Steve Yzerman

Since hiring Steve Yzerman as General Manager May 25, 2010 the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise has been slowing turning the corner into a respectable, classy and winning organization. Yzerman's long association with the Detroit Red Wings franchise, as both a player and Vice President, obviously taught him a great deal about building a winning franchise.

Is it safe to say that Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau was no fan of Greg Louganis?

Boudreau is well know for his penchant for unleashing the quote machine during post game interviews, particularly so after a loss.  However, the coach's machine got started up before a big divisional showdown with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It’s a different type of competitiveness now.

These days, Steve Yzerman doesn’t go into the corners, he goes into an office. He doesn’t try to win face-offs, he tries to win players. He doesn’t wear a sweater and skates, he wears a dress shirt and wingtip shoes.

You can dress him however you like, put him wherever you want, but you can’t take the will to win out of him.

One of the long-standing icons of the Detroit Red Wings and the NHL is Hall of Famer Gordie Howe.

Three years after his arrival, Gordie began to show the prowess that would make him the most recognized athlete in Detroit for nearly 60 years.

Howe’s performance, along with Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Sid Abel, Terry Sawchuk, and several other Hall of Famers built Detroit into a league powerhouse in the six-team NHL and beyond.

It's finally here! The day you have all been waiting for. Tomas Kaberle's NTC kicks in tomorrow so today is the last day Brian Burke has to deal him. 

The Los Angeles Kings have more or less stopped pursuing Ilya Kovalchuk, and Tomas Kaberle. Its not that they don't want them, they just do not think they can get them. So they set their sights on Willie Mitchell and offered him a two year contract.

At the very least, this is hard to digest. For ten years, Simon Gagne called Philadelphia home.

He was as much a part of the city as the Liberty Bell or Ben Franklin. It’s easy to go the sentimental route with this, but that can be avoided. This is understandable. It is, as they say, a business.

It’s a business that has seen Philadelphia sports institutions like Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb go to Denver and Washington respectively. Bobby Abreu’s trade to the New York Yankees also comes to mind.

Steve Yzerman has made his first move as the General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has lured highly sought after Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Guy Boucher to the Lightning.

It was reported earlier on Monday, June 7 that Guy Boucher had been offered the head coaching position with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

However, he declined that offer and it has been reported that he has accepted Steve Yzerman's offer instead.

Just over a day has past, and I still can't grasp that Steve Yzerman isn't a Red Wing anymore.

It's the same feeling I had when I read at the bottom of the The Score (a sports station in Canada) that Steve Yzerman was planning on announcing his retirement.

I sat there thinking, "No, this can't be."

Back in 1993, as a kid with no clue what hockey was, I watched the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of a division semi-finals series. It was the first game I'd ever seen.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have finally found their new general manager, and boy, was it a great choice.

Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced Steve Yzerman will be their new GM. Many Lightning fans are excited about his hiring, and rightfully so.

Most Lightning fans are excited about having one of the world's best players and hockey minds take over their team. But some fans are questioning his experience, which to me is outrageous.

The home of Michael Ilitch has become an historic landmark for high-profile departures.

It was almost 20 years ago—June, 1990—when Ilitch, the Red Wings owner, placed a phone call he dreaded making.

On the other end of the line, Jacques Demers was summoned to the Ilitch pad.

Shortly after Demers arrived, two grown men had a good cry.

Ilitch had bad news for Demers, who had then just completed his fourth season as Red Wings coach.