Detroit Red Wings: Top 5 Centers of All Time

By Zach Roethlisberger | Jul 14, 2015

5 of 5

1. Steve Yzerman

The talent on this list is insurmountable, but in debating who is the number one greatest center in all time Detroit Red Wings history is, its not even close.

Coming to the team for the 1983-84 season, Steve Yzerman already proved he was very special scoring 39 goals and recording 48 assists in his rookie season, all of that at only the age of 18 years old.

The 1985-86 season saw Yzerman be named captain of the team at only 21 years old, a role he would make last until he retired in 2006. What he brought to Detroit as a whole really cannot be contained in this short segment, as he did so much for the organization, including turning the franchise around to where it still is today.

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Yzerman scored an oustanding 692 goals for the Red Wings while adding 1,063 assists. He sits just second to the famed Mr. Hockey but brought so much of an impact besides his tremendous numbers on the stat sheet.

You could deem Yzerman as one of the greatest captains in professional sports history. His famed leadership was exhibited during the 2002 playoffs which saw Yzerman have tremendous knee problems but refused to not play. He also was very vocal in the locker room, which players expressed numerous times throughout his playing career.

Yzerman helped turn Detroit hockey around and I guarentee you the franchise would not be anyway near as reputable if we did not have “Stevie Y” wearing the “C” on his chest. Detroit’s 24 consecuative playoff appearances sparks from Yzerman and what he was able to do which has laid the blue print for the franchise for generations to come.

There simply is no comparison, Steve Yzerman is Detroit Red Wings hockey.

Next: Best Draft Picks Since Yzerman: #1-4

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