Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Tampa Bay Lightning signed vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman to a four-year contract extension on Monday.
Yzerman has one more year remaining on his initial contract with the club and is completing his fourth season as the Lightning's lead hockey operations executive.
"Since the day Steve agreed to serve as our vice president and general manager, he has worked tirelessly to transform our hockey department and establish the groundwork for sustained success," said Lightning chairman and governor Jeff Vinik. "We are very pleased with Steve's job performance thus far, and I am fully confident Steve remains the right person to continue to lead us."
The 48-year-old was introduced as Tampa Bay's vice president and general manager on May 25, 2010. The Lightning have compiled a record of 144-114-32 since then and have reached the playoffs in 2011 and 2014.
Yzerman spent 27 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings as a player, captain, and executive. The Hall of Fame forward won the Stanley Cup three times as a player (1997, 1998, 2002) and once as an executive (2008). He also ranks sixth on the NHL's all-time points list with 1,755.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue the process we started four years ago and would like to thank Jeff Vinik for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading the Tampa Bay Lightning," Yzerman said. "I'm very excited about what lies ahead for our organization and truly enjoy working with a fantastic group of people in Tampa Bay."
He also served as executive director for Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, guiding both teams to gold medal wins.
[SportsNetwork.com]
