The Hockey Hall of Fame is welcoming seven new members into its prestigious halls on Monday, November 9, 2015. Join us here at Last Word On Sports as we take an in depth look at the new inductees. We continue the series with one of the smartest defensemen to ever lace them up, Nicklas Lidstrom.
Perfect. No one on this planet is and ever will be, but in the case of Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, that’s what he was known as. The “Perfect Human.” On the ice, off the ice. Knowing where to go with the puck, knowing where to be, never getting caught. Always stopping by to chat with fans, always defecting credit to his teammates, always classy with the media. He had his fair share of battles with fellow inductees Chris Pronger and even Sergei Fedorov when he left the Wings in 2003, but ultimately, the now-45-year-old former defenseman had one of the more upright reputations across the league with his play and demeanor. However, it was not received as a slam dunk with the Wings front office when deciding to pick him on that fateful June day in 1989.
2015 HHOF Induction Profile: Nicklas Lidstrom
An Unsure Beginning
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the story of agent Don Meehan and Red Wings head European Scout Christer Rockstrom watching a skinny kid from Vasteras. One who got better and better in the eyes of the former, as he ended up staying to meet with him and his parents instead of going to Stockholm as he planned. It turns out Rockstrom had the same feeling too, but wanted the then-18 year old to be kept a secret, one that would prove to be possibly the biggest in the history of the franchise. Then-GM Jim Devellano, citing that then-18 year old Nicklas Lidstrom was not too big at the time, trusted his scouts.
Devellano and Rockstrom felt that they were getting an NHL-caliber player, but one that would anchor the blueline for two decades? It is highly unlikely, as Lidstrom recorded one goal and seven points in 34 games for the senior Vasteras team, one that Rockstrom remarked actually played him scarcely.
“You had to know when to be in the building because you could go see that team play five or six times in a year and never see Nicklas play.”
-Christer Rockstrom, former Red Wings European Scout
But Detroit was not shy in taking risks in this draft. With the Iron Curtain still in existence, he Wing nabbed two key pieces in Vladimir Konstantinov (11th round) and another Russian kid by the name of Sergei Fedorov(4th round). The braintrust for Detroit was struck it big in ’89, the first of many drafts Detroit entered with a heavy European mindset. It’s worked for them ever since.
In the case of Lidstrom being taken in the third round, the brains proved to be bigger than the brawn.
Early Returns
Brought to Detroit for the 1991-92 season, 21-year old Nicklas Lidstrom got his start with defensive partner Brad McCrimmon. Lidstrom remarked in his jersey retirement speech that one of the first things he heard from the 32-year old veteran was this:
“If you do it well, you can be a star.”
Lidstrom responded by putting up 11 goals and 60 points in his rookie season, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting to a player the Wings were three selections away from snagging in that 1989 draft, Pavel Bure. He also ranked 16th in the NHL in on-ice goals for per game, ahead of fellow HHOFers Phil Housley(inductee) and teammate Chris Chelios. He would also be named to the All-Star team with his defensive partner who gave him some sparkling advice. The team was building something special, something that would end the Wings’ Cup drought that had gone on for close to 40 years.
Lidstrom did his part to help put an end to the curse, as he tallied 27 goals and 123 points in 211 games over the course of the next three seasons. In his third season, Scotty Bowman took over behind the bench. That year, Lidstrom finished eight in Norris voting, the first time he really was mentioned in the conversation. After three early exits from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at the hands of the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, and Sharks(Bowman’s first year), the Wings made it to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 29 years with their core of Steve Yzerman, Fedorov, Lidstrom, and more. They were swept by the New Jersey Devils, an experience that would only help the team and Lidstrom, who put up four goals and 16 points in 18 games.
Back-To-Back Cups, Best Still Ahead
Becoming a rock at the blueline entering his age 26 season, Lidstrom along with Larry Murphy, Konstantinov, and Vyacheslav Fetisov formed a formidable unit in front of goaltenders Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood, allowing 197 goals, 42 below the league average for goals allowed in ’97. Lidstrom was selected to his first All-Star Game as a starter and the Wings would win the Cup for the first time in 42 years, with Lidstrom tallying 57 points in the regular season and just eight in the postseason. However, one of his two goals came in the clinching game of the Final, scoring on a bullet from the point to get the Wings off and running.
The following postseason would be one of the best by a Wings defenseman in their history, as Lidstrom totaled six goals and 19 points helping the Wings overcome major odds in the form of losing Konstantnov on the ice for the rest of his career along with Fedorov for the first half of the season due to a contract dispute. That regular season, Lidstrom tied Ron Francis for on-ice team goals for at 126 markers. It would be the first year Lidstrom finished runner-up in the Norris Trophy voting, this time to Rob Blake, a Triple-Gold club member. That season in the Olympics, Lidstrom was selected to play for the first time, netting two points in four games played.
At 28, Lidstrom had two Cups on his mantle entering the prime of his career, one that would last longer than most.
More Success, Runner-Up No Longer
After three straight All-Star starts from 1997-2000, Lidstrom was quickly getting recognized for his top role in Detroit. In 242 games, he put up 51 goals and 189 points, on ice for 403 goals for in that span, leading the league in two of those three seasons. Approaching 30, and a Norris was just a matter of time. After finishing runner-up to Blake, Al MacInnis, and fellow HHOF inductee Pronger, his time would come in 2001. Posting 15 goals and 71 points in 82 games(notice his durability again), he captured his first Norris Trophy at 30 years old. However, his team, despite adding names like Chris Chelios, Wendell Clark, and re-acquiring Igor Larionov, could not cement a dynasty.
Then came 2002.
Third Cup, More Mantlepieces, Captaincy
Assembling a team that now has ten current Hall of Famers including Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and more, the Red Wings cruised through the regular season in a pre-salary cap-setting netting 51 wins and 116 points. Lidstrom again led the league in total on-ice goals-for with 129 in a year when the leading point scorer was Jarome Iginla at 96. At the Olympics, Lidstrom improved his totals from his last trip, scoring once and adding five helpers in four games.
Down two games to none in the first round against Vancouver, many say that his center-ice goal on goaltender Dan Cloutier turned the whole series around. The Wings won four straight after that puck slid by, en route to a third Cup in six years. Lidstrom was named the MVP of the playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe trophy after a sparkling playoff, posting five goals and 16 assists. His coach retired that night, and later remarked that it was a priviledge to coach #5 in many ways but one stood out.
“The thing I was always amazed about with Nick Lidstrom was how he could play with anybody as a partner on defense, and his game never suffered, and he could just play with anybody.
-Scotty Bowman
Another Norris trophy arrived on his mantle a few weeks later with a third straight coming a season later.
There may have been a cause for concern in head coach Dave Lewis’s second season in 2003-04 after one of Lidstrom’s worst offensive seasons of his career which saw him post ten goals and 38 points. The “Dead Puck” era was at its height with the highest scorer netting 94 points(Martin St. Louis), but Lidstrom was 33. Coming off of three straight Norris trophies, was this the decline of the “perfect human?” The answer, as we all know, was obvious.
After the lockout under new head coach Mike Babcock, all Lidstrom did was take advantage of the scoring boom with the two-line pass eliminated and become a point-per game player. 16 goals and 80 points in 80 games played in 05-06 was Lidstrom’s best season of his career, and Lidstrom was on top of the on-ice goals for plateau again with 161. It helped to play on the best team in the league with 58 wins, 124 points, and 305 goals scored, but all in all it was an amazing comeback for Lidstrom. It reminded the League that he would not be slowing down anytime soon, winning yet another Norris trophy.
Steve Yzerman retired after the Red Wings six-game upset loss to the Edmonton Oilers, and for the first time since 1986, the Wings needed to name a successor to don the “C.” The obvious choice was #5.
“It’s hard to find a defenseman that can step in right away and play and make an impact and he was able to do that.”
-Steve Yzerman
Lidstrom of course, deflected the credit to his former captain.
“Just to see him up close, he had all the skills and the smarts and [work ethic]. He really, really helped me.”
-Nicklas Lidstrom
Fourth Cup, Three More Norris Trophies
On June 4th, 2008, with Detroit feeling the brunt of the economic turmoil at the time, the Wings won their fourth Cup in 11 years. Lidstrom followed up his 62-point 2006-07 Norris season with a 10-goal, 70-point 2007-08 campaign at age 37. The team won 54 games and allowed just 184, the least in the NHL behind solid goaltending from Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood. Lidstrom played some part in that as well with the rest of the core, winning Lord Stanley’s hardware after just missing it the season before. The captain added 13 points to his playoff resume, scoring another goal from center ice in the process, and became the first European captain to lead his team to the Cup.
Looking to repeat in 2009 with the addition of Marian Hossa, Lidstrom suffered a testicular injury during the Western Conference Finals that kept him out for a week.
He came back on the ice after that week. It seemed ho-hum since the 38-year old kept quiet about it, but he later went on to say it was the worst pain he’s ever endured playing hockey. The Wings would fall a goal short of a repeat after losing Game 7 of the Final at home to the team they beat the season before in Pittsburgh, the Penguins.
Ok, so this had to be it for him. If it wasn’t age that would be keeping Lidstrom back, it had to be an injury. He never missed more than six games in a season up to this point, but he was now heading into his age 39 campaign.
Coming off of a solid 49-point campaign 2009-10 that saw him score his 1000th point on a Henrik Zetterberg goal (how Swede it is), Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy (*record repeats*) again in 2010-11. He had his best offensive season since 2007-08 with 14 goals and 62 points, although he was a minus-2 and a minus player for the first time in his career (imperfect, unimpressed, wow). The team would suffer its second straight second-round exit however.
the 2011 offseason brought with it good news for Ken Holland’s group with Lidstrom coming back again for his age 41 season. He turned in almost half of his point production with 34 and was on the ice for less than 100 goals-for for the first time in a full season in his career, missing 12 games with an ankle injury late in the campaign. After a 23-game winning streak at home, the Wings never found their stride at the end of that campaign, drawing the upstart Nashville Predators without home ice.
Five games later, Nashville head coach Barry Trotz in the handshake line begged Lidstrom with the following sentence: “Please don’t retire.”
On May 30th, it was indeed that time.
Retirement and Legacy
“Retiring today allows me to walk away with pride, rather than have the game walk away from me.”
-#5
With owners Mike and Marian Ilitch and General Manager Ken Holland beside him, Lidstrom walked away with the class he displayed for over 20 seasons with the organization.
On March 6th, 2014, with his wife Annika and four sons, the group watched as #5 was graced with one of the greatest honors an organization could bestow upon a player, a number retirement. The #5 banner slowly rose to the spot where it would stay and still stays today. It will be moved with the new Detroit Events Center in the works down the road, but for a new generation of hockey fans, it will be in those rafters to remind all of us the greatness that we never truly appreciated until it was gone.
Lidstrom hasn’t been forgotten just among Red Wings fans, players, and the like however. He revolutionized the position. Stick work, reading the play, understanding where he needed to be in every shift, getting the puck up the ice, etc.
Observe:
With the world of technology today and how fast-paced the game is, the hockey world picks apart videos like these teaching young hockey players how to play the game. That’s the legacy Lidstrom, his four Stanley Cups, and seven Norris Trophies have left. Young players want to model their games off of him, and today’s NHL stars along with up and comers have cited Lidstrom as a big influence. Guys like Erik Karlsson, John Klingberg, and Drew Doughty have all modeled their games after #5, and that number has since increased. But, there may never be another player who had the elite hockey sense Lidstrom had along with his down-to-earth style.
As he delivers his speech on Monday for his official induction among his peers, he’ll certainly credit everyone he met and came in contact with along the way. There will be stat line after stat line citing his 1142 points, Cups, Norris Trophies, 10 First-Team All-Star appearances, but more often than not, his on and off ice routine will be high on everyone’s mention list.
A routine many called, “perfect.”
Main Photo:
Stats courtesy of Hockey Reference
Quotes courtesy of ESPN, New York Post, LA Times, MLive, Youtube.
