Steve Yzerman commits to Alumni Showdown

December 10, 2013February 17, 2014 MiHockey Staff

P11YzermanWave129Turrill — Steve Yzerman waves to the crowd during his on-ice ceremony to retire his No. 19. (Tom Turrill/MiHockey)

By Michael Caples –

The Detroit Red Wings announced today that longtime captain Steve Yzerman has committed to attend the Hockeytown Winter Festival on Dec. 31.

Yzerman, currently the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning, was a longtime question mark for the alumni games at Comerica Park between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.

“Steve is one of the greatest Red Wings players ever,” said Red Wings general manager Ken Holland in a release. “His presence at the Alumni Showdown makes a great day even better.”

Yzerman helped the Red Wings capture their first Stanley Cup in 42 years in 1997, as he played an integral part in the rebuild of the Original Six franchise.

The Wings’ No. 19 retired as the sixth all-time leading scorer in NHL history, and still ranks high in all major Red Wings career statistics, including games played (1,514, fourth), goals (692, second), assists (1,063, first) and points (1,755, second). The 10-time NHL All-Star won the Lester B. Pearson Award (1989), Conn Smythe Trophy (1998), Selke Trophy (2000), NHL First Team All-Star (2000), Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (2003) and the Lester Patrick Trophy (2006) during his career.

Check out the video the Red Wings posted today: