The Detroit Red Wings have made a major leadership change. On July 15th, the organization announced that Steve Yzerman would step down as the team’s Executive Vice President and General Manager.
However, the Red Wings also announced that Yzerman would continue serving as senior advisor to the Governor and CEO, Chris Ilitch. According to the update shared by the Red Wings, the search for a new Head of Hockey Operations is underway.
As soon as the Red Wings shared this update, the tweet went viral. On X, one fan commented that this is the worst thing the organization has done. The fan also expressed concern over Detroit’s NHL future.
Let us take a look at more reactions:
“Thank you Stevie for helping build the team up after the mess that Holland left behind, unfortunately we didn’t get the end results we were hoping for, hopefully the next GM can take us to the next level,” a user wrote.
“Looking forward to the incoming “Detroit Red Wings Announce Kris Draper as new General Manager” press release,” one user wrote.
“Now the question nobody’s been able to ever answer, who’s going to be the GM?,” a fan wrote.
“This was 100% the right decision. I hope we can separate Steve Yzerman the player from the GM moving forward. We needed change,” one fan wrote.
“Honestly, horrendous news. Steve deserved the chance to get us through this. Disgraceful way to handle an icon,” a fan noted.
Steve Yzerman has been influential for the Detroit Red Wings both as a player and executive. While Yzerman guided the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups as a player, he also won a Stanley Cup while serving as vice-president and alternate governor in 2008.
Later, after serving as General Manager and Senior Advisor to the Tampa Bay Lightning between 2010-2019, Yzerman returned to the Red Wings as GM and Executive Vice President. However, he was unable to guide the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup win since coming back.
What did Chris Ilitch say about Steve Yzerman stepping down?
While the Red Wings have made the decision of Yzerman stepping down public, it won’t be easy for the team to transition. After all, Yzerman has been an influential part of the franchise for years now. In a statement on the team’s website, Red Wings owner Chris Ilitch also acknowledged Yzerman’s contributions.
“Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization… We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family,” Ilitch said.
In return, Steve Yzerman said he was grateful for the Ilitch family. Yzerman said that the organization has given him incredible opportunities from his time as a player to general manager. He expressed excitement over staying with the organization in a new role.
Edited by Varun Anand Bhat