From left: Ken Holland, Steve Yzerman and Christopher Ilitch at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on April 19, 2019. Wings Conference2
The Detroit Red Wings received a seismic shift on April 19, 2019. The day that Steve Yzerman returned to Detroit to run the team he played his entire career for signified that a true and challenging rebuild was to commence. Then general manager Ken Holland had already started it but there was reluctance to tear it all down, something many realistic fans were clamoring for.
Yzerman knew what needed to be done before he took the job, and going on his third season, there’s been a step forward from when he simply “observed” before gutting the whole thing.