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| - Stephen Gregory "Steve" Yzerman (pronounced /ˈaɪzərmən/; born May 9, 1965) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and current general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. Yzerman played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Detroit Red Wings and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Prior to the 1986–87 season at the age of 21, Yzerman was named captain of the Red Wings and continuously served for the next two decades, retiring as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history. Once voted to be the most popular athlete in Detroit sports history, locals often simply refer to Yzerman as "The Captain." Yzerman led the Wings to five first-place regular season finishes and three Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998 and 2002). Yzerman won numerous awards during his 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 was a ten-time NHL All-Star, a First Team All-Star in 2000, and a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1984. On July 3, 2006, Yzerman officially retired, finishing his career ranked as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history, having scored a career-high 155 points (65 goals/90 assists) in 1988-89 which has been bettered only by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. Yzerman's jersey #19, was officially retired on January 2, 2007 during a pre-game ceremony at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. On November 4, 2008, he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He also became an honoured member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility, inducted alongside 2001-02 Red Wing teammates Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille. On September 25, 2006, Yzerman was named as a Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings. He won a fourth Stanley Cup as the Vice President of Operations in 2007–08. He served as the team's Alternate Governor until he was hired away from the Red Wings to become the general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning in May 2010. Yzerman has represented his country in several international tournaments as a member of Canada's national hockey team (Team Canada). In 2002, Yzerman won an Olympic gold medal, making him one of few players to win an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Yzerman was the general manager of Team Canada for the 2007 IIHF World Championship which they won. Yzerman was appointed Executive Director of Team Canada on October 7, 2008, for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Team Canada went on to win the gold medal by defeating Team USA.
- He was named team captain of the Red Wings prior to the 1986-87 season and held the position until his retirement in July of 2006. His tenure as captain is the longest in North American professional sports history. Considered to be a leader by example, he was known later in his career simply as "The Captain" to Detroit sports fans. His leadership was critical in Detroit's Stanley Cup championships in 1997, 1998, and 2002. Following his retirement as a player in 2006, Yzerman became a vice president of the Red Wings organization. During his time in the front office, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup again in 2008. He was selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009, the first year he was eligible. Also during this time, Yzerman was selected by Hockey Canada to serve as general manager of Canada's entry into the 2007 IIHF World Championship and as executive director for Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Canada won the gold medal at both tournaments. Yzerman also won a gold medal as a player for Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
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