The Tampa Bay Lightning introduced Steve Yzerman as their new general manager on Tuesday.
Yzerman, 45, becomes the NHL team's sixth GM and their third in two years. He described becoming a general manager as a goal he has always wanted to pursue.
“I am extremely excited to join the Lightning organization as we look to re-establish the organization as one of the most respected in the NHL,” Yzerman said.
Yzerman leaves the Detroit Red Wings organization after 27 years. He was most recently a vice-president with Detroit, the team he was drafted by in 1983 and won three Stanley Cups with as a captain.
He served as executive director of Team Canada, which won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He also presided for Hockey Canada over the last gold-medal team at the world championships, in 2007.
Yzerman's desire to become a GM was not going to get fulfilled quickly in Detroit, where longtime general manager Ken Holland and assistant Jim Nill are expected to remain for the foreseeable future.
"I am very grateful for everything they did for me over my playing years and my four years [since]," he said. "In those four years, I was able to learn from one of the most successful and best management teams in hockey. This, I know, has prepared me for the job that lies ahead here in Tampa Bay."
Detroit owners Mike and Marian Ilitch wished Yzerman well in a statement released Tuesday, but added his exit will be difficult on them, the franchise and the city of Detroit.
"Steve Yzerman … has been synonymous with the Red Wings and Hockeytown for as long as most of us can remember. We drafted him as a young and shy 18-year-old — just a year after we bought the team — and he has been part of it all: the ups and downs, highs and lows, the [Stanley] Cups, the celebrations, really everything Red Wings over the last 27 years."
The position in Tampa was made available last month when the Lightning's new owner, Jeff Vinik, fired general manager Brian Lawton as well as coach Rick Tocchet after the club missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Chemistry with new Lightning owner
Yzerman said he had several conversations with Vinik about the position and felt a chemistry with the new owner.
"This is somebody I [think] I could enjoy working for," said Yzerman. "I believe that Jeff has a complete understanding of what needs to be done here and I like his approach to running this team, and I became convinced this is a person I want to work with."
Lawton was hired in 2008, during the tumultuous period in which Oren Koules and Len Barrie were the owners. Lawton replaced longtime general manager Jay Feaster.
Yzerman takes over a team that went 34-36-12 last season, a 14-point improvement, but the club missed the playoffs for the third team in a row. Tampa Bay has not won a playoff series since their 2004 Stanley Cup championship and has also dealt with attendance issues at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"Obviously we want to try and improve on last year's team, but in doing that, we have a long-term goal and that's to improve upon the foundation to make sure we can be successful going forward — not just next year but years following that," said Yzerman.
The club has promising young players Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, as well as key veterans up front, such as Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, and Ryan Malone. Tampa Bay is set to pick sixth in the NHL entry draft
Lightning faces challenges
The Lightning also have several challenges, particularly with depth in net and on defence, and the Koules/Barrie era was characterized by a number of high-priced contracts.
Some of those players (Radim Vrbata, Vaclav Prospal) didn't stick around long, but captain Lecavalier has 10 years left on a hefty contract and has averaged less than a point per game in each of the last two seasons.
Yzerman hinted at that exorbitance. He spoke Tuesday about being "more astute at signing free agents, [and] more astute at signing our own players."
He said he has already been thinking about the head coach position, but doesn't believe it's essential to fill it before the June 25 draft.
"What I'm looking for in a head coach is a strong leader, someone who'll make decisions," he said.
Yzerman was born in Cranbrook, B.C., and grew up in the Ottawa area. He ranks sixth all-time with 1,755 points as a player, and is in the top 10 in goals and assists. In addition to the championships with Detroit, he was part of Canada's gold-medal hockey team at the 2002 Olympics.
