TORONTO – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is proud to announce that Peterborough Petes and Ontario Hockey League (OHL) alumnus Steve Yzerman has been ranked No. 8 on the CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list, a marquee initiative of the CHL’s 50th anniversary season.
The countdown recognizes the greatest players from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) since 1975-76, celebrating the stars who have defined major junior hockey over the past five decades. As part of the initiative, a panel of media members first selected the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years. The final ranking order was then determined using a weighted formula that combined media and fan voting to rank the players from No. 1 through No. 50.
Yzerman stands as one of the most accomplished players in CHL history, with a legacy that spans his time with the Peterborough Petes, a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Red Wings, and a decorated international résumé with Team Canada.
Selected fourth overall by the Peterborough Petes in the first round of the 1981 OHL Draft, Yzerman arrived in Peterborough from Nepean, Ont., and quickly established himself as one of the OHL’s top young talents. Over two seasons with the Petes from 1981-83, the centre recorded 155 points — 63 goals and 92 assists — in 114 regular-season games.
As a rookie in 1981-82, Yzerman posted 64 points (21 goals and 43 assists) in 58 regular-season games before adding one assist in six playoff contests. The following season, he delivered the best campaign of his OHL career, registering 91 points (42 goals and 49 assists) in 56 regular-season games, along with five points (one goal and four assists) in four playoff games.
Yzerman’s production in Peterborough came within the Petes’ team-first structure under head coach Dick Todd, helping shape the two-way foundation that would later define his career. Entering the 1983 NHL Draft, Yzerman was viewed among the top prospects available alongside Pat LaFontaine and Sylvain Turgeon.
Following his standout OHL career, Yzerman was selected fourth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 1983 NHL Draft. He spent his entire 22-season NHL playing career with Detroit from 1983-2006, becoming one of the greatest players and captains in franchise and league history.
Across 1,514 NHL regular-season games, Yzerman recorded 1,755 points — 692 goals and 1,063 assists — and ranks eighth all-time in NHL scoring. He is one of only nine players in NHL history to record more than 600 goals and 1,000 assists, and he remains the longest-serving captain in NHL history, having worn the “C” for Detroit for 19 seasons and 1,303 games.
Yzerman led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup championships as a player, capturing titles in 1997, 1998, and 2002. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1998, the Ted Lindsay (then Lester B. Pearson) Award in 1989, the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2000, and the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2003. He was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1984, the NHL First All-Star Team in 2000, and was later recognized as one of the NHL’s 100 Greatest Players in 2017.
Internationally, Yzerman represented Canada in eight major tournaments, earning medals across multiple events. He helped Canada win gold at the 1984 Canada Cup, earned bronze at the 1983 World Junior Championship, captured silver at the IIHF World Championship in both 1985 and 1989, and added silver at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Yzerman’s international career was highlighted by Olympic gold in 2002, when he served as an alternate captain and helped Canada capture its first men’s Olympic hockey gold medal in 50 years. He also represented Canada at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, the first Olympics to feature full NHL participation, and was named Top Forward at the 1990 IIHF World Championship.
Yzerman was named the Peterborough Petes’ centre on the club’s All-Time Team in 1999, joining a decorated group of Petes alumni honoured by the franchise. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014.
