Lidstrom to announce retirement tomorrow

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=397224

A press conference has been called tomorrow where Nicklas Lidstrom is expected to announce his retirement.

264 goals and 878 assists for 1142 points in 1564 Game Played .

Legend.

Riprock wrote:264 goals and 878 assists for 1142 points in 1564 Game Played .

That's really quite incredible. What's even more incredible is that he is not even in the top five all time -- he is #6. And Orr isn't in the top ten.

Yeah, I hear he wasn't a bad ice hockey player.

Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

shabbs wrote:Legend.

NEELY wrote:Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

That's really true. Lidstrom was not particularly fast or agile, was not physical, and had a good but not a booming shot. It really was his hockey smarts and his attention to detail that separated him from everyone else.

7x Norris Trophy Winner
Conn Smythe Winner (1st European winner).
4 Stanley Cups

rooneypoo wrote:

NEELY wrote:Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

That's really true. Lidstrom was not particularly fast or agile, was not physical, and had a good but not a booming shot. It really was his hockey smarts and his attention to detail that separated him from everyone else.

Yup, great at nothing yet still one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

NEELY wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

NEELY wrote:Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

That's really true. Lidstrom was not particularly fast or agile, was not physical, and had a good but not a booming shot. It really was his hockey smarts and his attention to detail that separated him from everyone else.

Yup, great at nothing yet still one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Lidstrom modeled a very effective, economical brand of Dman's defence based almost solely on simple body and stick positioning. No punishing hits, no snarling physicality in front of the net, no blinding speed to compensate for gaffs. I'm surprised it's not a more popular, imitated brand of Dman's D than it is, to be honest -- but, then again, maybe it's just that hard to duplicate.

NEELY wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

NEELY wrote:Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

That's really true. Lidstrom was not particularly fast or agile, was not physical, and had a good but not a booming shot. It really was his hockey smarts and his attention to detail that separated him from everyone else.

Yup, great at nothing yet still one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

He had great vision and a great sense of the play. He had great anticipation. He had a great hockey IQ. Great passer.

He was great at a lot.

Yeah, elite stick-checker and astronomical hockey IQ. He was disgustingly good at positioning - the best by far of our generation IMO.

How many times can anyone remember him being embarrassed? Maybe 3 times in the last decade plus?

spader wrote:

NEELY wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

NEELY wrote:Just shows you how great a player can be if he's just smarter than everyone.

That's really true. Lidstrom was not particularly fast or agile, was not physical, and had a good but not a booming shot. It really was his hockey smarts and his attention to detail that separated him from everyone else.

Yup, great at nothing yet still one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

He had great vision and a great sense of the play. He had great anticipation. He had a great hockey IQ. Great passer.

He was great at a lot.

Those are all unmeasurables, intangibles. The point is that there was nothing particularly spectacular about his skating, his speed, his shot, his physical play -- nothing about his physical make-up, that is, that accounts for his greatness. When you say he had 'great vision' or 'great hockey IQ,' what you mean is that he thought the game at an elite level. Which is to say exactly what N4L said, that it was his smarts that made him great.