He's the man who's largely responsible for assembling the Tampa Bay Lightning into a machine that's on the verge of their second straight Stanley Cup championship, and he's happy for their success.
Steve Yzerman, the current general manager of the Detroit Red Wings whom he captained for two decades during his playing career on the ice, is happy to see the team that has his fingerprints all over it standing on the cusp of becoming just the 3rd team since his Red Wings did so in the late 1990's to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
After his Hall of Fame playing career ended in 2006, Yzerman remained in the front office of the Red Wings before eventually departing to take over as GM of the Lightning during the 2010 offseason. Not only did the Lightning come within one game of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals during Yzerman's first year on the job, but the moves that he made put Tampa in the dominant position that they enjoy today.
During Yzerman's tenure, he proved he wasn't afraid to make bold deals, as evidenced by the deal that sent team-favorite Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers in exchange for Ryan Callahan, as well as trading away former franchise goaltender Ben Bishop whom he previously acquired.
The acquisition of forward Mikael Sergachev for former draft pick Jonathan Druin continues to pay dividends today, as well as the acquisitions of steady defenseman Ryan McDonaugh and the draft pick that would turn into goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Franchise cornerstones Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman were inked to long-term deals by Yzerman, while the drafting of forward Brayden Point with the 79th overall pick in 2014.
Of course, Yzerman also snagged future Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov 58th overall in 2011, and inked him to a long-term extension in 2018.
"Jeff Vinnik is a fantasic owner, he's been great for the Lightning and the community in Tampa," Yzerman explained during a recent interview. "The fan base, they really support the team well and embrace the Lightning. They won the Stanley Cup in the bubble in Edmonton last year - it's not just the players, but people in management in the scouting staff and front office on the business side. A lot of people I got to work with are fantastic people, and I'm enjoying them having success."
Yzerman now has a job to do with the rebuilding Red Wings, and fans in the Motor City are hoping for a similar success story. But while his work in Detroit's front office still has a ways to go before his team can enjoy the kind of triumphs that Tampa is experiencing, he's glad to see his former colleagues in the Sunshine State once again on the verge of glory.
"Julien (BriseBois) has done a great job in the past three seasons as the GM in completing the roster and building a Stanley Cup winner last year and making some tweaks to the roster this year to help them compete for it again," Yzerman said of his successor. "I'm happy for them, it's a tremendous organization."
