#9 - Nicklas Lidstrom

Nicklas Lidstrom (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #9)

Adjusted Stats

1991-1992   Det          82 GP   10 goals   44 assists   54 points   0.66 PPG
1992-1993   Det          82 GP   6 goals     28 assists   34 points   0.41 PPG
1993-1994   Det          82 GP   9 goals     43 assists   52 points   0.63 PPG
1994-1995   Det          73 GP   18 goals   28 assists   46 points   0.62 PPG
1995-1996   Det          81 GP   17 goals   49 assists   66 points   0.81 PPG
1996-1997   Det*        79 GP   16 goals   44 assists   60 points   0.76 PPG
1997-1998   Det*        80 GP   20 goals   49 assists   69 points   0.86 PPG
1998-1999   Det          81 GP   16 goals   50 assists   67 points   0.82 PPG
1999-2000   Det          81 GP   22 goals   59 assists   82 points   1.01 PPG
2000-2001   Det          82 GP   17 goals   63 assists   79 points   0.97 PPG
2001-2002   Det*        78 GP   11 goals   59 assists   69 points   0.89 PPG
2002-2003   Det          82 GP   21 goals   51 assists   72 points   0.88 PPG
2003-2004   Det          81 GP   12 goals   34 assists   45 points   0.56 PPG
2005-2006   Det          80 GP   16 goals   65 assists   81 points   1.02 PPG
2006-2007   Det          80 GP   14 goals   52 assists   66 points   0.83 PPG
2007-2008   Det*        76 GP   11 goals   68 assists   79 points   1.04 PPG
2008-2009   Det          78 GP   17 goals   46 assists   64 points   0.84 PPG
2009-2010   Det          82 GP   10 goals   44 assists   54 points   0.66 PPG
2010-2011   Det          82 GP   18 goals   52 assists   70 points   0.85 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1991-1992   Det          11 GP    1 goal      2 assists     3 points     0.24 PPG
1992-1993   Det           7 GP     1 goal      0 assists     1 point       0.12 PPG
1993-1994   Det           7 GP     3 goals    2 assists      5 points     0.70 PPG
1994-1995   Det           18 GP   4 goals    11 assists    14 points   0.79 PPG
1995-1996   Det           19 GP   5 goals    9 assists      13 points   0.70 PPG
1996-1997   Det*         20 GP   2 goals    6 assists      8 points     0.42 PPG
1997-1998   Det*         22 GP   7 goals    14 assists    21 points   0.96 PPG
1998-1999   Det           10 GP   2 goals    10 assists    12 points   1.21 PPG
1999-2000   Det           9 GP     2 goals    5 assists      7 points     0.80 PPG
2000-2001   Det           6 GP     1 goal      8 assists      9 points    1.56 PPG
2001-2002   Det*         23 GP   6 goals    13 assists    19 points   0.83 PPG
2002-2003   Det           4 GP     0 goals    2 assists      2 points     0.80 PPG
2003-2004   Det           12 GP   3 goals    6 assists      9 points     0.75 PPG
2005-2006   Det           6 GP     1 goal     1 assist        2 points     0.33 PPG
2006-2007   Det           18 GP   5 goals    16 assists    20 points   1.14 PPG
2007-2008   Det*         22 GP   3 goals    10 assists    14 points   0.62 PPG
2008-2009   Det           21 GP   4 goals    12 assists    16 points   0.78 PPG
2009-2010   Det           12 GP   4 goals    6 assists      9 points     0.78 PPG
2010-2011   Det           11 GP   4 goals    4 assists      8 points     0.73 PPG

Career - 1522 GP, 281 goals, 928 assists, 1209 points, 0.79 PPG
Career-Highs - 22 goals (99-00); 68 assists (07-08); 82 points (99-00); 1.04 PPG (07-08)
Avg. (19 seasons) - 80 GP, 15 goals, 49 assists, 64 points, 0.79 PPG
Peak Avg. (99-08) - 80 GP, 16 goals, 56 assists, 72 points, 0.90 PPG, 2 Cups

Playoff Career - 258 GP, 58 goals, 137 assists, 192 points, 0.74 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 7 goals (97-98); 16 assists (06-07); 21 points (97-98); 1.56 PPG (00-01)

Accolades - 7 Norris Trophies, 1 Conn Smythe
All-Star Teams - 10-time 1st-time, 2-time 2nd-team
4-time Stanley Cup Champion

In fifty years, young fans of the NHL (or whatever incarnation of professional hockey is around) may look at Nicklas Lidstrom's numbers with a certain degree of befuddlement, in much the same way we look at Doug Harvey's now. His career numbers are certainly extremely impressive for a defenceman, even offensively (he is the highest scoring defenceman of the 2000s), but they aren't in the same stratosphere as the D-Men who were hitting their prime in the 80s...the Coffeys, the Bourques, the Murphys. Nor are they at the level of the young offensive defenceman Mike Green, but anyone who has seen both play could tell you in a heartbeat who they'd rather have on their team.

Lidstrom is hands-down the most consistent player I've ever seen, with a close second being Martin Brodeur (and Brodeur's much-vaunted consistency has hit a snag in the 2010-2011 season). Every year, you pretty much know what you're getting with him: 80 games played (the guy has averaged 80 games a year for his career...unheard-of), 60-80 points (60 in the "bad" years, 80 in the "good" ones), at least a +20, and sometimes a +40, 25-30 minutes a game on one of the league's best teams, and by the end of the year, most likely a Norris nomination, if not a trophy.

Plus/minus can be a misleading statistic, but in Lidstrom's case, his staggering career +/- of +430 is well-earned. He has been the backbone of the most successful franchise of the last twenty years, the Detroit Red Wings. Throughout all of their changes, throughout the personnel shift from Yzerman and Fedorov to Datsyuk and Zetterberg, Lidstrom has been the guiding force. He's been partnered with Vladimir Konstantinov, Larry Murphy, Brian Rafalski, and many others, and in each case he's brought out the best those players had to offer (Murphy's career was in the tank after, surprise, surprise, being with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was revitalized when paired with Lidstrom).

The case is strong for Lidstrom to be considered among the top ten players of all-time, and indeed, he cracks my list. All you can do is be thought of as the best at your position, and Lidstrom is, and has been for a remarkably long time. He has won the Norris Trophy a remarkable seven times, behind only Bobby Orr's eight. Lidstrom's also been named to the league's first all-star team ten times, and the second twice. Perhaps most remarkable is that Lidstrom's best years have come from between the ages of thirty and forty, a rarity for defencemen (although mirrored in the late-career excellence of Bourque).

Lidstrom is also a winner: four Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, the first European to win the Conn Smythe award, and the first European to captain a team to the Stanley Cup. What I'll remember about him is his remarkable consistency: I've watched the guy probably more than other defenceman (with the possible exception of Scott Niedermayer, since I paid closer attention to the Devils), and I can't for the life of me remember seeing Lidstrom make a glaring mistake. I'll also remember that he was the best I ever saw on the power play at getting a shot through to the net, with Bourque a close second. And I'll remember his class and grace, a personality perfectly in tune with his quiet excellence. I'll defer to someone who knows a little more about hockey than I do: Scotty Bowman. He said that Lidstrom is the best defenceman to play the game not named Bobby Orr, and I agree.