title ever since. During the 1988-1989 season Yzerman recorded a phenomenal 155 points, a total that only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux have surpassed. In 1997, Yzerman led Detroit to its first Stanley Cup in 42 years by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers in 4 straight games. The following year Detroit repeated the feat, taking four in a row from the Washington Capitals. Yzerman handed the Cup first to Vladimir Konstantinov, a Red Wing defenseman who had been injured severely in a car accident a year earlier.

On November 26, 1999, Yzerman became the eleventh player in NHL history to score 600 goals.

In 2001-02, Yzerman re-aggravated a longtime knee injury, forcing him to miss 30 regular season games. Playing on one good knee, he led Detroit to its 3rd Stanley Cup in 6 years, scoring 23 points in 23 games.

The following summer, Yzerman underwent osteotomy surgery for knee realignment, a procedure typically reserved for the elderly. Yzerman missed 66 games and received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he returned in mid-April, registering an assist in his first game back. His comeback from this type of surgery is rare, if not unprecedented, among professional athletes.

On August 2, 2005, Yzerman signed a one-year deal with the Wings, ensuring that Detroit would have the same captain for the 19th consecutive season. This could mean that Yzerman will retire as the longest serving captain of a single team in NHL history.

On March 31 2006 Steve scored his 691st NHL career goal versus the Chicago Blackhawks. He passed Lemieux for eighth place for career goals.[1]. The next player on the list is Mark Messier, 7th at 694 goals.

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Awards

NHL All-Star Roster - 1984, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000
Lester B. Pearson Award - 1989
Conn Smythe Trophy - 1998
Frank J. Selke Trophy - 2000
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - 2003

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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	60	14	20	34	18
NHL Totals			1513	692	1063	1755	924	192	70	111	181	80