In 1989, Yzerman scored a career-best 65 goals, but Detroit was upset in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks.

But it was Demers, not Yzerman, who got the pink slip.

Yzerman was joined by Sergei Fedorov, who would be an award-winner and frequent all-star for the team in the 1990s.

However, Gretzky, was passed over for the captaincy, along with several other Canadian veterans including Steve Yzerman and Ray Bourque in favour of the younger Eric Lindros.

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 ( dressing as captain for over 1300 games ), retiring as the longest-serving captain of any team in North American major league sports history.

On September 25, 2006, Yzerman was named as a Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings.

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.

The Red Wings were prepared to send Yzerman back to Peterborough for one more year, but " after one ( training camp ) season, you knew he was a tremendous hockey player ," said Ken Holland, the current Red Wings general manager who was a minor league goaltender for the Wings during Yzerman's rookie training camp.

That season, Yzerman also became the first 18-year old to play in an All-Star Game ( 18 years, 267 days ) since the current format was adopted in 1969, which stood as an NHL record for 27 years until Jeff Skinner broke it by eight days.

Yzerman finished third in regular season scoring behind Lemieux and Gretzky, won the Lester B. Pearson Award ( MVP as voted by the NHLPA ), and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy ( MVP as voted by the NHL writers ).

Bowman, for his part, felt that Yzerman was not concentrating enough on defense ; Bowman had long expected his forwards to be good back-checkers as well.

On May 1, 2004, Yzerman was hit in the eye by a deflected slapshot by the Calgary Flames defenseman Rhett Warrener in a playoff game against the Calgary Flames, breaking his orbital bone and scratching his cornea.

On August 2, 2005, Yzerman signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings ; this was his last contract signed as a player.

Magazine, Brian Compton listed the 10 best captains of all-time since Steve Yzerman was first named captain of the Detroit Red Wings in 1986 ; Koivu was included in the article in the 10th place, behind the likes of Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux.

Lidström was an alternate captain of the Red Wings since the 1997 – 98 season, and was awarded the captaincy after the 2006 retirement of long-time Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman.

Former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman said his teammate was the " best skater I've ever seen.

In the 2002 – 03 NHL season, Steve Yzerman was injured for most the season and Fedorov led the team in scoring with 36 goals and 83 points in 80 games, and won the inaugural Kharlamov Trophy by the NHL.

Trottier was described as a forward possessing an all-around game including ruggedness, and there have been comparisons to Milt Schmidt, Gordie Howe, and Steve Yzerman.

Steve Yzerman, who was also renowned for his strong two-way play, considered Trottier his favorite player.

During the late 1980s, Gallant was a fixture on the Red Wings top line alongside Steve Yzerman.

Stephen Gregory " Steve " Yzerman (; 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.

Jim Devellano, the Red Wings ' then-general manager, wanted to draft Pat LaFontaine, who had grown up outside Detroit and played his junior hockey in the area ; however, when the New York Islanders took LaFontaine third overall, Devellano settled on Yzerman, drafting him fourth.

Funeral services were held July 9, 2010 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and attended by several former teammates and opponents, including Dino Ciccarelli, Tie Domi, Gerard Gallant, Doug Gilmour, Stu Grimson, Joey Kocur, Brad McCrimmon, Darren McCarty, and Steve Yzerman, as well as Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch.

By 1987, with Yzerman, now the captain following the departure of Danny Gare, joined by Petr Klima, Adam Oates, Gerard Gallant, defenseman Darren Veitch and new head coach Jacques Demers, the Wings won a playoff series for only the second time in the modern era.

However, Yzerman gradually became a better defender, and is now considered one of the best two-way forwards in the history of the game.

Continuing the shakeup of the Red Wings roster, the offseason saw the departure of Brendan Shanahan and the return of Dominik Hasek, while Steve Yzerman announced his retirement after a 23-season Hall of Fame career with the Wings, having played the third most games in history ( behind fellow Wings Alex Delvecchio and Nicklas Lidström ) all with a single team.

During the 1994 – 95 NHL lockout, Gretzky and some friends ( including Mark Messier, Marty McSorley, Brett Hull, and Steve Yzerman ) formed the Ninety Nine All Stars Tour and played some exhibition games in various countries.

Yzerman played his entire National Hockey League ( NHL ) career with the Detroit Red Wings and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Four Hockey Hall of Fame inductees played junior hockey for the Petes: Bob Gainey, Wayne Gretzky, Larry Murphy and Steve Yzerman.

Only Howe, Yzerman, Delvecchio, Nicklas Lidström, Tomas Holmström and Kris Draper have played more games as a Red Wing.

On July 3, 2006, Chelios became the active leader for most games played upon the retirement of teammate Steve Yzerman.

He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman, but only Howe and Lidström have played more games as a Red Wing.

As a youth, he played alongside many future NHLers, including Doug Smith, Dan Quinn and Steve Yzerman.

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.

* " The Captain ", a nickname for hockey player Steve Yzerman

*** The Detroit Red Wings, for Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman.

In 2008, he surpassed Marcel Dionne as Canada's all-time leader in goals and Steve Yzerman as the all-time leader in points for the World Championships.

Upon the retirement of Steve Yzerman a month later, on July 3, 2006, Sakic became the league leader for most NHL career points scored among active players.

When Datsyuk began his NHL career for the Red Wings, his mentors – including Soviet stars Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov, as well as Detroit captain Steve Yzerman – helped him learn his way around the NHL.

Steve Yzerman served as the captain of the Detroit Red Wings for twenty years ( 1986-87 to 2005-06 ) and 1303 games during that time, the longest term in the history of the NHL by both years and games.

Steve Yzerman speaking to a reporter on Fedorov a few weeks after turning the tide on a 30 January game that season that ended in a 4 – 2 victory for the Red Wings over the Maple Leafs, said " Sergei is a game-breaker for us anytime he's on the ice ... He's the most talented player I've ever seen ".