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Steve Yzerman will step down as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning

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In a players only meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman told players he would be stepping down and serving in an advisory role in order to spend more time with his family. He is in his last year of his contract with the Lightning.

Julien BriseBois, the general manager of Tampa’s AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch and assistant under Yzerman, will take over as GM.

In Yzerman’s press conference with the media, he mentioned that BriseBois is “more than ready” to take over the role of GM. BriseBois mentioned that as on Thursday when training camp starts, the mission of “winning the Stanley Cup” will continue and the plan to do so will remain the same.

The news was first reported by Joe Smith of the Athletic.

In his meeting with the players, Yzerman told them he was going back to Detroit, and it’s now clear that it was in order to spend time with his family who still live in the area. He had been mulling the decision since early July of the offseason and decided to announce two days before training camp to quash speculation about the move being about jumping from the Lightning for another GM job.

Yzerman has been in a non-stop grind since he took over the GM position, flying back-and-forth to Detroit to see his family while managing the Lightning through multiple Stanley Cup playoff runs. Yzerman mentioned that the move was intended “to still make sure the Lightning is managed to the level everyone has come to expect.”

During his appearance on NHL Network, Smith said that Yzerman’s relationship with owner Jeff Vinik was “fantastic,” and that the Lightning hoped to sign him to an extension.

Yzerman took over the GM role in Tampa at the end of the 2009-10 season after a storied career with the Detroit Red Wings. The Hall of Famer holds the record for longest serving captain of one NHL team at 19 seasons, and is sixth in the NHL in scoring. Yzerman has won three Stanley Cups and ranks second to Gordie Howe in nearly every significant statistic for the Red Wings, save for assists where he ranks first.

The Lightning’s press release can be found below:

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning named Julien BriseBois to the position of Vice President, General Manager and Alternate Governor, Chairman and Governor Jeff Vinik announced today. BriseBois, who becomes the seventh General Manager in Lightning history, replaces Steve Yzerman, who is stepping aside to become Senior Advisor to the General Manager. BriseBois had served as the team’s Assistant General Manager under Yzerman for the past eight years.

“I am pleased to introduce Julien BriseBois today as the new Vice President and General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning,” Vinik said upon making the announcement. “Julien has been preparing himself for this role for much longer than the eight years he has served as our Assistant General Manager. He is smart, experienced, well-prepared and progressive, sharing the draft and develop philosophy with Steve that has worked so well for us. I am confident that he will maintain our standard of sustained excellence, hopefully guiding us to a Stanley Cup in the near future.

“As Steve transitions from the position of General Manager into his new role, I thank him, on behalf of everyone in the Lightning organization for all that he has done to lead our team to this point, laying the groundwork for our franchise to be one of the best in the NHL. We are pleased that he remains in the organization, helping contribute to our future success.”

A native of Greenland Park, Quebec, BriseBois, 41, was hired as Assistant General Manager by Steve Yzerman in July 2010 from the Montreal Canadiens, where he was serving as the team’s Vice President of Hockey Operations. In his role as Tampa Bay’s Assistant General Manager, BriseBois provided significant input in player personnel and player development, while overseeing analytics, contract preparation and negotiation and scheduling. He also served as the General Manager of the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate. BriseBois’ minor league teams have reached the Calder Cup Finals five times, winning the Cup in Hamilton in 2007 (while BriseBois was with the Montreal Canadiens) and in Norfolk under head coach Jon Cooper in 2012 (with Tampa Bay).

“I am very grateful for the opportunity that Jeff Vinik is providing me today and I thank Steve Yzerman for all that he has done for me personally and professionally while I worked as his assistant,” said BriseBois in accepting the position.” Jeff is a great owner and I am excited to lead his hockey team and fulfill his vision. Steve has been a terrific general manager and a great mentor to me – I look forward to our continued work together, only with different titles next to our names. I am thankful that he has accepted this new position and will continue to play an active role with our team. Together with (Assistant General Manager and Player Personnel Director) Pat Verbeek, (Director of Amateur Scouting) Al Murray, (Director of Player Development) Stacy Roest, coach Jon Cooper and the rest of our staff, our goals remain the same: winning the Stanley Cup while ensuring that we can be a strong team for years into the future.”

Headline image: @TBLightning

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