DETROIT (CP) - Detroit Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman is done.

A source tells The Canadian Press that the classy veteran will announce his retirement at a news conference this afternoon.

Yzerman seemed ready to retire after the Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs by Edmonton.

But he began wavering after that and considered coming back for a 23rd season.

Yzerman turned 41 on May 9.

He retires with 692 goals and 1063 assists for 1,755 points - good for sixth all-time - in 1,514 career games.

DETROIT (AP) ? Steve Yzerman, the Red Wings' 41-year-old captain who has played his entire NHL career with Detroit, is hanging up his skates.

Yzerman, who was 18 when he joined the Red Wings in 1983, ended months of speculation about his future Monday when he announced his retirement at a news conference.

"My intention throughout the season was to retire, play one last year," Yzerman said. "This is the right decision for me at this time. I really have no doubt about that."

Yzerman led Detroit to three Stanley Cups and playoff appearances in each of the last 15 years of his career. Only Gordie Howe holds as many franchise records.

The Red Wings had the best record in the league in the 2005-06 season but fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.

"I really enjoyed the season," Yzerman said. "It ended in disappointment, but that's the one great thing about sports in general. There's no predicting what's the outcome."

Yzerman has been Detroit's captain since 1986, making him the longest-serving captain in league history.

He indicated he hopes to continue working with the franchise.

"I look forward to a future in the game of hockey with the Red Wings in some aspect," he said.

Major knee surgery limited Yzerman to 16 games in 2002-03, but he came back the following season to score 18 goals and 33 assists in 75 games. He managed 14 goals and 20 assists in 61 games last season despite tearing muscles three times.

During the 2004 playoffs, Yzerman had to be helped off the ice after a puck broke bones near his left eye and had to undergo 4 1/2 hours of surgery. After the lockout, Yzerman signed a one-year contract and returned to the team donning a visor.

One of Detroit's most popular pro athletes, the soft-spoken player long known simply as "The Captain" is the Red Wings' all-time leader in playoff scoring. He ranks first in assists and second only to Howe in games played, goals and points in the regular season. Yzerman also finished last season with more regular-season and playoff points than any active NHL player.

After leading the Red Wings back from years of mediocrity to the top rank of the NHL, Yzerman's individual achievements were tempered with disappointing team results late in his career. After winning back-to-back Cups in 1997-98, Detroit lost in the first or second round in six of seven postseasons ? interrupted only by the 2002 Cup.

Yzerman said there was a point earlier last season when he seriously considered ending his career, but general manager Ken Holland approached him and said the team needed him for the next game.

Yzerman played that game, then another, but said he knew retirement was inevitable.

"I'm becoming somewhat a part-time player," he said. "At this stage it's too difficult on my knee to do the things I want to do out there."

He also acknowledged that while he still wore the captain's "C" on his sweater, the Red Wings' leadership structure had changed. The veteran nucleus that helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998 and 2002 was being overtaken by new, talented youngsters, but Yzerman said he was happy to contribute as a role player.

He said the devotion and effort of team owner Mike Ilitch and his family have made the franchise the powerhouse it is.

"Players have come and players have gone. Coaches have come and gone," Yzerman said. "The one biggest reason that this organization has been able to do well, has been successful and will continue to be successful is because the Ilitches will do whatever they have to do ... to make this organization successful."

A 10-time All-Star, Yzerman was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team in 1984, won the Lester B. Pearson Award honoring the league's outstanding player in 1989, the Conn Smythe Trophy honoring the playoff MVP in 1998 and helped Canada win gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.


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