Steve Yzerman

THERE WAS MORE PROOF TODAY…THAT IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH…YOU WILL SEE EVERYTHING…
TODAY IN PHILADELPHIA THE NHL GENERAL MANAGERS MET…
IT WAS THE FIRST OFFICIAL ACT FOR STEVE YZERMAN AS THE NEW GM IN TAMPA BAY…
LAST MONTH YZERMAN SIGNED A 5 YEARS DEAL WITH THE LIGHTNING…
FOR THE LAST 27 YEARS YZERMAN HAS BEEN A DETROIT RED WING…
23 AS A PLAYER…4 AS AN EXECUTIVE…
DETROIT GENERAL MANAGER KEN HOLLAND DESCRIBED THE EXPERIENCE OF SEEING YZERMAN WORKING FOR ANOTHER ORGANIZATION AS…”SURREAL”…
BUT HOLLAND HAS NO DOUBT YZERMAN CAN DO THE JOB…
IN HIS WORDS…”HE’S PAID HIS DUES…HE’S DONE EVERYTHING HE COULD TO PREPARE TO BE A GENERAL MANAGER”…
KEEP IN MIND…3 MONTHS AGO…IT WAS YZERMAN WHO LED CANADA TO AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL HERE IN VANCOUVER…
ALTHOUGH YZERMAN UNDERSTANDS THAT PICKING AN OLYMPIC TEAM…AND RUNNING AN NHL FRANCHISE ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS…
IN THAT RESPECT…YZERMAN NOW SAYS THE ONE THING HE LEARNED FROM HIS TIME WITH THE WINGS WAS…”PATIENCE”…
HE’LL NEED IT BECAUSE…TO SAY THE LEAST…THIS IS GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE…
THE LIGHTNING HAVE NOT MADE THE PLAYOFFS IN 3 YEARS…AND THIS SEASON WERE 21ST IN ATTENDANCE…
FOR NEXT SEASON…THEY ALREADY HAVE $39 MILLION DOLLARS COMMITTED TO JUST 12 PLAYERS…
INCLUDING THE $10 MILLION THEY’LL PAY TO VINCENT LECAVALIER…
THAT’S A LOT FOR A PLAYER WHO PRODUCED JUST 70 POINTS LAST SEASON…AND STILL HAS ANOTHER 10 YEARS ON HIS CONTRACT…
ALSO NEXT SEASON…MATTIAS OHLUND WILL MAKE $4 MILLION…AND HAS ANOTHER 6 YEARS LEFT ON HIS DEAL…
BUT THE LIGHTNING DO HAVE TWO GREAT YOUNG STARS IN STEVE STAMKOS AND VICTOR HEDMAN…
AND THEY ALSO HAVE THE NUMBER 6 PICK IN THIS YEARS ENTRY DRAFT…
WHICH GETS US BACK…TO THE NEED FOR “PATIENCE”…
BUT AS WITH EVERY JOURNEY…NO MATTER HOW LONG…IT ALL BEGINS WITH A FIRST STEP…
AND TODAY IN PHILADELPHIA…STEVE YZERMAN TOOK HIS…