Unless you are living under a rock you have probably heard that Detroit Red Wing legend Steve Yzerman has signed on as the Tampa Bay Lightning's general manager.
For Yzerman, the chance to become an NHL GM was just too good to pass on, even if he had a great chance of eventually replacing Ken Holland as the Wings GM.
Truth be told, Yzerman obviously didn’t want to wait for his chance to manage his own team any longer. So, after saying “no thanks” as many as four time before accepting Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s numerous offers, Yzerman finally succumbed to his persistent wooing.
For the Lightning, Yzerman brings instant credibility to a team that has struggled both financially and at the box office since they beat the Calgary Flames en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 2004.
Constant ownership issues, a decrease in fan interest and the stranglehold of Vincent Lecavalier’s massive contract all conspired to hurt the Lightning, eventually reducing the team to a place NHL players wanted to avoid.
The drafting of Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman provided the fans with something to believe in for the future. Th ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Ritter
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May 25th, 2010 by Mark Ritter Leave a reply »
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