The Tampa Bay Lightning have been odds makers’ favorites for the NHL Stanley Cup for a number of years and this season is no exception.
The Lightning are loaded from the goal out through the top three forward lines.
The front office has been the reason for the club being well-positioned.
But this week, general manager Steve Yzerman announced he is stepping down.
Yzerman assumed the role of GM in 2010 and the Bolts have been a force in the league and especially in the eastern conference since his arrival.
“I’m proud of what we were able to build,” Yzerman said. “I’m disappointed we haven’t won a Stanley Cup yet.”
After his playing career ended with the Detroit Red Wings, Yzerman stayed on for a few years to develop as a front office team member and then took the position in Tampa. As highlighted in the reporting since the announcement, his family did not relocate with him and stayed in Detroit.
“I have done a lot of traveling and it has worked,” Yzerman said. “I feel I’ve been able to do the job, be where I need to be [for the Lightning] as well as be where I need to be for my wife and daughters.
“At this point now, I have to make a decision again. At some point, it’s either sign another contract to be the general manager, or remain as the general manager, or not. And with some time to reflect, to do the job the way it needs to be done, the way I feel it needs to be done, and ultimately to be with my family as well, it’s becoming difficult to do.
“And hence the decision.”
Yzerman will stay on this season as a senior advisor to new GM, Julien BriseBois.
“The name of the game is winning,” BriseBois said. “You have to win. If anything, at least we’re built to win right now.”
So many questions were raised by the announcement and none of them have been adequately answered. Why? Why now?
Eight years is a long time to be away from home.
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