Lidstrom was recognized as the NHL's top defenseman seven times over a 10-season span from 2001-2011. He became the first European-born captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup championship with a 4-2 series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008. He was named captain of the Red Wings prior to the start of the 2006-07 season and led Detroit to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 20. In 2002, the steady defenseman became the first European-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP despite playing on a team littered with flashy NHL stars such as Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brett Hull, Dominik Hasek and Brendan Shanahan.
He never missed the playoffs during his career, advancing to the conference finals eight times, the Stanley Cup Final six times and winning the Stanley Cup four times in 1997, 1998, 20. Lidstrom spent all 20 seasons of his career in the Motor City, a rare feat in today's professional sports landscape. His stellar freshman season was simply a prelude of things to come over the next two decades. Lidstrom was named to the 1992 All-Rookie Team. The Vasteras, Sweden, native collected 60 points (11-49-60) during his rookie campaign and finished as the runner-up to Pavel Bure for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year.
He made his NHL debut with the Red Wings in Chicago against the rival Blackhawks on October 3, 1991. Lidstrom was Detroit's third-round pick (53rd overall) in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 263 postseason games, second all-time among NHL players (Chris Chelios – 266), and 1,564 regular season games, second in franchise history behind only Mr. Lidstrom, who announced his retirement on May 31, 2012, completed a remarkable 20-year career in the National Hockey League with the Red Wings.Ī four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Detroit Red Wings and a seven-time winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's best defenseman, Lidstrom finished his illustrious career ranked in the top 10 all-time among defensemen with 264 goals (ninth), 878 assists (sixth), 1,142 points (sixth) and 132 power-play goals (fifth). "For a long time, there was no doubt in ownership's and management's mind that Nicklas Lidstrom would play his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and that his sweater would fittingly go up into the rafters along with the other all-time greatest Red Wing players – Abel, Delvecchio, Howe, Lindsay, Sawchuk and Yzerman," said Devellano. 5 in a special pre-game ceremony on March 6, 2014, when the Red Wings host the Colorado Avalanche.
Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice President Jim Devellano announced Thursday the Red Wings will officially retire Nicklas Lidstrom's No.
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