Today, it's impossible not to associate Nicklas Lidstrom with leadership, but, as this trip to the THN Archive reveals, back in 1995, that was a skill he still needed to master
With the Detroit Red Wings set to play in Sweden later this afternoon, it feels like the perfect moment to reminisce on the franchise's all-time greatest Swede.
Sure, there has been no shortage of Swedes who enjoyed glorious careers wearing the Winged Wheel, but one man stands tall above all others: Nicklas Lidstrom, known enviously but affectionately as "the perfect human."
Unknown Date, 1992; Chicago, IL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Red Wings defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom (5) in action against the Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.Between his Olympic gold medal, four Stanley Cups, Conn Smythe, and seven Norris Trophies, it's difficult to imagine a world in which Lidstrom is anything other than one of the most respected and decorated players in NHL history.
But, as a piece from the The Hockey News Archive dated back to 1995 reveals, Lidstrom's performance may have always been brilliant, but it didn't always receive acclaim it would by the time of his retirement in 2012.
As THN's Mark Brender put it back in Volume 49, Issue 11 back on November 24, 1995, "Only on a team so loaded with superstars could a guy like this go so unnoticed."
Brender rattles off a list of Lidstrom's accolades (already numerous by age 25), then contends the following: "Because of who else the Wings have in the lineup, he’s one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. It would be understandable if Lidstrom felt left out by all the attention paid to [Paul] Coffey, Sergei Fedorov, Keith Primeau, Steve Yzerman and Dino Ciccarelli."
However, when Brender asks the great man himself whether he feels underrated, Lidstrom replies with characteristic humility, saying without hesitation, "No, I never feel like that.”
At the time Brender's article was published, Lidstrom had signed a four year, $6.4 million contract in the previous sweater and also earned an "A" to wear on the front of his sweater in the preceding offseason.
“It’s a good feeling,” Lidstrom told Brender. “They want me to step up more and I think I have to do that. I’ve never been a big talker in the room. I have to show [my leadership] on the ice instead.”
After Steve Yzerman's retirement in 2006, Lidstrom would inherit the Red Wings' captaincy, which he would hold until his own retirement six years later. In 2008, he would become the first ever European-born player to captain his team to a Stanley Cup. Today, Lidstrom works for the Red Wings as Vice President of Hockey Operations, and he is on hand in Sweden to witness the team's two Global Series games.
Suffice it to say, Lidstrom handled the added responsibilities of leadership with aplomb.
THN Archive is an exclusive vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 stories for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com