Hockey Night in Canada has created a book compiling the best hockey players by number and including the runner up players as well. The top player at No. 19? Steve Yzerman.

But once upon a time a young Steve Yzerman wore a different famous number.

“When I was a little, little kid, I was number four for Bobby Orr,” he said.

But as he was growing up near Ottawa, long after Orr had retired, Yzerman added another favorite player to his list and, as a result, switched his allegiance to 19.

“I think I first wore it in Tier II in Nepean as a 15-year-old,” he says. “And the reason I chose it, is that is when Bryan Trottier first came into the league I followed he and Mike Bossy very closely and they became, after Bobby Orr, my two favourite players.

“I became a centreman about the same time Bryan came into the NHL and I just admired and liked the way he played. I was a big New York Islanders fan and always wanted to be like him. Back then, when I was a kid, the numbers only went up to 15. So it wasn’t until I went to Tier II, where there were higher numbers, that I could make the switch to 19 and I did. I was always 14 before that.”

Runner ups include Joe Sakic, Bryan Trottier, Larry Robinson, and Joe Thornton among others.

Many of you have heard about Toronto looking for a replacement for their current GM John Ferguson, Jr. One of the many rumored replacements is none other than No. 19, Steve Yzerman. Don’t worry Red Wings fans, Wings’ president Jimmy Devellano says we have nothing to worry about.

As for Yzerman, Devellano said he has settled nicely into his vice- president’s role and has repeatedly said how much he enjoys apprenticing under Holland. The Wings are also compensating Yzerman handsomely.

Devellano dismissed the threat of a Toronto raid on the Wings’ front office as being more the product of a hyperactive media market.

“Our people are sexy, who wouldn’t want them?” Devellano said “But they all have contracts and I don’t think they want to go anywhere.

“The media in Toronto are dreaming in Technicolor.”

Thanks to the Wings’ new website feature, Red WingsTV, fans can view a 22 minute video that includes Steve Yzerman speaking to Navy recruiters.

Here are some of the things he said during his talk, but you can view the entire speech in the video below if you so desire.

“I think that the things I learned in my career about leadership apply in the business world. …

Integrity. Confidence. Respect. Determination. Perseverance. To be successful. …

You have to stand for something. …

They [knee surgeries & a neck surgery] took a toll on my career, but didn’t zap my desire. I had to figure a way to get around it and overcome these things…I felt like I really earned this and I appreciated it more…Nothing good in life comes easy. You have to work at it…

Winning the lottery makes you wealthy, but it doesn’t make you successful. …

I try to act and live a certain way that my wife and three girls would be proud of me.

Steve Yzerman told the Grand Rapids Press this week that he is enjoying his current role in management.

“Not at all. I really enjoyed my playing career. It was somewhat sad to retire, but I also was relieved because I knew it was time to retire,” said Yzerman, 42. “I really enjoy being around the game and being part of the organization. I have zero interest in playing the game again.” …

“For me to be around them and see how they’ve handled things is really beneficial to me,” Yzerman said. “I find it very interesting every day.”

And as a fan of the American Hockey League, Yzerman enjoys attending an occasional Griffins game.

“I know we’re all really pleased with how our players from Grand Rapids developed,” he said. “Our players are here playing in a good system with a good organization, and it’s benefiting us.”

I hated to see Yzerman retire but now that he has, I’m just pleased he has no regrets and has no desire to play anymore.

The Red Wings are now creating a podcast and the first participant was none other than former captain Steve Yzerman. You can download the MP3 file here or you can just click on the play button below to listen to the 15 minute or so long interview.