Detroit Red Wings to hire Steve Yzerman as general manager

BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 25: General manager Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning attends the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center on June 25, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - JUNE 25: General manager Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning attends the 2016 NHL Draft at First Niagara Center on June 25, 2016 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Detroit Red Wings will announce Steve Yzerman as their next general manager during a press conference. 

Ever since Steve Yzerman stepped down from his role with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the rumor mill has been buzzing. Where will the legend stop next? It turns out he’ll be coming home, as the Detroit Red Wings are expected to name him their next general manager. There will be a press conference on Friday at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Yzerman will serve as the Executive Vice President and General Manager. Incumbent general manager Ken Holland has received a promotion to Senior Vice President and will be a Senior Advisor to Hockey Operations.

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Yzerman, of course, is no stranger to the Red Wings. They were the only NHL team he knew as a player, playing for them from 1983 to 2006. Yzerman set a record by serving as their team captain for an unprecedented 20 seasons, leading them to three Stanley Cups as a player and a fourth as a member of the front office.

He last served as the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager before stepping down for family reasons. A job with the Red Wings would allow him to stay near Detroit and take care of things while allowing him to remain in the NHL as a general manager. It’s the best of both worlds for him.

Before becoming the general manager of the Lightning, Yzerman served as the vice president and alternate governor of the Red Wings from 2006 to 2010. He was hired as Tampa’s general manager and vice president in September of 2010.

Under his tutelage, the Lightning made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in six of nine seasons, made four trips to the Eastern Conference Final (2011, 2015, 2016, 2018), and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Yzerman will be tasked with, once again, saving the Red Wings. He was able to do it as a player despite constant criticism in his early years.

Mario Lemieux was able to save the Pittsburgh Penguins by stepping in, although he was the owner of the team. Perhaps Yzerman can do the same for the Red Wings.