Y

[eddo42]

Detroit Red Wings great Steve Yzerman announced his retirement today, marking the end of one of the most illustrious careers in hockey - and indeed in all of sports - history. Selected as captain of the Detroit Red Wings in just his 3rd NHL season, he became the core and the spirit of a team that would eventually dominate regular season opponents for more than a decade, and win three exultant Stanley Cup championships.

So, without further ado, I present my take on Stevie Y's hockey career, by the numbers:

1 Olympic Gold medal (Canada, 2002)
3 Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002)
4 Overall draft selection number (Red Wings first choice, 1983)
4 Individual postseason awards
  (1988-1989 Lester B. Pearson Award, players' choice most outstanding player;
  1997-1998 Conn Smythe Trophy, playoff MVP;
  1999-2000 Frank J. Selke Trophy, best defensive forward;
  2002-2003 Bill Masterton Trophy, perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey)
10 All-Star selections
19 Jersey number, likely to be retired this fall
20 Seasons as captain (NHL record)
22 NHL seasons (all with Red Wings)
52 NHL rinks played in
70 Stanley Cup Playoff goals
115 Stanley Cup Playoff assists
185 Stanley Cup Playoff points
196 Stanley Cup Playoff games
692 NHL regular season goals (8th all time, 2nd Red Wings)
1063 NHL regular season assists (7th all time, 1st Red Wings)
1514 NHL regular season games (10th all time, 3rd Red Wings)
1755 NHL regular season points (6th all time, 2nd Red Wings)
8401 Days between being drafted and announcing retirement (inclusive: 8 June, 1983 to 3 July, 2006)

Thanks, Steve. For everything. We'll never forget you. You'll always be The Captain.