Nicklas Lidstrom

Biography 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. Playing career Lidstrom is considered one of the top defensemen in the NHL, having won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman three consecutive seasons from 2000-01 to 2002-03. He has been nominated for the award a total of seven times throughout his career. In 2002 he was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs, when he was the key player in helping Detroit to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup. He became the first European-born player to win the award. As of 2006, Lidström has played all of his thirteen NHL seasons for the Detroit Red Wings, and has been a member of three Stanley Cup-winning teams: 1996-97, 1997-98, and 2001-02. Lidstrom started his career in Fagersta, Sweden before moving on to play with his hometown team Västerås IK of the Swedish Elite League. In four seasons with the team, he played in 109 games, scoring 14 goals and 39 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, bypassing the American Hockey League. He would return to play for Västerås IK for brief periods during the NHL labor dispute in 1994-95. Lidström, who scored 60 points in his rookie season, finished second to Pavel Bure in voting for the Calder Trophy. He was selected to the NHL All-Rookie Team along with teammate Vladimir Konstantinov. Known for his durability, Lidstrom is consistently among the players with most time on the ice, averaging 27:39 minutes in the 2003-04 season. He won three consecutive Norris Trophies, from 2001 to 2003, becoming the first defenseman since Bobby Orr to win three straight. In the 2003-04 season, he played in his 1,000th game of his career, missing only 17 games total in 12½ seasons (1994-95 was shortened to 48 games instead of the usual 82 by a labor dispute).. In the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs, Lidström was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player during the playoffs; he was the first European player to win it. He notched a goal and two assists in five games against the Carolina Hurricanes. On March 7, 2006, against the Phoenix Coyotes, he assisted on a Pavel Datsyuk goal to become the 68th NHL player (and 14th defenseman) to record 600 assists in his career. In the event that Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman retires within the next year or two, some people find it likely that Lidström will be named the Red Wings' new captain, as his leadership alongside Yzerman's has continually provided the charge to the rest of the team needed to achieve success. Lidström has been an alternate captain since the 1997-98 season, adding to his credibility as potentially the next Red Wing captain. Awards & achievements 1991- IIHF World Championship gold 1992- NHL All-Rookie Team 1996- Played in NHL All-Star Game 1998- NHL First All-Star Team 1998- Played in NHL All-Star Game 1999- NHL First All-Star Team 1999- Played in NHL All-Star Game 2000- NHL First All-Star Team 2000- Played in NHL All-Star Game 2001- NHL First All-Star Team 2001- James Norris Memorial Trophy 2001- Played in NHL All-Star Game 2002- NHL First All-Star Team 2002- James Norris Memorial Trophy 2002- Conn Smythe Trophy 2002- Played in NHL All-Star Game 2003- NHL First All-Star Team 2003- James Norris Memorial Trophy 2003- Played in NHL All-Star Game 2006- Olympic gold medal with Sweden 2006- Selected on the Olympic All-Star Team Statistics --- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ---- Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1988-89 Vasteras IK SEL 19 0 2 2 4 1989-90 Vasteras IK SEL 39 8 8 16 14 2 0 1 1 2 1990-91 Vasteras IK SEL 38 4 19 23 2 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 Detroit Red Wings NHL 43 10 16 26 6 18 4 12 16 8 1994-95 Vasteras IK SEL 13 2 10 12 4 -- -- -- -- -- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NHL Totals 1096 189 617 806 326 168 34 82 116 42 References Related Articles

Template:Hall of Fame Voting Nicklas Lidstrom (insert image) Position: Defenseman Team: Detroit Red Wings Uniform Number: 5 Years in League: 14 Age: 36 Height: 6'2" Weight: 190 lbs. Shoots: Left College/Junior Team: Vasteras IK (Swedish Elite Lg.) Selection: Round 3, #53 overall, 1989 NHL Entry Draft Drafted By: Detroit Red Wings NHL Debut: 1991-92 Salary: $7,600,000 Date of Birth: April 28, 1970 Place of Birth: Vasteras, Sweden