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Red Wings Icon Disturbed by Organization’s Treatment of Yzerman
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- Red Wings Icon Disturbed by Organization’s Treatment of Yzerman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Steve Yzerman was Henrik Zetterberg's first captain when he joined the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Yzerman was his teammate for four seasons. Most importantly of all, Yzerman is Zetterberg's friend.
And the way Stevie Y's tenure as GM of the club came to an end, well, let's just say it doesn't sit well with Hank.
Henrik Zetterberg says Detroit got something badly wrong https://t.co/TdBOic1Ryk
— thehockeybeast.com (@HockeyBiblenet) November 4, 2026
"I thought it was wrong," Zetterberg told Swedish website Expressen .
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Like Yzerman, Zetterberg captained the Red Wings. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading the Red Wings to their most recent Stanley Cup title.
Zetterberg looks at the current state of the only NHL team he played for over a 15-season career, and he finds it distasteful.
"It has been brutal," Zetterberg said. "Things always happen, and there's a difference between what comes out and what doesn't, but it's sad.
"It was very hard to watch Steve step down."
In mid-July, not long after another former Red Wings captain, Dylan Larkin , issued a trade request to the Red Wings, Yzerman was ousted after seven seasons as the club's GM.
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Zetterberg Sees Yzerman as Part of the Fabric of the Red Wings
In Zetterberg's mind, Yzerman is the epitome of what it means to be part of the Red Wings franchise. To summarily dismiss such a legend in the manner in which it was done is something that leaves him feeling bitter.
"He's the icon I've been closest to and played with the most," Zetterberg said. "I've really seen how much he has meant to Detroit and to the generation that won the Cups in the late nineties and early 2000s.
"I'm so grateful to be a Detroit Red Wing. I'll never play in another uniform."
Steve Yzerman, after finally winning the Stanley Cup in 1997, on why 14 years of waiting was worth it to win it in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/Kh7bJKtfQK— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) October 30, 2026
"His whole journey and the way he was as a player, he's the captains' captain in my eyes. It's sad that it ends this way, when he even came home to Detroit and took over as general manager."
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Zetterberg insists that he knows some of the behind-the-scenes machinations that are going on with the organization, but declines to elaborate.
"I'm not going to go into the reasons for it or what happened," Zetterberg said. "But it was obviously very difficult, because I thought it was wrong."
The Red Wings have offered Zetterberg the opportunity to work in the organization, but he has declined their offers. Instead, he's part of the management team of his Swedish club, Timra. That's where top Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg is playing.
Zetterberg remains close with many of the former Red Wings players who are now running the show in Detroit.
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"Yes, we're definitely in touch," Zetterberg said. "A lot of us are, because several are still inside the club.
"It's a great group, and we have a lot of history together."
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