OT: Lidstrom probably retiring tomorrow
Per Ansar Khan:
The Detroit Red Wings have scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. Thursday at Joe Louis Arena with team captain Nicklas Lidstrom and general manager Ken Holland.
No other information is immediately available.
Lidstrom has been deciding whether to return next season or retire. A news conference would indicate that he is going to announce his retirement. It seems unlikely that he would call a news conference to announce he is playing one more season.
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2012/05/r...
The Twitters seem to confirm. Ken Holland won't comment, says that he will allow Lidstrom to make the announcement "He's earned that right"
Wish him the best. He was one of the greatest defensemen ever, and now is a good time for him to walk away and begin the next phase of his life. The team will him, but as we saw this year they are farther behind the other elite teams than some probably thought, and Lidstrom can't be expected to stick around until they return to that level.
someone who can score at any moment. Put someone like Nash or Parise next to Datsyuk and the Zetterberg, that would be amazing.
It will be hard next year to see the Wings without Lidstrom at the blue line. I was hoping that he would still be with the team for that game at the Big House, but I can't blame him for retiring. Hopefully Holland makes the much needed big moves the team needs, especially now that there is quite a bit cap space.
I would love to see Datsyuk take over as captain, but the whole language issue probably will be the reason why Zetterberg will get the C. Nothing against Zetterberg, but Datsyuk just seems to fit that type of player that Yzerman and Lidstrom were. Quiet players who excelled in every part of the game and were workhorses.
last paragraph where you basically say Datsyuk won't get the C because he's quiet like Yzerman and Lidstrom. The last two Red Wings to wear the 'C'.
??????
I meant he probably won't get the captain because of his difficulty with the English language, not because he's a quiet guy. I was saying he fit the mold that Yzerman and Lidstrom created; quiet, humble players who were class acts.
All time NHL starting 5
F: Wayne Gretzky Gorgie Howe (Locks) Lemiux (debatable)
D: Bobby Orr Nick Lidstrom (Locks, I don't want to hear about ray bourque being better)
G Roy
other forward spot besides lemiux: the rocket, bobby hull, ted lindsey, alex delvechio, stevie Y, Messier, jagr, bobby clarke, a few others.
D-men who are close: bourque, Harvey, Coffey,
I would take Brodeur over Roy, but both great...HOFers
Hall of fame.....
he's easily my most admired Detroit sport athlete next to Yzerman. Its been an amazing career. I look forward to the day '5' goes to the rafters, but not yet
I seriously think I will have a hard time not being emotional tommorrow..
...then Lidstrom deserves endless kudos for his career in Detroit - 1,142 points over 1,564 games, seven Norris Trophies and a member of four Stanley Cup winners. Regardless, I wish him nothing but the best in the next phase of his life, and hopefully that next phase involves his induction into the NHL Hall Of Fame.
I don't think you have to worry about his induction into the Hall of Fame. One of the greatest players and greatest men in NHL history.
I will be extremely sad panda when he retires. But I count myself very lucky to have seen Yzerman and Lidstrom play their entire careers with the Red Wings.
Nick is the best since Orr. We will never see anyone like him again because he did the little things so good. He could see that play before it happend.
I wonder if Nick will play in the alumni game?
Truly one of the greatest to ever play the game. I'm glad I got to watch him play and become the first European captain to lift the cup. It's sad to see him go, and it's probably the end of the Red Wings dynasty as we know it, but the best GM in hockey now has a ton of cap space to work with. This should be a very interesting off season.
Holland's legacy tarnished? Detroit nowhere near championship caliber? A replacement for Howard? Are you fucking insane? This team was at the top of the NHL last season before the injuries set in, and that was without playing their best hockey even during their record home winning streak. So we lost in the first round. Who the fuck cares, it happens. To suggest the Red Wings are on the brink of collapse is asinine - and doubting Howard's status is a legit #1 goalie has no merit. Besides, you should have learned something since our run of greatness started - a goalie is far more replaceable than any position on the ice. If the Red Wings take care of business shoring up the defense, it doesn't matter who's in goal. Christ, some short guy with a stupid mask and whom the Red Wings deemed replaceable multiple times is currently looking like a HOF shoo-in because of the philosophy of Holland and co. Build the core of your roster - going gaga over trying to get the next Rinne or Lundqvist is just a waste of roster space and money. Luckily, our front office is smarter than that, and I only have to hear that kind of drivel on a message board.
Take a gander at the Red Wings prospect pool before you throw in the towel about the Red Wings longterm legitimacy. They're ranked in the top half by every recruiting service, some even in the top 10. They've got Brandon Smith, Tomas Tatar, Jan Mursak, Gustav Nyqvist, Tomas Jurco, Calle Jarnkok(whom many have called the next Zetterberg and he's currently at a blistering point-per-game pace in the notoriously stingy Swedish Elite League) and a host of other excellent draft picks who are developing at the proper pace. Every year the Wings lose we hear the same shit - get tougher, we need a #1 goalie, blah blah. And every year were at the top of the NHL again because this team is built pretty fucking awesome and fans are stupid and overreact when we're not hoisting the Cup.
Anyways, God speed to the greatest European player to ever play the game.
/drunk and upset, gonna miss him on the blue line
He invented the concept of "Boring-Awesome"
I don't think Ilitch is scheduled to be there, so don't jump to conclusions. There's still time to bring all of Sweden to Detroit. Let's get packing!
is the fact that he played his entire career with one franchise, as did Stevie Y. In this day and age that almost never happens anymore.
I agree that the presence of a Chinese family in the playoffs every year has indeed been impressive.
for me in my apt. on NC watching Hockey Night in Canada on a little 9" Sony during Stevie Y's rookie season. Since then name like "Dirty" Harry Snepts, Probert, Kocur, Federov, Klima, Vernon, Shanahan, Konstantinov, Larionov, Osgood, Datsyuk, Holmstrom and Zetterberg have given countless thrills and 4 Stanley Cup wins. I have 2 Red Wing jerseys on my wall: #9 and #19. There is a space reserved for a third: #5. If Nick has played his last game, I'll remember him as a truly great player and Red Wing. Thank you Mr. Lidstrom!
Nick was one of the greatest to ever play the game. He was a consummate professional, on and off the ice. He was so good for so many years, we had a tendency to take him for granted.
As the game of hockey changed over the years, there was always a constant... number 5, taking care of things on the blue line. We were fortunate to have him, not just us here in Detroit, but the game of hockey as a whole. You will be missed Nick.
Spending big money on a goalie in today's NHL is not the smartest of ideas. I actually thought Howard played well this past playoff. How many times did Nashville score when one of their players was left wide the fuck open in front of the net?
Have to say this is going to be a really sad day. Everytime I turn on the Wings now and see all the new faces, I just think to myself about all the great players we've had. The list is enormous. Not having #5 on the ice, it just feels like Red Wings I've watched my entire life are gone. I knew this day would come eventually, but I'm still not ready for my all time favorite player in any sport ever to retire. He just always felt ageless, like he could be out there for another 20 years and never miss a beat.
When you consider how good he was, how long he was that good, he spent his entire career with the Wings, he was never a problem, and his teams were so successful, this is the greatest player in the history of any Detroit sport.