TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning had just been stunned in a 4-2 home loss to the Capitals in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in mid-May.

Staff and players were searching for answers on the Saturday off-day before a pivotal Game 2 at Amalie Arena.

General manager Steve Yzerman? He was en route to Round Rock, Texas, to attend the collegiate club lacrosse national championship. His daughter, Sophia, a freshman midfielder for the undefeated University of Michigan team, led the Wolverines to the title.

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Her father wasn’t going to miss it.

That type of cross-country commute was common for Yzerman — who has three daughters, Isabella, Maria and Sophia — during his eight seasons as Lightning general manager. There were countless trips to see Sophia’s high school and college lacrosse, and Isabella’s equestrian events. You’d see his daughters pop up in road arenas around the league, as well as his wife, Lisa. Some would call him “Stealth Steve” for how he’d pop on and off team charter flights, making trips to Michigan during off-days.

“I remarked several times, ‘Man I don’t know how you’re doing this,'” childhood friend Darren Pang told The Athletic. “The early morning wake-up calls, flying, to do everything 100 percent. It’s not easy.”

Yzerman ultimately realized he couldn’t do it any longer, stepping down as Lightning general manager Tuesday and moving into a senior advisor role for at least the final year of his contract. He cited spending more time with his family as his main reason, saying he couldn’t fulfill the constant demands of his job plus the commitment to his family, which still resides in suburban Detroit.

While Yzerman first floated this move to owner Jeff Vinik in July, the news was kept under wraps for more than a month as the organization sorted things out, specifically deciding on long-time, right-hand man Julien BriseBois as the successor. Yzerman’s closest friends and confidants had no idea until Tuesday’s news broke. Pang, a friend of Yzerman’s for 40 years, got a heads-up phone call Tuesday morning.

Stars general manager Jim Nill, who spent 19 years in the Red Wings front office during Yzerman’s tenure, was caught off guard when he saw the news on Twitter. But after seeing Yzerman’s explanation, he understood.

“Stevie is the ultimate family man,” Nill told The Athletic. “He has accomplished a lot throughout his career as a player and executive, and it’s a demanding job. It’s a 24-hour-a-day job. The demands of it, the travel. He’s got (the Lightning) in great position, I think he’s comfortable knowing, ‘I’ve got everything where I want it to be.'”

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There have been some that wondered whether this taking a step back is a smoke screen for what could happen next, Yzerman eventually leaving the Lightning organization and working for the Red Wings, a team for which he was a Hall of Fame, iconic captain for two decades.

But there’s another way to look at this. BriseBois said he’s optimistic Yzerman will remain in this advisor role for more than one year, enjoying the benefits of spending more time at home while also serving as an important sounding board and counsel to the first-time GM.

Just ask Jimmy Devellano, 75, who drafted Yzerman fourth overall in 1983, and eventually moved into a similar advisor role to the man he mentored, current Detroit general manager Ken Holland. Devellano spends his winters in the Tampa area scouting at every Lightning home game, while also helping Holland when needed, including at the NHL Draft.

Devellano has been in the same role for 22 years.

“There are a lot of parallels,” Devellano told The Athletic. “When I took that type of job, Steve was still a player and knew I’d be around sometimes and others I’d disappear to Florida. I’ve been in Tampa a lot and we’d talk, and (Yzerman) would ask, me, ‘How would you handle that,’ different little things. He probably said, ‘Jeez, that’s not a bad job, come to Florida for the winter, fly up to Detroit and the draft.’ He’s not grinding the day to day and making all the major decisions. If Steve Yzerman now becomes me, that’s not necessarily a bad thing for Tampa, if he keeps it beyond this year. Maybe he’ll do it for 10 years.

“I trained Kenny Holland and he trained Julien BriseBois. It’s the same thing. Steve is a family man. They like Detroit. Forget about the Red Wings. They like living in Detroit. We’ll see how it plays out. He may fit into this role and say, ‘Holy cow, this is not bad. I can have my cake and eat it too.'”

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The specifics of Yzerman’s new role are unclear, even to him. He said he’d do whatever BriseBois wanted him to do. It sounds like Yzerman will split time between Tampa and suburban Detroit, and make several trips to Syracuse to help cover the AHL affiliate.

“Specifically, my role is to be there to support (BriseBois), share my thoughts and just help out, be an ally,” Yzerman said. “Be someone to talk to as a first-year GM. He’s going to do a great job, he’s ready for it.”

But Yzerman will also have the flexibility to be home more in the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., area, where his wife and daughter Isabella are. Sophia is an hour away in Ann Arbor.

“He just loves those girls to death, and it’s an important stage in their life,” Pang said. “He loves being a dad, going to school, going to football games. I’m sure like a lot of us, he’s missed a lot. He gets there and enjoys the moment.

“The girls are in college, but I don’t think you’re ever done. My kids graduated and are both married but you forever want to be around them. They love Michigan. Obviously there are a lot of times where hockey players live in a city for a long time and end up moving on to the next job and everyone comes with you. They fall in love with another city. But the Detroit area, and Michigan, have been great to the Yzermans and they just absolutely love it there. That’s home.”

This will be a huge year for Yzerman, who has been in a nonstop grind since he finished his two-decade career playing in the NHL. He went right from being a player to four years as an executive-in-waiting with the Red Wings, learning from Holland and Nill. He was hired by Lightning owner Jeff Vinik in 2010 and has led the Lightning to four Eastern Conference finals in eight years.

What happens after this year? Nobody knows. Yzerman insists he hasn’t thought that far, and he hasn’t given any reason to not take him at his word. It doesn’t make sense for Yzerman to usurp or undermine Holland, his former boss and mentor, to take the Red Wings GM job right away; Holland recently signed a two-year contract.

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But those close to Yzerman haven’t ruled out an eventual return to the Red Wings organization in some capacity.

“I don’t want to be the one that starts the big storm coming, but I could see it,” Nill said. “I think he’ll sit back and analyze things and see where things are at. At his age, maybe he’ll get the fire back he needs to get back in. Maybe he needs to get recharged for a year or two.

“Right now, I don’t think it’s anything to talk about. Time will tell.”

Will Yzerman settle into a lengthy tenure as a senior advisor? A Stanley Cup in the final year of his contract could help with that. But, for right now, those who have known him the longest believe Yzerman is at peace with his decision and that he did it for the right reasons.

“The thing about Steve, if he can’t do something 100 percent and give it (his) all, he won’t do it,” Pang said. “He never cheated himself as a player, never cheated himself as a manager. He was running on empty. It’s something that happens to a lot of people, trying to be a great dad, great husband, great manager and win a championship. That can’t be easy.

“You know the way he makes his decisions, whether it’s trading for a player or hiring a scout or changing as a manager in some capacity. He takes a lot of time and is very deliberate. For him to make this decision, it’s not an easy one. It’s the right one. We all know what comes first.”

Family.

(Top photo: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

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