Lightning's Steve Yzerman named finalist for GM of the Year Award
TAMPA, Fla. -- Steve Yzerman has received recognition for his work in guiding the Tampa Bay Lightning to a memorable season.
Yzerman, 50, was named a finalist for the NHL's General Manager of the Year Award on Friday, along with the New York Rangers' Glen Sather and the Anaheim Ducks' Bob Murray.
Yzerman has served as the Lightning's vice president and general manager since May 2010. In that time, Tampa Bay has appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times, including two appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals (2011 and 2015). During the current campaign, the Lightning closed with 50 regular-season victories and 108 points, both franchise records.
Yzerman has been credited for creating Tampa Bay's youthful core and complementing it with strong veteran experience. He also hired coach Jon Cooper late in the 2012-13 season after Guy Boucher was fired. Cooper, a former coach of the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay's American Hockey League affiliate, was named a Jack Adams Award finalist for the 2013-14 campaign.
Entering Friday, when the Lightning hosted the Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay was two victories from appearing in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2004, when the franchise claimed its lone title.
The winner of the award will be announced June 24 in Las Vegas.
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