Stevie Y − “The Captain”

Steve Yzerman retiresSteve Yzerman has retired from the NHL. He played for the Detroit Redwings all 23 years of his career, leading them to 3 Stanley Cups and 21 playoff appearances. He’s even got an Olympic gold medal, which he won with Canada when they could still play international hockey. ‘Captain’ forever has a place in hearts of Detroiters tells his story.

“There’s not a statistic for heart, but Yzerman would be the unquestioned record-holder. Through the years, he’s had five knee surgeries and lost all his cartilage in his right knee. He’s had a herniated disc, vertebrae fused and a smashed orbital bone. He’s had to sit in hyperbaric chambers to speed the healing processes.”

He’s easily the best all-around player (defense/offense) of the last 20 years, and clawed his way up to seventh on the all-time points list with 1755, with 692 goals and tallied 1,063 assists. He will be missed, but he’s more than earned his retirement.