A look back on The Captain's career highlights

July 3, 2006

The Captain's Adventure

1983-84:

Drafted fourth overall by the Red Wings in the first round of the 1983 NHL Entry Draft

Tallied first career goal in his NHL debut against Winnipeg on Oct. 5, 1983


Became the youngest player to ever appear in an NHL All-Star Game (18 years, 9 months)

Named Sporting News "Rookie of the Year" after leading all NHL rookies in assists (48) and points (87)

1984-85:

Represented Team Canada in the Canada Cup

1985-86:

Missed his first NHL game ever with a broken right collarbone (211 games)

1986-87:

Named the youngest Captain in club history (21 years old) succeeding Danny Gare

"When I was looking for a captain, I wanted a guy with the Red Wings crest tattooed on his chest. Steve Yzerman was that guy."
-Jacques Demers, former Red Wings coach

1987-88:

Recorded his first of five 50-goal seasons on March 1, 1988 against Buffalo

1988-89:

Won Lester B. Pearson Award as league's top performer in balloting by the NHL Player's Association

Became first player in franchise history to score 60-plus goals in a season on March 1, 1989 against the New York Islanders

Became only the fourth player in NHL history to record 150-or-more points in a season after tallying a career-high 155

1989-90:

Recorded 50th goal of the season against the New York Islanders on February 24, 1990 to become the first three-time 50-goal scorer in franchise history

Became only the sixth player in NHL history to record consecutive 60-goal seasons after finishing with 62


1990-91:

Scored three straight goals on three shots on Nov. 17, 1990 against Toronto

Recorded fourth straight 50-goal season

Played in fourth consecutive All-Star Game

1991-92:

Played in 600th career game on Oct. 17, 1991 against St. Louis

Notched 500th career assist on Feb. 2, 1992 against Toronto


1992-93:

Scored his 400th career goal on Nov. 13, 1992 against Pittsburgh

Joined Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio as the only 1,000 point scorers in franchise history with an assist against Buffalo on Feb. 24, 1993

1993-94:

Recorded 600th career assist against St. Louis on Oct. 13, 1993

Notched 1,110th career point with a goal against Toronto on March 4, 1994 and played in his 800th career game just 11 days later against the Maple Leafs

1994-95:

Scored multiple points in 11 of 47 games played during the shortened season

1995-96:


Scored his 500th career goal against Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 17, 1996

1996-97:

Played in 1,000th career game on Feb. 19, 1997 against Calgary

Hoisted first Stanley Cup after the Red Wings swept the Philadelphia Flyers

"For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of lifting the Stanley Cup. I watched the presentation every year. I watched the dressing-room celebration and I dreamed of the day it would be me."
-Steve Yzerman

1997-98:


Represented Canada during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan

Passed Alex Delvecchio for second place in all-time Red Wing assists (826) with a helper against St. Louis on Dec. 31, 1997

Won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoff's Most Valuable Player after leading the Red Wings over the Washington Capitals

1998-99:

Passed Phil Esposito for 12th place in all-time assists (874) on Jan. 19, 1998 against Calgary

Passed Bryan Trottier into the top 10 on the all-time points list with an assist against St. Louis on Nov. 11, 1998

1999-00:


Won the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward

Recorded 1,500th career point with an assist on Nov. 20, 1999 against Edmonton

Became the 11th player in NHL history to score 600 goals on Nov. 26, 1999 against goaltender Tommy Salo and the Edmonton Oilers

2000-01:

Notched 1,600th career point with a goal against Brent Johnson of the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 23, 2001

2001-02:

Won third Stanley Cup Championship after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in five games

Recorded 1,000th career assist against Ottawa on Jan. 20, 2002

Won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah to become one of only three players in NHL history to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year (Ken Morrow (NYI - 1980) and Brendan Shanahan)

2002-03:


Won Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy as the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey

2003-04:

Became Detroit's all-time career assist leader (1,024) on Jan. 5, 2004 against Nashville

Recorded 1,700th point with an assist against Phoenix on Jan. 16, 2004 against Phoenix

2004-05:

During his his 20th season as Red Wings captain - the longest serving tenure in NHL history - recorded the 691st goal of his career. The goal moved him past Mario Lemieux for eighth place on the NHL's all-time goal scoring list.

Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux also commented on Yzerman's legacy:

"Steve Yzerman was a tremendous hockey player who epitomized everything good about our game. He loved the game and played with passion every night. He was a winner who led Detroit to three Stanley Cups and was always there for his country to represent Canada on the international stage. He was the face of the Detroit Red Wings for the past 20 years and will be remembered as one of the best players and leaders that ever played the game of hockey. It was a pleasure to have worked with him.
-Wayne Gretzky

"Steve was a great ambassador for the game of hockey and will be sorely missed by everyone associated with the Nation Hockey League. Steve was a great leader, a great teammate and most importantly is a great person. I was fortunate to play at the 2002 Olympics with Steve and we won a gold medal together. It was a memorable experience and something I'll always cherish. I wish Steve the best of luck."
-Mario Lemieux

The Captain says goodbye

July 3, 2006

DETROIT (AP) -- Steve Yzerman, the Detroit Red Wings' longtime captain who played his entire 22-year NHL career with Detroit, is retiring.

The 41-year-old Yzerman, who was 18 when he joined the Red Wings in 1983, ended months of speculation about his future when he announced his retirement at a news conference Monday. Red Wings great Gordie Howe was in attendance.


"My intention throughout the season was to retire, play one last year," Yzerman said. "I really enjoyed my final season here with the Red Wings. I thought about it a lot, about coming back and playing this season. This is the right decision for me at this time. I really have no doubt about that."

Yzerman led Detroit to three Stanley Cups and playoff appearances in each of the last 15 years of his career. Only Gordie Howe holds as many franchise records. He has been Detroit's captain since 1986, making him the longest-serving captain in league history.

A 10-time All-Star, Yzerman was a member of the NHL's All-Rookie team in 1984, won the Lester B. Pearson Award honoring the league's outstanding player in 1989, the Conn Smythe Trophy honoring the playoff MVP in 1998 and helped Canada win gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

After leading the Red Wings back from years of mediocrity to the top rank of the NHL, Yzerman's individual achievements were tempered with disappointing team results late in his career. After winning back-to-back Cups in 1997-98, Detroit lost in the first or second round in six of seven years, interrupted only by the 2002 Cup.

The Red Wings had the best record in the league last season but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.

"I really enjoyed the season," Yzerman said. "It ended in disappointment, but that's the one great thing about sports in general. There's no predicting what's the outcome."

Major knee surgery limited Yzerman to 16 games in 2002-03, but he came back the following season to score 18 goals and 33 assists in 75 games. He managed 14 goals and 20 assists in 61 games last season despite tearing muscles three times.

One of Detroit's most popular pro athletes, the soft-spoken player long known simply as "The Captain" is the Red Wings' all-time leader in playoff scoring. He ranks first in assists and second only to Howe in games played, goals and points in the regular season. Yzerman also finished last season with more career regular-season and playoff points than any active NHL player.