Before hoisting Stanley Cups in Detroit, the Red Wings legend dominated the OHL. Discover how a prolific two-season stint with the Peterborough Petes forged a hockey icon.
Before he became the face of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman was making his mark in Peterborough.
The Canadian Hockey League revealed Thursday that Yzerman has been named eighth on its list of the top 50 players in CHL history over the past 50 years, recognizing the Red Wings general manager for a junior career that served as the foundation for one of the greatest hockey legacies the sport has seen.
Yzerman spent two seasons with the Peterborough Petes after being selected fourth overall in the 1981 OHL Draft. As a rookie in 1981-82, he posted 64 points on 21 goals and 43 assists in 58 games before taking a significant step forward in his second season, registering 91 points in 56 games in what would be the best campaign of his OHL career.
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Over two seasons with the Petes, Yzerman recorded 155 points on 63 goals and 92 assists in 114 regular season games. In 1999, the franchise named him the centre on the Peterborough Petes All-Time Team.
What followed in Detroit cemented his place among the game's all-time greats. Selected fourth overall by the Red Wings in the 1983 NHL Draft, Yzerman spent his entire 22-season career in Detroit, recording 1,755 points across 1,514 regular season games and ranking eighth all-time in NHL scoring. He remains the longest-serving captain in league history, wearing the C for 19 seasons, and led the Red Wings to Stanley Cup championships in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
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