BY GEORGE EICHORN
Stevie Y is back home and all of Detroit is rejoicing.
The Captain made it official on April 19 as Good Friday became Great Friday for Hockeytown as their savior returned to lead his flock. Yzerman was introduced as the club’s new general manager by owner Chris Ilitch alongside his mother, Marian, at a Little Caesars Arena press conference.
Current GM Ken Holland was retained as senior vice president; making room for Yzerman to jump from the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Red Wings. Although the parties may deny it, this is a hire in the works for months if not years.
It’s only fitting that number 19 is back where he belongs. Red Wings fans long for the days of Stanley Cup championships and playoff series extended into May and June. They and team ownership sensed the need to retain Yzerman to try and capture the team’s glory days again. It will take time, as Yzerman told the media, yet the foundation is built around players like Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasious, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi. With 19 NHL draft picks (8 in the first two rounds) this June and next, the Red Wings have an opportunity to acquire a lot of potential talent.
With Yzerman steading the ship look for some veterans to perhaps get bought-out of their huge contracts, making way for more youth in the lineup. Detroit has a history of tapping our stars to be coaches and general managers in this town. The Red Wings hired Hall of Famers Sid Abel, Alex Delvecchio and Ted Lindsay, the Lions had Joe Schmidt, the Tigers tapped Alan Trammell, the Pistons had Joe Dumars, and U-M wooed Jim Harbaugh, just to name a few. Some succeeded but most did not with the jury still out on Harbaugh.
Yzerman is unique in that he was mentored by the man he is replacing – Holland – plus he guided Tampa Bay for nine seasons which included one trip to the Cup Finals, four trips to the Eastern Conference finals, and an NHL record-tying 62-win season in 2019. Stevie Y’s major disappointment was not winning a Cup with the Lightning.
He own three Cups as a player and one more as a team executive in Detroit. He is just what the team and this city needed. Three straight years without a playoff appearance is enough to drive hockey fans here crazy. And to see the Pistons play the first playoff game in an arena built for the Red Wings rubs more salt into fans’ wounds.
Welcome home Captain! It’s been a very long time coming. And a big thank you to Holland for all you’ve done to bring success and champions to the Motor City.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com.
