DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday that Steve Yzerman will no longer be their general manager.
According to the team, Yzerman will remain in his current role to facilitate day-to-day hockey operations until his successor is named. Then, he will continue working with the Red Wings as senior advisor to governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.
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This marks the end of what was once an exciting and promising tenure. Yzerman isn’t only one of the most legendary and beloved players in franchise history, he also returned to Detroit directly after building the Tampa Bay Lightning into a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
It felt like a given to many that Yzerman’s return would mean the Red Wings’ return to prominence. But after seven years, those expectations turned into disappointment and frustration.
To demonstrate the scope of fan disappointment, we took a look at some of the comments we received when Yzerman was hired and compared them to the responses following the announcement on Wednesday.
Before
NOTE: These comments were left on Local 4’s social media post announcing Steve Yzerman‘s appointment to GM over seven years ago.
Commenters said:
- “I am so happy Steve is home - just where he needs to be. Best wishes for a long tenure with his beloved Red Wings”, Martha Hudson.
- “The Spirit of Hockeytown has returned!!”, Cindy Baran.
- “So excited about Stevie is back”, Marlee Prater.
- “Let’s face it he will be ran out of town just like every other superstar that tried to be GM when they came to Detroit”, Nick Poturica.
- “Just what we need, his leadership and hockey IQ will bring us back to the cup again!! Welcome home!!”, Cassidy West.
- “Haven’t been this happy since 1983...” James Smith.
- “About time one of our crappy pro teams did something right”, Matt Fullington.
After
NOTE: These comments were left on Local 4’s July 15 post detailing the end of Yzerman’s tenure as GM.
Commenters said:
- “I guess the Yzerman was a bust”, Jay James.
- “A blind man saw that coming.”, Paul Agosta.
- “Cool, but who out there is worthy of the role???”, Heather Marie.
- “Ummmm, I’m just wondering why it took so long”, Dedraw Hanserd.
- “I blame Chris Illitch 00% nothing is ever going to change when he is in charge”, Kim Ehresman Rowlett.
- “He will be missed”, Karen Om.
- “Not his fault they have no talent”, Phil Vermeulen.
- “That’s ok, HE WILL ALWAYS BE THE NUMBER 1 CAPTAIN!”, Taylor Cronenwett.
- “Thank you Steve Yzerman for everything you have done for Detroit. Too bad folks concentrate only on ‘what have you done for me lately’. I’ll remember all the good times!”, Cynthia Beaufort.
- “We had such high hopes.”, Steve Sorensen.