Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Doug MacLean went to bed "scared to death," knowing that captain Steve Yzerman was about to be traded the next day.
It was the 1990-91 season, the underachieving Red Wings were struggling after missing the playoffs the year before and MacLean was told by GM Bryan Murray that Yzerman, the face of the franchise and the team's best hope of returning Detroit to the glory years of the Gordie Howe-led dynasty clubs in the 1950s, was headed to the New York Islanders for high-scoring center Pat Lafontaine (Waterford) and another player.
"When I woke up the next day, the deal was off," MacLean said.