Tampa Bay Lightning: Steve Yzerman, Phil Esposito Named To NHL 100 Greatest Players
Tampa Bay Lightning founder Phil Esposito and Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman were named to the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players.
The time has come where the National Hockey League has hit the pause button on the regular season and gave a handful of players a chance to unwind and have some good old-fashioned fun doing what they love the most. However, this is no ordinary year…this is the 100th Anniversary of the National Hockey League.
Given the special nature of the occasion, you know the National Hockey League had to take things up a notch as they headed into the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend. So…what could the NHL do to kick things up a little bit and pay respect to not only those who have come before but those who are taking the ice right now?
The National Hockey League has set out to name the Top 100 NHL Players. The long list is full of distinguished players from the very beginnings of the league all the way up to the players currently taking the ice night in and night out.
There are two players on the aforementioned list that hold a large place in the hearts of those here in the Bolts Nation. The first of those players is Tampa Bay Lightning founder Phil Esposito. Before Esposito ever had the idea to bring a hockey team to the Sunshine State, he laced up his skates and took the ice.
Esposito spent a whopping 19 seasons in the National Hockey League. He started his NHL career in the 1963-64 season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. Espo would spend four seasons with the Blackhawks before he would make his way to Beantown to become a member of the Boston Bruins.
In his third season with the Boston Bruins, Phil Esposito would raise the Stanley Cup high above his head for the first time in his career. Thankfully for Esposito, it would not be the last time he would have this opportunity.
Just two seasons later, once again with the Boston Bruins, Esposito would be able to hold Lord Stanley’s Cup over his head once again. After his second Stanley Cup victory, Phil Esposito would become a member of the New York Rangers. This is where he would remain until he retired in the 1980-81 season.
In his long and illustrious career, Phil Esposito played in a total of 1,282 games in the National Hockey League. During his time in the NHL, Espo was able to score 717 goals and 873 assists for a total of 1,590 points along with a plus-197 rating.
Surprisingly enough, these stellar numbers are not the reason Espo has a place in the hearts of the Bolts Nation. Tampa Bay Lightning fans will always remember Phil Esposito as the man who believed a city who swapped out frozen ponds and white Christmases for sunshine and white sand beaches was worthy of a hockey team.
It took a lot of fight and grit to get the job done, but in the end, Esposito and his team were able to get the job done and the Tampa Bay Lightning was born. From the thousands of hockey fans who were there in what became affectionately known as “the barn” to the younger fans who have just joined the Lightning family, we all owe Phil Esposito a debt of gratitude; one that can easily be repaid in cheers and diehard dedication.
The next player close to the hearts of the Bolts Nation is Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman. Much like Esposito, Steve Yzerman had a long and illustrious career in the National Hockey League. In fact, Yzerman got to do something very few players get to do. He spent all 22 seasons he spent in the NHL with one team, the Detroit Red Wings.
Yzerman started his career started in the 1983-84 season. In his very first season, he would bring home 39 goals and 48 assists for a total of 87 points. Things would only go up from there. Yzerman would spend 14 seasons with the Red Wings before he would win his first Stanley Cup, but it was the first of many.
In fact, the very next season he and the Red Wings would take it to the limit and bring home the Stanley Cup for two years in a row. Yzerman’s third and final opportunity to hold the Stanley Cup high above his head came in the 01-02 season. Yzerman would spend three more seasons in the league before retiring.
When all was said and done, Yzerman would play in a total of 1,514 games with the Detroit Red Wings. In that amount of time, the Hall of Famer would score 692 goals and 1,063 assists for a grand total of 1,755 points along with a plus-202 rating.
The very next season, the Detroit Red Wings would name Yzerman Vice President and Alternate Governor. He would remain with the Red Wings until his desire to become the General Manager of the team was blocked by the current General Manager Ken Holland.
It was then Yzerman made the move that would forever cement him in the hearts of those in the Bolts Nation. On May 25, 2010, Steve Yzerman would be named the Vice President and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning thanks to the then-new owner Jeff Vinik.
Since then, Yzerman has done a spectacular job of molding the team into a solid, competitive, and cohesive unit. While his methods have not always made sense in the beginning, when the bigger picture unfolded, his moves made perfect sense. He has also worked to develop the depth of the team to become one of the strongest in the National Hockey League.
While neither of these individuals took the ice with the Tampa Bay Lightning, they have definitely gone above and beyond to earn their place in the hearts of those here in the Bolts Nation. Before their time here in the Sunshine State, they earned their way to being one of the league’s best.
Next: How Can The Lightning Get Back On Track?
Congratulations to Steve Yzerman and Phil Esposito for being named to the NHL Top 100 Players.