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All Around Ability Lidstrom's Hallmark - April 25, 2003 - Volume 56, Issue 33
Nicklas Lidstrom is on the verge of making history.
Since the Norris Trophy for top defenseman was first handed out in 1954, just three players-Doug Harvey, Pierre Pilote and Bobby Orr-have captured the hardware three years in a row. Lidstrom is poised to be the fourth.
The two-time defending Norris winner is perhaps the easiest pick of the six major regular season award winners in 2002-03. With no disrespect to Al MacInnis, Derian Hatcher, Ed Jovanovski, Sergei Gonchar and Sergei Zubov, there’s nobody really close to Lidstrom, the bedrock of the Wings juggernaut.
With 18 goals, 62 points, a team-high plus-40 and averaging an NHL-high 29:20 minutes per game, Lidstrom has turned in another of his remarkably consistent seasons.
It was often said of Harvey that he could play the game from his rocking chair. Lidstrom is his heir apparent.