Barring a major surprise this morning, arguably the best defenseman of his generation and one of the greatest of all-time, Nicklas Lidstrom, will announce his retirement from the game of hockey. (11:00 am ET, NHL Network/Fox Sports Detroit)
Although it is always sad to see the truly special players call it a career, the time is right for Lidstrom to hang up the blades and move on to the next chapter of his life. At the age of 42, he still regarded as one of the game’s top defenseman. Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy seven times (most recently in 2010-11) as the league’s best defenseman, one short of the record held by Bobby Orr.
However, he also is coming off one of the few injuries of his career -- a deep ankle bruise – that slowed him down for the stretch run and playoff drive. He has a teenage son looking to play hockey at a higher level in Sweden. The decision to step aside now was likely the easiest it has ever been for Lidstrom. And I’m certain it was still a difficult decision for him to make when he can still "think" the game the way he can and does.
"I feel physically I can still play," ... "I can contribute, but you have to be motivated and you have to have the drive. : It's the grind, that workout six or seven times a week. It's hard." -Nicklas Lidstrom
What I have always appreciated most about Lidstrom is his classy demeanour. I know he has been criticized on the ice for perhaps not being "physical" enough or for having lost a step (speed wise) during his final few seasons.
However, what is the worst thing you ever heard someone say about Nicklas Lidstrom off-the-ice?
(crickets......crickets.......crickets)
I don’t believe I can recall an athlete with such a sterling reputation both on and off the ice, for treating everyone he encountered with dignity and respect. Whether it was the fans or the media; teammates, coaches or opponents, Nicklas Lidstrom always conducted himself in a truly professional manner that you would hope more players (and people in general) would emulate.
On the ice, Lidstrom’s consistency and hockey mind is what I always found to be the most impressive attributes about his game. I truly believe that one of the reasons why Nicklas Lidstrom will go down as one of the most underrated superstars of our time, is not only due to his quiet, unassuming nature, but also his "efficient brilliance" over two decades.
It’s no coincidence that you rarely saw many #5 jerseys at the Joe Louis Arena for Red Wing games. There were too many occasions where Lidstrom would be the best player on the ice, yet most fans likely hadn’t even noticed him unless completely focusing on his every move. It's natural for fans to become hypnotized by the player who can score the highlight reel goal or deliver the bone-crushing body check.
Yet similar to Wayne Gretzky, Lidstrom didn’t have the hardest shot or the quickest “wheels”. However, when you have the sharpest mind on the ice and the ability to anticipate two to three moves before the majority of your opponents, it allows extremely talented hockey players with a tremendous work ethic and desire to become "once in a generation" superstars.
With respect to his consistency over almost 20 full seasons of NHL hockey, consider the fact that Lidstrom played 8.5 seasons (lockout half-season of 1994 included) BEFORE his first Norris Trophy winning campaign in 2000-01. His statistics during those 8.5 seasons averaged the following:
14.2 goals, 44.1 assists, 58.3 points, +23.1
Meanwhile, during the final 11 campaigns of his career where he was awarded 7 Norris Trophy’s as the league’s top defenseman, his statistics averaged the following:
As for the Red Wings, now is not the time to discuss where Detroit goes from here following this announcement. Attempting to replace Nicklas Lidstrom cannot be done. We have the weekend and beyond to elaborate on how and if Detroit can attempt to mitigate the loss.
But there is no doubt that this test will be tougher for Wings management to deal with in comparison to losing Steve Yzerman in 2006. Luckily for Detroit, they had younger forwards in Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg waiting to take over the reins at that time up front.
The Wings have some young talent on the blueline, such as defenseman Brendan Smith, and they have the potential to make moves given their ample salary cap space.
Only time will tell on how well the Wings are able to cope with Lidstrom's departure.
The most telling way for us fans to appreciate just how highly thought of Nicklas Lidstrom is in the hockey world, read through a few of these quotes from some of the game’s greats and current players:
"Having played with him and watched him closely from his first game in the NHL -- people know about it now, but we said it all along -- you have to watch him closely to appreciate how good he is, what a great athlete he is, because he makes the position look so easy. He was just a … He is a special athlete." – Steve Yzerman, Red Wing great and current GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning
"I hope he doesn't retire, He is the standard of how we want people to play the game. Ultimate professional. … You don't replace players like that. You don't." - Doug Wilson, former all-star defenseman and current GM of the San Jose Sharks
“Even then, as a rookie, he was a quiet student of the game . . . he made the game look easy and it was like that from Day 1. He had the perfect mind for it and the perfect frame.” –Nicklas Lidstrom’s first defence partner, Hall of Famer Paul Coffey
“Where could you ever see a player who would miss so few games, who could play at his level? He made so few mistakes, he played with a lot of different partners and never left them to fend off a two-on-one. It’s going to be strange to see Detroit without Lidstrom."
-Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman
"They (Lidstrom and Ray Bourque) always made right decision to keep the puck in, to take the right shot at the net, Very seldom did they take chances. Their stats are so good offensively and it was not just fabricated from taking chances.” - Bowman
“When I look at a defenceman, when he gets the puck, what is the resulting play? Does his team keep the puck or does the other team get it? Over 95 per cent of time, when Lidstrom had the puck, one of his teammates got it.” - Bowman
"Ever since I've been scouting, I've had him rated the best defenseman in the league for pretty well the whole time. We always knew in Detroit how important he is to the team, and to the game of hockey.” – Hall of Fame defenseman Mark Howe.
"A class act. Great player, classy from Day One. A winner, a stud." – text message from Brian Burke, GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Detroit Free Press.
"He's the heartbeat, the backbone of their hockey club. He's Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders. He's Larry Robinson of the Montreal Canadiens. You don't replace those guys. There's been many, many great defensemen over the years and he's one. You don't replace these guys." –Anonymous NHL scout.
"The pressure of somebody trying to take on those minutes -- they have to disperse those minutes amongst the group and include the guys they add via trades or free agency. You can't sign one guy and replace Nick Lidstrom. That poor guy has no chance. No chance." -Anonymous NHL scout.
NHL Players via Twitter:
Phoenix Coyotes forward Paul Bissonette“Lidstrom retiring is the worst thing to happen to Detroit since the collapse of the auto industry.”
San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture"Not many athletes can retire while still being one of the best players in the game. Congrats to Nick Lidstrom on a great career."
New York Ranger defenseman Michael Del Zotto"What a career for Lidstrom. Bobby Orr and him top 2 defenseman to play. #classact #morepatiencethanahospital"
Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson"Sad to see Nick Lidstrom retire. One of the games all time greats on and off the ice. A guy that everyone can learn from. "
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak"Tough to see Lidstrom hang up the skates. One of the best all time on and off the ice. He will be missed!#Legend"
I'll attempt to end this blog for Red Wing fans by trying to put a smile on your face. How about you take a trip down memory lane when Nicklas Lidstrom made history as the first European captain to lift the Stanley Cup.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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