2015 HHOF Inductee: Nicklas Lidstrom

Niklas Lidstrom is just a wonderful hockey player. If you ever had a chance to watch him live, or even just watching a Wings game on TV, you were wise to try watching Lidstrom instead of the puck every time #5 was out on the ice. He as so flawless in his positioning and his execution that you learned so much about the game simply by observation. There have been a lot of hockey superstars over the years, but you can not say this about many of them.

Unlike early in his career, Lidstrom got a lot of long over due praise and ink in the second half of his career.  As Lidstrom's career has concluded, I do find it interesting that there is a growing movement to crown Lidstrom as the second greatest defenseman of all time, behind the incomparable Bobby Orr, of course.

Now traditionally the "2nd best" label goes to Montreal great Doug Harvey, with real old timer Eddie Shore also ranked right up there. More modern contenders include Larry Robinson, Denis Potvin, Raymond Bourque, andPaul Coffey. Viacheslav Fetisov, Red Kelly and Dit Clapper also deserve mention.

Lidstrom vs Harvey

How can we compare Harvey - a throwback from the 1950s, an era of hockey that is so foreign to hockey now - to Lidstrom? Not too many of us can. But Scotty Bowman, who coached both of them, definitely can. He basically refused to pick, calling them equals from very different eras.

"It's hard to compare them in a way because they played in vastly different eras. I coached Harvey in St. Louis before Nick Lidstrom was born," Bowman told ESPN.com. "But the two most common denominators between those two was that it was very seldom either one got caught up ice. Their passing skills were so terrific. Their first pass. 

"If you charted a hockey game and you wrote down where the puck went every time those two touched it, it usually went on another teammate's stick unless they were killing a penalty. Their positioning and that sixth sense to be aware of what's going on ... they made a lot of partners looked pretty good." 

"The thing about the two of them and how they could play the point, they both could get the puck through," Bowman continued. "Both were terrific quarterbacks on the power play; they controlled the puck." 

The one area I think Lidstrom has Harvey beat is consistency. Lidstrom has been extremely good, albeit somewhat quietly early on, right from day one. He's always been a flawless defender and a top offensive producer. He's always been a real key to the Detroit Red Wings success in the 1990s and 2000s. 

Harvey was much more enigmatic. Because of his unworldly composure on the ice, many fans and newspapermen of the 1950s accused Doug of being lazy and frustrating. One night he would be the best player on the ice, and in the next two or three games he would blend in. Perhaps that is just Montreal for you, but Nicklas Lidstrom never had any periods of criticism like Harvey did. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman of his generation, and a very comparable player to Harvey in terms of style and legacy. I am completely comfortable with either player being considered better. Fact is, there is not much to choose from.

What about Ray Bourque?

If there is one player would could trump either Harvey or Lidstrom, it would be Ray Bourque. He is another carbon copy of each, and, unlike Harvey, basically from the same era as Lidstrom. So with that in mind, who was better, Bourque vs Lidstrom?

First, I'm really high on that comparison because they played very similar styles. Perhaps Bourque was a bit more flashy offensively, but he played in an era that demanded it, but otherwise both are near perfect defenders. Bourque might have been a little more emphatic in his physical game, too, but it is a marginal argument.

So let's compare the legacies of Bourque and Lidstrom. I've included Doug Harvey here, too, but keep in mind his stats are dulled by the era he played in more than 50 years ago.

The last two comparables are interesting. Lidstrom tied Harvey for second most Norris trophies (behind Bobby Orr's 8). Bourque "only" won 5 Norris trophies, but was a runner up 6 times (compared to Lidstrom's 3). Bourque, arguably, won his Norris trophies against tougher competition - fellow HHOFers like Paul Coffey and Chris Chelios most notably.

Another pretty telling stat for me is post season All Star awards. In 19 of his 22 seasons Bourque was either on the first or second team, including in each of his first 15 NHL seasons. Lidstrom was honoured 12 time, but it took him 7 years before his first all star nod. It may be the only statistical anomaly between these two great defenders. A case could even be made to suggest Bourque faced stiffer competition for All Star honours.

Lastly, let's look at MVP status. Lidstrom became the first European player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, in 2002. But Bourque twice was runner up for the Hart Trophy, the regular season MVP and hockey's most cherished individual prize. He was runner up to Wayne Gretzky in 1987 and to Mark Messier in 1990. He was just two voting points behind Messier in the closest Hart Trophy ballot ever.

All in all, I give Ray Bourque the slightest edge on both Doug Harvey and Nicklas Lidstrom in the "All Time Greatest Defenseman" debate. He stood out as a top defenseman immediately. He also played with the weakest of the three teams in this debate.

Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015?

On Monday the Hockey Hall of Fame inducts Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, coach Pat Burns and referee Bill McCreary. 

But today I thought it would be fun to take a look at the potential class for 2015.

Headlining first year eligible players is Nicklas Lidstrom.

Lidstrom is one of the very best defensemen to ever play the game. Many insist he is the 2nd best. A few even dare to suggest he was better than Bobby Orr.. In 1,564 career games, all with the Red Wings, Lidstrom finished with 1,142 points. He appeared in 11 All-Star Games throughout his career, won the Norris Trophy a record seven times including three straight years on two occasions and also won the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy all while hoisting the Stanley Cup four times. This is as big of a lock as you'll ever see.

There are two other locks, in my eyes, but their eligibility seems to be in question. 

Sergei Fedorov was just a fantastic player, scoring 1,179 points (including 483 goals) in just 1,248 career games. He was a six-time All-Star Game participant, won the Hart Trophy in 1993-94 as the MVP and also won the Selke Trophy twice as the best defensive forward.

In the regular season he could be accused of going through the motions but come playoff time Fedorov was at his best. Impressively Fedorov scored 20 or more points in four consecutive playoffs. He is a three time Stanley Cup champion. 

Fedorov continued playing in Russia until 2012 when he retired to become manager of  the KHL team Metallurg Magnitogorsk. However he came out of retirement to play two games with CSKA Moscow at the 2013 Spengler Cup.

As I understand it, the Spengler Cup participation will not delay his Hall eligibility but I stand to be corrected on that. Regardless if it is 2015 or 2016, Sergei Fedorov should be a lock.

A bigger question eligibility question mark might be Chris Pronger. Pronger, who last played in 2012, is a certain lock, too. Pronger is a Stanley Cup champion, two time Olympic gold medalist and NHL Hart trophy and Norris trophy winner. However Pronger has never officially retired, and as an injured player he is actually unable to do so until his contract expires thanks to the salary cap.

So can the HHOF induct a player who is still considered to be active, even though he has not played for the mandatory 3 year waiting time?

"He would be eligible in 2015 as far as the way the bylaw reads and as long, obviously, as he doesn't play again prior to his election," said Jeff Denomme, president and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame. "If there was any question on matters pertaining to any particular candidate's eligibility, I suspect that's something the board would raise at some point, though."

Let's assume he, too, is eligible. That gives us three locks for the class of 2015 in Lidstrom, Fedorov and Pronger.

Other first year eligible players include Jason Arnott, Andrew Brunette, Tomas Holmstrom, Ethan Moreau, John Madden, Sean O'Donnell, Dwayne Roloson, Brian Rolston, Steve Staios and Marty Turco.  It is unlikely any of these players will ever be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It should also be noted that a notable female player will also become eligible in 2015, and should also considered to be a lock. Long time USA defenseman Angela Ruggiero was one of the strongest female players ever to play the game. The Hockey Hall of Fame has a spotty record when it comes to recognizing female players, but they should have a pretty obvious inclusion in Ruggiero.

Nicklas Lidstrom - High Five

Nicklas Lidstrom: Greatest Red Wings Player of All Time?

That's the argument Pat Caputo makes here:

To a generation of hockey fans, raised in the 1950s and 1960s, Gordie Howe will always be the greatest Red Wing of all time.

To another generation, those raised beyond the early 1980s, it is overwhelmingly Steve Yzerman.

Yet, with all due respect to Mr. Hockey and The Captain, the greatest Red Wing of all is Lidstrom.

Wow! That's pretty lofty company. And I'm willing to give him the top three billing. I might even be open to the idea of him being better than Yzerman ultimately. But better than Gordie?

It's an interesting article worth a read.

Steve Yzerman Compares Nicklas Lidstrom To Roger Federer

Steve Yzerman played 1514 games in a Detroit Red Wings jersey. He saw a lot of hockey from his unique vantage point, allowing him to make some astute observations about some of the games' greatest players.

One of the greatest players he ever saw was his own teammate, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Many compare Lidstrom favorably to Ray Bourque. Some even dare to mention him in the same breath as Bobby Orr.

Yzerman, however, has a very different comparable for Lidstrom.

“He’s Roger Federer,” Yzerman said. “He’s graceful, and because they’re so technically sound, it looks effortless at times for them.

“You can ask anyone who played with him, anyone who coached him, anyone who knew him — Nick was the most low-maintenance player in the history of the game.”

Nicklas Lidstrom returns to Detroit this week as the Red Wings will raise his number five to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena. Lidstrom will join Steve Yzerman’s 19, Gordie Howe’s 9, Sid Abel’s 12, Ted Lindsay’s 7, Alex Delvecchio’s 10 and Terry Sawchuk’s 1 high above the ice.

“He played so many minutes in all situations, and did everything right,” Yzerman continued. “From the first time I saw him play, I knew he was something special. He looked like a 10-year veteran when he was 21 years old. He had a lot of great attributes, and one of them was the intelligence to step in right away and look at home."

Home for Lidstrom means a return to Sweden. The family has built their dream home in Vasteras. Though his four sons have been largely raised in America, he always insisted that Swedish was the dominant language at home. They all play hockey, keeping Lidstrom busy. After a lifetime of sacrifices to the game that has given him so much, family is the only thing that he's really interested in these days.

Nicklas Lidstrom's Top Five Hockey Memories:

• “1997 Stanley Cup, because it was our first Cup in four decades.”
• “1998 Stanley Cup, because it united all of us after the terrible accident from the summer before.”
• “2002 Stanley Cup, because we were like an all-star team, and the way we rallied after being down 2-0 against Vancouver in the first round.”
• “The 2006 Olympics, winning the gold medal for Sweden, scoring that goal, I’ll always remember that.”
• “Being named captain of the Red Wings in 2006, after Steve Yzerman retired, that was incredibly special.”

Lidstrom Never Expected Greatness

Nicklas Lidstrom goes down as one of the top five defensemen in the history of hockey.

But as Art Regner of the Detroit Free Press tells us Lidstrom himself never had any dreams his career would be as prolific as it became.

Even back in 1989, the Wings saw something in the Swedish teenager that he didn't see in himself.

"When I first came over, I think I signed a three-year contract and I was just hoping to make the team," Lidstrom said last week. "I didn't know anything about the team, except for Stevie (Yzerman) being on the team.

"If I didn't make it, I could always go back and play in Sweden, but I wanted to make a career out of it over here. But I wasn't sure if I was good enough to do it."

Regner goes on to tell us how Lidstrom's appearance as a teenager at the 1991 Canada Cup really cemented everyone's belief that he was going to be one heck of a player. But even then certainly no one was predicting a career that included 7 Norris Trophies and 4 Stanley Cups.

On Thursday that career will conclude with Lidstrom's jersey #5 going to the rafters in Detroit. He is a slam dunk Hall of Famer in 2015, as well.

Nicklas Lidstrom Jersey Retirement

The Detroit Red Wings have announced the 50 minute pregame ceremony plans for Nicklas Lidstrom's Jersey Retirement Night.

The ceremony will start at 6:30pm and will culminate with Lidstrom's number five raised to the rafters at 7:20. The game vs the Colorado Avalanche will be pushed back until 8:00pm.

Detroit broadcaster Ken Daniels will host while there will be speeches by Mike Babcock, Ken Holland, Christopher Ilitch and Lidstrom himself.

Lidstrom’s former coaches Scotty Bowman, Dave Lewis and Barry Smith, as well as Lidstrom’s former teammates Chris Chelios, Igor Larionov, Brendan Shanahan, Robert Lang, Bob Rouse, Yves Racine, Mathieu Schneider, Manny Legace, Tomas Holmstrom, Anders Eriksson, Kris Draper and Vladimir Konstantinov will all be seated on the ice for the ceremony.

Also attending the ceremony will be Red Wings legends Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman and members of the Abel and Sawchuck families.

Nicklas Lidstrom: By The Numbers

From NHL.com

1 -- Seasons in which Lidstrom had a negative plus-minus rating. He was minus-2 in 2010-11, the only time in his brilliant career he was below plus-7 -- he bounced back with a plus-21 rating this season. Lidstrom had three seasons (2002-03, 2006-07 and 2007-08) in which he was a career-best plus-40, and his career mark of plus-450 is the best among players who were active this season.

2 -- Lidstrom's rank in career assists among players active in 2011-12. His 878 assists are more than everyone except Philadelphia's Jaromir Jagr, who has 988. He's tops among active defensemen -- Chris Pronger is next at 541 -- and sixth all-time.

3 -- Goals scored by Lidstrom against St. Louis on Dec. 15, 2010 -- the only hat trick of his career. His last two-goal game came on Nov. 5, 2011, against Anaheim.

4 -- Stanley Cups won by the Red Wings during Lidstrom's time with the team. The Wings won in 1997, repeated the next year, won again in 2002 (when he earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP) and for a fourth time in 2008 -- when Lidstrom became the first European-born captain to accept the Cup.

5 -- Lidstrom's uniform number throughout his entire career in Detroit. He inherited the number from Rick Green, who wore it in 1990-91. Before Lidstrom, only one other Wing (Ebbie Goodfellow) had worn No. 5 for more than seven seasons.

6 -- Seasons in which Lidstrom served as Detroit's captain. He took over after Steve Yzerman retired in 2006; two years later, he became the first European-born captain to lead his team to the Stanley Cup.

7 -- Norris Trophies won by Lidstrom, tying him with Hall of Famer Doug Harvey for second on the All-Time list behind Bobby Orr (8). Lidstrom won six times in a span of seven seasons beginning in 2000-01, then earned his seventh Norris last year.

8 -- Longest assist streak in Lidstrom's career. He piled up 12 assists during an eight-game span from March 17, 2002, to April 10, 2002.

9 -- Lidstrom's all-time rank among defensemen in goals scored. His 264 goals are the most for any defenseman whose career began after 1990. Lidstrom is 50 goals ahead of runner-up Sergei Gonchar among defensemen who were active this season and ninth on the all-time list for blueliners -- six behind Orr.

10 -- Times in which Lidstrom was named a First-Team All-Star. He was named to the First Team for the first of six consecutive seasons in 1997-98, was a First-Team All-Star three straight times from 2005-06 through 2006-07, and again last season. Lidstrom also made the Second Team twice; his total of 12 All-Star selections is second among defenseman to Ray Bourque's 16.

11 -- Game-winning goals in the playoffs by Lidstrom. He's tied for 32nd on the all-time list, but is No. 1 among defensemen.

12 -- Games missed by Lidstrom in 2011-12, including 11 due to an ankle injury sustained in late February, the most of his career. Lidstrom played in only 70 games this season, the lowest full-season total in his 20 NHL seasons.

19 -- Most points by Lidstrom in one playoff year. His 19 points (including a career-best six goals) helped the Wings repeat as Stanley Cup champs in 1998.

20 -- Consecutive years in which Lidstrom qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, matching the record set by Hall of Famer Larry Robinson. Lidstrom holds the mark for the most consecutive playoff years with the same team.

30 -- Goals by Lidstrom against the Chicago Blackhawks, the most he scored against any team. He also had more points against Chicago (88) than against any other opponent.

50 -- Penalty minutes taken by Lidstrom in 2005-06, the most he had in a single season. For his career, Lidstrom was assessed 514 PIM, an average of 25.7 in each of his 20 NHL seasons.

53 -- Pick used by the Red Wings to select Lidstrom in the 1989 NHL Draft. The Wings took center Mike Sillingerin the first round and defenseman Bob Boughner in the second before tabbing Lidstrom with their third-round choice. He became one of six Wings taken that year to play more than 400 NHL games, and one of four to reach 1,000.

80 -- Points by Lidstrom in 2005-06, the most productive offensive season of his career. It's also the most points by any defensemen in a single season in the 21st century. He had three other seasons of 70 or more points.

263 -- Playoff games in which Lidstrom took part, second on the all-time list behind Chris Chelios, a one-time teammate of Lidstrom in Detroit, with 266.

1,142 -- Lidstrom's final regular-season points total, fourth on the Red Wings' all-time list behind Gordie Howe,Steve Yzerman and Alex Delvecchio. He's sixth all-time in points among defensemen in NHL history and is 50th on the all-time scoring list.

Other Detroit Red Wings Who Wore #5

There are 41 players in Detroit Red Wings history who wore number 5 before Nicklas Lidstrom. In order, they are:

Frank Fredrickson, Duke Keats, Gord Fraser, Bill Brydge, Bob Connors, Ebbie Goodfellow, Pete Bessone, John Doran, Jim Orlando, Buck Jones, Eddie Bush, Doug McCaig, Clarence Behling, Hal Jackson, Pat Egan, Bill Hollett, Hugh Millar, Al Dewsbury, Leo Reise, Ben Woit, Warren Godfrey, Al Arbour, Rich Healey, Doug Barkley, John Misuk, Bob Wall, Doug Harvey, Bob Falkenberg, Bert Marshall, Kent Douglas, Carl Brewer, Serje Lajeunesse, Marcel Dionne, Jean Hamel, Greg Smith, Darren Veitch, John Mokosak, Dean Morton, Peter Dineen, Chris McRae, Rick Green

Hockey Card of the Day: Nicklas Lidstrom

1991-92 NIKLAS LIDSTROM Upper Deck ROOKIE - English Version - Canada Cup

Ask The Hockey History Blogger - Is Lidstrom Better Than Harvey?

Hey Joe - would you say Nicklas Lidstrom is better
than Doug Harvey?

- Doug, Ann Arbor, MI

This is what I hope becomes an interesting new feature for the website this coming season. I will do my best to field your questions about hockey history. I'll even take a stab at hockey present and hockey future if so asked.

Just e-mail me with your questions, and I'll see if I can come up with an answer or opinion.

Now, on to Doug's question. Is Nicklas Lidstrom better than Doug Harvey?

I think history tends to nicely accept that Doug Harvey is the second best defenseman of all time, behind Bobby Orr, of course. In fact, most of the so called experts tend to place Harvey in top ten players of all time, regardless of position.

Harvey was something special. He was a six time Stanley Cup champion and 7 time Norris trophy winner. He was the essential triggerman that made the 1950s Montreal Canadiens firewagon hockey and lethal power play work. He is the reason why they changed the rule to nullify the man advantage after one power play goal was scored.

Doug Harvey was the epitome of hockey grace, and one of the few players in hockey history that could truly take control of a game all by himself.

Now that is awfully hard to compete against. Lidstrom is catching up, with more seasons ahead. He's got 4 Stanley Cup championships and 6 Norris Trophies. His career offensive numbers dwarf Harvey's, mind you that is due much to the very different eras each played in. Both are classic and near flawless defenders and both are dominant at both ends of the ice.

The one area I think Lidstrom has Harvey beat is consistency. Lidstrom has been extremely good, albeit somewhat quietly early on, right from day one. He's always been a flawless defender and a top offensive producer. He's always been a real key to the Detroit Red Wings success in the 1990s and 2000s.

Harvey was much more enigmatic. Because of his unworldly composure on the ice, many fans and newspapermen of the 1950s accused Doug of being lazy and frustrating. One night he would be the best player on the ice, and in the next two or three games he would blend in. Perhaps that is just Montreal for you, but Nicklas Lidstrom never had any periods of criticism like Harvey did.

There is no doubt in my mind that Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman of his generation, and a very comparable player to Harvey in terms of style and hopefully legacy. I say hopefully because I'm not sure Lidstrom has ever gotten his full due in history's eyes. I hope that isn't because he is European.

Because of the enigma label that did plague Harvey in his playing days, I'm willing to consider Lidstrom to be better than Harvey. I guess I would have to also consider Ray Bourque for the slot behind Bobby Orr, as I've often felt Lidstrom and Bourque are near equals.

By the way, earlier this year I did name my top 10 defensemen of all time.

2008: Veteran Red Wings Knock Off Upstarts Crosby, Penguins

The year is 2008. Despite finishing the regular season as the runaway points champion, and despite have the best defensive record and incredible amounts of experience, the Detroit Red Wings are somewhat of a surprise Stanley Cup winner.

Very few of the so called experts expected the Red Wings to make it to the finals. Perhaps it is the Wings' recent spotty playoff history, or perhaps it was a lack of faith in goaltenders Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood, but most experts thoughts Detroit would falter somewhere along the way.

But they did not. Most expected them to beat the surprising Nashville Predators in round one, and they did. The Wings had no problems with their old rivals from Colorado in round two. And the Wings dominated the Dallas Stars in round three. The Stars looked exhausted after slaying the two teams that most picked to win the Western Conference title, Anaheim and San Jose.

Much was made of the Wings advanced age, with the likes of Hasek, Osgood, Chris Chelios, Kris Draper, Tomas Holmstrom and Kirk Maltby present. But this championship was very much led by the younger generation of Wings, specifically Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and surprise scoring sensation Johan "Mule" Franzen. Role player Dan Cleary became the first Newfoundlander to win the Stanley Cup.

Osgood was one key veteran through the playoffs, taking over from starter Dominik Hasek early in the playoffs and playing solidly while posting spectacular numbers.

The other key veteran was rearguard Nicklas Lidstrom, who at 37 was still the best defenseman in the game. He became the first European to captain a Stanley Cup championship team. Lidstrom would call that feat one of his greatest accomplishments. He was happily surrounded by 10 other regular European players on this Red Wings team, the most of any Stanley Cup champion in history.

The Conn Smythe trophy went to Zetterberg, who not only led the Wings in scoring but served as a key shutdown forward. He was often used head to head against Sidney Crosby.

The Red Wings faced off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the finals, marking the Stanley Cup finals debut of several stars, most notably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The series hype was full of intrigue as the Wings experience was pitted against the raw, unbridled but uninitiated Penguins. In the end it turned out to be a bit anti-climatic, though the Pens dramatic triple overtime win in game 5 made the series memorable.