Nicklas Lidström

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Image:NicklasLidstrom.jpg
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
Nickname	Nick, Lidas
Height Weight	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg)
NHL Team	Detroit Red Wings
Nationality	Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
Born	April 28, 1970, Västerås, SWE
NHL Draft	53rd overall, 1989 Detroit Red Wings
Pro Career	1988 – present

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Nicklas Erik Lidström (born April 28, 1970, in Västerås, Västmanlands län, Sweden) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman in the National Hockey League playing for the Detroit Red Wings. He succeeded Steve Yzerman as the Red Wings` captain at the start of the 2006-2007 NHL season.

1 Playing career
2 Awards
3 Records
4 Career statistics
5 International play
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Playing career

Lidström is by many considered the top NHL defenseman of the 21st century, having won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman three consecutive seasons from 2000-01 to 2002-03 and again in 2005-06. He has been nominated for the award a total of seven times throughout his career.

As of 2006, Lidström has played all of his thirteen NHL seasons for the Detroit Red Wings. He was a member of three Stanley Cup winning teams in 1996-97, 1997-98, and 2001-02.

Lidstrom began his career in Fagersta, Sweden, before moving on to play with his hometown team Västerås IK of the Swedish Elitserien. In three seasons with the team, he played in 103 games, scoring 12 goals and 30 assists. Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 53rd overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Lidström joined the team in the 1991-92 NHL season, though he would return to play for Västerås IK for a brief period during the 1994-95 NHL lockout. Lidström scored 60 points in his rookie season, finishing second to only Pavel Bure in voting for that year's Calder Trophy. He was selected to the 1992 NHL All-Rookie Team along with fellow Red Wings defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov.

Known for his durability, Lidstrom consistently ranks amongst the top in the NHL in ice time per game. He averaged 28:07 minutes in the 2005-06 season, a career high. He won three consecutive Norris Trophies, from 2001 to 2003, becoming the first defenseman since Bobby Orr to win three straight.<ref name="3rdNoris">Alan Adams (2003). Forsberg, Lidstrom, Brodeur among the feted. USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.</ref> In the 2003-04 season, he played in his 1,000th game of his career, having missed only 17 games in 12½ seasons (1994-95 was shortened to 48 games instead of the usual 82 by a labor dispute).<ref>ESPN.com - NHL - Recap - Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.</ref>

Never a big and bruising defender, many experts say that the secret behind Lidström's consistent game is his ability to read the game; this, combined with his excellent skating ability, allows him to be at the correct spot of the ice at the correct time. Instead of delivering a big body check, Lidstrom prefers to steal the puck and create a turnover. His reliance on brains rather than brawn might explain his lack of injuries, and also his low penalty minute totals. For most of his NHL career, he has studiously avoided drawing penalties, although the introduction of many new rules in 2005-06 saw him rack up his career high (50) in penalty minutes. The 2005-06 season also brought him his career high (16 goals, 64 assists for 80 points) in points.

In the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lidström was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player during the playoffs, becoming the first-ever European awarded the trophy.<ref name="Smythe">Kevin Allen (2002). Lidstrom makes history in winning Smythe. USA Today. Retrieved on 2006-09-21.</ref>

Lidström was set to make $10 million during the 2005-06 season, but because of the new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement created in July 2006, salaries on pre-existing contracts were reduced by 24%, which lowered Lidström's compensation to $7.6 million.

On March 7, 2006, against the Phoenix Coyotes, he assisted on Pavel Datsyuk's goal to become the 68th NHL player, and 14th defenseman, to record 600 assists.<ref>ESPN.com - NHL - Recap - Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.</ref>

On 30 June 2006, it was announced that Lidström had signed a two-year, $15.2-million contract with the Red Wings; instead of seeking more money elsewhere--certainly possible for a defenseman of his calibre, especially considering his stellar numbers in the past season-- Lidström decided to remain with Detroit for the same annual salary as he earned during the 2005-06 season.<ref>Detroit Red Wings lock up defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom for two more years. NHL.com. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.</ref>

Lidström became an alternate captain of the Red Wings from the 1997-1998 season, and was awarded the captaincy after the 2006 retirement of long-time Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman.

[edit] Awards

Gold medal at the 1991 World Championships.
Named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1992.
Stanley Cup winner with Detroit Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002.
Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006.
Awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006.
Awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2002.
Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006.
Selected on the Olympic All-Star Team in 2006.

[edit] Records

First European player in NHL awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy (2001-02)
Fourth defenseman in NHL to win James Norris Memorial Trophy three consecutive times (2001-2003)
Detroit Red Wings' franchise record for points in a season for a defenseman, 2005-06 (80)
NHL's 68th player (14th defenseman) with 600 career assist (2006)

[edit] Career statistics

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1988-89	Västerås IK	Elit	20	0	2	2	4	--	--	--	--	--
1989-90	Västerås IK	Elit	39	8	8	16	14	2	0	1	1	2
1990-91	Västerås IK	Elit	38	4	19	23	2	4	0	0	0	4
1991-92	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	80	11	49	60	22	11	1	2	3	0
1992-93	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	84	7	34	41	28	7	1	0	1	0
1993-94	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	84	10	46	56	26	7	3	2	5	0
1994-95	Västerås IK	Elit	13	2	10	12	12	--	--	--	--	--
1994-95	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	43	10	16	26	6	18	4	12	16	8
1995-96	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	81	17	50	67	20	19	5	9	14	10
1996-97	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	79	15	42	57	30	20	2	6	8	2
1997-98	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	80	17	42	59	18	22	6	13	19	8
1998-99	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	81	14	43	57	14	10	2	9	11	4
1999-00	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	81	20	53	73	18	9	2	4	6	4
2000-01	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	82	15	56	71	18	6	1	7	8	0
2001-02	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	78	9	50	59	20	23	5	11	16	2
2002-03	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	82	18	44	62	38	4	0	2	2	0
2003-04	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	81	10	28	38	18	12	2	5	7	4
2005-06	Detroit Red Wings	NHL	80	16	64	80	50	6	1	1	2	2
Elitserien totals			110	14	39	53	32	6	0	1	1	6
NHL totals			1096	189	617	806	326	174	35	83	118	44

Statistics as of August 1, 2006

[edit] International play

Olympic medal record
Men's Ice hockey
Gold	2006 Turin	Ice hockey

In the 2006 Winter Olympics, Lidström scored the winning goal for Sweden in the gold medal game against Finland. Lidstrom is one of the few belonging to the Hockey Triple Gold Club, having been part of teams winning a Stanley Cup, a hockey world championship, and an Olympic gold medal.<ref>Andrew Podnieks. Sweden ranked #1 in men's; Canada #1 in women's, Niittymaki MVP. IIHF.com. Retrieved on August 23, 2006.</ref>

In Sweden he is known by his nickname "Lidas" (pronounced "LEE-duss").

Lidstrom was selected for the 2006 Winter Olympics All-Star Team.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Nicklas Lidström's profile at eurohockey.net - includes international and junior stats
Detroit Red Wings: Nicklas Lidstrom

Preceded by: Patrick Roy	Conn Smythe Trophy Winner 2002	Succeeded by: Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Preceded by: Chris Pronger	Norris Trophy Winner 2001, 2002, 2003	Succeeded by: Scott Niedermayer
Preceded by: Scott Niedermayer	Norris Trophy Winner 2006	Succeeded by: current
Preceded by: Steve Yzerman	Detroit Red Wings captains 2006 – present	Incumbent