The most humble and personable superstar I’ve ever met. His sons team used to have practices at the rink I played drop in at, along with Holmstroms son. I ran in to him on accident leaving the locker room and I was so embarrassed, he just laughed about it and shook my hand, he remembered my name and always used to ask how I was doing in passing. He really is the perfect human.
He´s from my hometown and he came back after his ventures in the US. He used to be a regular at the restaurant I had and he was the most down to earth guy you could ever imagine. Never ever did he use his fame to his advantage.
🎯 I say it all the time. Anyone that claims Orr was doesn’t understand that Orr was a forward playing on D, in the era of higher scoring too. Lidstrom is the best defenseman of all time. He could have had a lot more points if he wanted, but chose to play his position about perfectly to give the team best chance to win.
yes he was from 21 to 42 he was perfect all the time makes him greater than bobby orr in my opinion ok bobby orr changed the game maybe... but are we going to attribute title of greatest defender of all time to someone who barely played 10 seasons and won 2 norris and that played more like a forward lidstrom as a 2 way defender was greater and thats no disrispect to bobby orr or any of the other greats...
Lidstrom's ability to shut down attackers night after night has been sorely missed since he retired. You really had to see it to understand how great he really was. He will always be the greatest defenseman of all time in my eyes. If the Red Wings young talent can be even half of the player that Lidstrom was then their future is looking bright.
@@Jesper-j4nthis is hilarious. maybe he can’t spell his name but you can’t even spell the word name. you have me here with tears in my eyes laughing rn
Not only was he the greatest defenseman to grace the game of hockey. He is also one of the nicest and down to earth guys out there. My aunt was his kids nanny for a few years and I actually ended up getting the old play structure from his backyard. And he tried endlessly to help take it down and put it together where my father promptly reminded him, you’re making a run for the cup, there’s no chance you’re gonna ruin that by blowing out your back carrying lumber. Truly one of a kind person and player
Truly the best of all time. I wish he won more of those Norris trophies, but now adays they hand them out to whatever defenseman scores the most. It's a forward trophy at this point.
Lidstrom didn’t have a sophomore slump. He was actually excellent defensively that year. (Defense is his job after all). This is the problem with a lot of fans assessing defensemen’s performance. They just look up points. You have to actually watch them play.
As a kid growing up during the Bobby Orr era I can honestly say if Bobby had stayed healthy, he would be the GOAT! In fact, Bobby was until Nicklas Lidström finished writing his own script. Bobby played with such intensity and reckless abandon that his body was sacrificed. Watching Lidstrom at ice level over the years was like watching a ballerina on ice. Lidstrom was so graceful and calculated in everything he did. His skating an opponent out of play didn't necessitate a bone-crushing body check. Although, he was strong enough to do this if need be. What set Lidstrom apart from all other defensemen was his intelligence and conservation of energy. Bobby Orr was an amazing talent and Lidstrom was too. Everybody, teammates and opponents loved both of them and respected both of them.
@@williewalker8048 What set Orr apart was NOT ONLY his intelligence, AND the fact that he was 3 moves ahead of everyone else, but that he had 9 different changes in speed, starting with fast.
@@jamesanthony5681 Agreed, his ability to read things so much quicker than everyone else was why he hardly ever got caught out of position. Most of his NHL opponents said he was from another level.
Growing up in the 90s he was my favorite player and a big part of what made me a Red Wings fan. Man thinking back we've had so many amazing players through the years but Lidström is the greatest defensemen of all time and just a amazing human being.
Biggest? Nope. Fastest? Nope. Hardest shot? Nope. Smartest? Damn Skippy! Zero flash to his game but he was always in the right spot and knew what you were going to do before you did. His shot was always in the right spot, so it didn't need to be the hardest. His awareness of everything on the ice kept him from taking big hits and kept him in the lineup. Like Tim Duncan in the way that he just did everything well and dominated without being flashy. So happy I saw as many of his games as I did.
8 seconds. It took you all of 8 seconds to gain this like and subscribe. I was at this game against Calgary as a kid; I would've been 13. Down 2 with 9 minutes to play, Zetterberg treats us to his signature backhand to bring us within 1. Later, Datsyuk pulls a patented Datsyuk move to get past a guy with no stick, passes the puck to Zetterberg and just like that, the game was tied with 3 seconds and change left to play. I've been fortunate to have attended more games than I can remember in my young life. I've been to two road games, many games at the Joe and LCA, a playoff game, and I even got to watch the number 5 rise into the rafter. None of them have topped the experience I had watching Lidstrom saunter his way around Kiprusoff like he had channeled an inner Patrick Kane to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I've watched the highlight video from that game at least a couple dozen times. Your decision to include that highlight, even if it was any other highlight from that game (and anyone else who makes that same decision, for that matter) left me no choice but to fill the thumb and check the bell. From a Red Wings fan whose team runs through his veins, thank you for this video. I look very much forward to watching the remaining 31 minutes and 12 seconds lol.
As a Red Wings fan, I am very grateful for your video. Thank you very much for your unbiased opinion of Lindstrom. Great video.! My hat's off to you to produce this video. Great history research of him.
I was born in 89. My entire conscious life, Lidstrom was there locking it down. I teared up the day they raised his banner. Only time sports has ever really hit me in the feels.
@@the.wayne.b I honestly can’t get there. Kane has higher totals in virtually every stat category. More awards won, higher points per game, all while being the hands down best player on his team throughout. Datsyuk achieved less while on a team where he arguably wasn’t even the best player. Hard to put Datsyuk over Kane when watching a video about how the best player on the red wings at the time wasn’t even him, it was lindstrom. With Kane and the 3 cups they won, he was hands down the best player through their entire run. I agree Datsyuk was great, just can’t agree that he’s the best to ever do it. I’m honestly only comparing to Kane for the fact that you’re a Hawks fan for relevance.
That Olympics goal was the best sports memory in my life. I was in a skii resort bar in Switzerland at the time, and for that final game it filled up with no one but swedes and finns, watching the game on a crappy small television in a far corner of the establishment. Even though it was a final game between rivals, there were no hard feelings or fighting, but both swedes and finns had mutual respect for one another. The "worst" (as in, just regular teasing) thing that happened was a pair of finns hanging a Finnish flag in front of the television in one of the period breaks. It was swiftly removed. Then seeing Lidström's goal, assisted by Forsberg and Sundin - i.e. probably the best Swedish trio there ever was - is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
19 seasons, 4 Cups, 7 Norris, 1800+ games, 1300+ points, captain and arguably the greatest Wing ever, and one of the best to ever do it. Yet Detroit couldn't add 2 dots above to O to make an Ö...
What a player. Detroit has made some amazing decisions over the years……and it’s lead to amazing things. Lidstrom was just like the video says “perfect”….. Only Orr would be looked at as being another at the same level…..many are closer than I might admit. But man….its hard to out people ahead of Lidstrom!
You should DEFINITELY do one on Pat Lafontaine. Imo one of theeee most underrated of all time!! Pat Lafontaine. Very happy that I was able to watch him in his glory years on tv and I wasn't even an Islanders or Sabres fan. But come playoff time I made sure to tune into his games just to watch his amazing skill. When the guy was fully healthy he was a beast playmaker and goal scorer. If not for some rough injury plagued seasons on and off in his younger years and later in his career from 93 to 98, and he could have easily been a 1500 point career guy. He still made it to over 1000 points in only 865 which is fricken amazing. Imagine Pat fully healthy throughout his career and possibly playing more seasons!! He was a victim of the heavy hitter checkers of the 80s sadly too and wasn't a big guy at all at only 5'10 and 180 pounds. Also look at those years he played for the lowly basement dwelling Sabres who were quite a crummy team most of those seasons and the latter seasons of the Islanders(post dynasty years) yet he still put up massive points with them
Nicklas Lidstrom is guaranteed a Top 3 or 4 defensemen of all time in NHL history. There is no way around that. The way I see it, only Ray Borque can challange him, but to be honest in so many ways, Lidstrom is a valid bid to be THE greatest defender in NHL history. He was great at both NHL level and International level. Winning evreything possible for a defender with 4x Stanley Cups + 2 finals, 7x Norris Trophy, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy, 10x NHL first All-Star team + 2x NHL Second All-Star, NHL 2000s All-Decade First Team (2009) and Olympic gold medalist 2006 + IIHF World championship gold medalist 1991 = Triple Gold Club member 17# (Only 30 players have ever achived that to win all 3 Majors)
As a Hawks fan myself that grew up watching Lidstrom's entire career - without question he's easily the 2nd best defenseman in NHL history (one could argue the best) and certainly the best I have ever seen play.. I'd say Bobby Orr is the GOAT considering his style literally changed the game of hockey, but Lidstrom isn't too far behind. I mean Bourque, Coffey, Leetch, Potvin etc were all terrific and certainly among the elite of their era, but Lidstrom was special - he was in a tier above them - and one could argue in a tier of his own. And if one want's to argue which defenseman was the most "complete defenseman" - you could argue that title belongs to Lidstrom considering he was near-perfect on both sides of the puck and is everything you would want in a defenseman if you could build one from scratch. Obviously Orr was an offensive anomaly - a wizard with the puck - and defensively sound but Lidstrom was the better of the two on the defensive side of the puck.. Either way - no matter where any hockey fan stands - Lidstrom is without question a GOAT. There are a handful players where it's difficult to argue which one is/was the GOAT and there is no clear-cut answer because you cant go wrong with any of them because it really comes down to individual preference, and Lidstrom is among them - and the same goes for Gretzky and Lemieux or Hasek and Brodeur etc, and any argument made for any of them being the GOAT is valid. And that's why I have a really difficult time ranking players because many of these GOATS are in their own league and it would be "wrong" to argue one is/was better than the other - so I think guys like Lidstrom, Gretzky, Lemieux etc all share that "GOAT" label. Good video!
There should be a new NHL award for defensemen named after him. The Norris has become the Art Ross for defensemen, the Lidstrom award could be the Selke.
Amazing content as always! 9:53 - The lockout shortened season was 1994 (not 1995) and featured the aforementioned Pavel Bure’s Vancouver Canucks against Mark Messier’s Rangers in the Stanley cup final. The result of those playoffs left my second favorite player of all time without a cup. Good thing my first favorite player was a perfect defensemen ;)
I remember a Mats Sundin interview some years ago, and he got asked who the hardest to play against was? Without hesitation he said "Lidström". "No matter what you did his stick was always in the way." Sundin almost seemed dejected right there thinking about Lidströms stick, even though this was long after they both quit.
My Dad always told me he was 10 steps ahead of everyone on the ice and knew what play to make before the puck was even on his stick. His IQ is unmatched
Kids these days do not understand how good this man was. As a die hard wings fan I cannot explain how much this dude meant to this franchise. IMO I’m bias but he’s still the greatest D man of all time. Hes top 2 or 3 no doubt.
When you do things right, people wont be sure you did any thing at all. Lidstrom was not flashy, but he was where he needed to be, when he needed to be.
Thank you most of all to Chrisofer Rockstrom for finding him and alerting him to Wings Director of Amateur Scouting Jim McDonnell who passed the word onto GM Jimmy Devellano. Without Rockstrom, rumor had it that the Rangers were looking at him, too.
An excellent video. But I disagree with one thing. In 96, it wasn’t Nick who was the best defenseman in the game. It was Vladdy. He combined Nicks defensive play & scoring touch, but adding a physical presence few have ever had.
The fact Lidstrom was still an NHL caliber defenseman and still chose to retire is a graceful way to exit. He chose to leave on his own terms rather than be forced to leave due to his body or play regressing too far for NHL standards.
If you add "all around defenseman" he is easily number 1. There have been several who were either better offensively or defensively, but no one had a better all around game ever.
Lets be fair here fam, even the best offensive shooters only make about 12% of their shots. Fleury made himself big where he needed to be big. This is like saying Kunitz(?) missed a wide open net the year before and deriding him for it when the shot was all but impossible even in ideal conditions.
Neat little mini-bio documentary. Unfortunately, the music is distracting and kinda annoying. I'm a life-long Wings fan and love LIdstrom, but I had to turn it off about halfway through. The music was seriously driving me insane.
@@waterboy417 you have no idea. They were the most dominant pair ever to play together imo and I watched that. Vlady was a complete dman. When you caught a breakout pass you better pray you know where he is. Lidstrom didn’t have that and yet he’s still the goat dman.
@@jacoblamb3535 I do have an idea as a wings fan who watched every game of their career lol. Just think it’s kind of a dumb take to say lidstrom wasn’t as “complete” just cause he wasn’t as physical (especially I already knew that was gonna be your reason before you even said it)
@@waterboy417 okay so we have seen the same things. A complete player at the highest level is physically dominant. So he was incomplete. Not an insult just the truth. Lidstrom is my childhood idol. I own one piece of sports memorabilia and it’s a signed game worn #5. He’s the best. But someone will come along who plays like the perfect human and also crushes dudes. And that guy will be the goat.
Yeah it was damn near impossible to beat the red wings there for about a solid decade, they were like the yank-me’s of hockey. I’d imagine tho having a yzermanamd/or lindstrom is like having mahommes who just wins & wins & wins, early & often & over again so all the older guys that wanna collect that championship can go there cheap leave when they’re satisfied, they just add to the unreal core of hombres. Even when the devils beat em, they still came into every season as the flav-o-rites. If it was anything other than hockey, where anything can happen, for instance the devils & maybe the aves would not have won if it were the nba. Almost forgot so the devils. Aves & kings maybe tne black-cocks wouldn’t have won their combined 7 championships If the red wings were a basketball team & not nhl where more than any league tne dogs win way more often than any other sport.
Also, sorry but I’m a bit lost on saying anybody was better than Orr, he was Gretzky before Gretzky , he was a defenseman but also was doubling up the next closest guys in offensive stats. People can say Jordan wasn’t ths GOAT but to say greytzjy wasn’t when his numbers were so far & away beyond the second place guys is silly. I like to think Brett hull was the best goal scorer ever & if you take Gretzky off the table then msybe but you can’t, & Bobby Orr can’t be removed from the greatest d-men & 2nd greatest all round playas. Even if you love your guy, aka lindstrom, he’s not Bobby Orr & would bet dollars to donuts that he would say you’re out your cotton picking mind if you put him above Orr. He was great & I’d say tbs blues & many other teams would have more than what they’ve got as far as winning. Fuggggin Detroit, again!
The most humble and personable superstar I’ve ever met. His sons team used to have practices at the rink I played drop in at, along with Holmstroms son. I ran in to him on accident leaving the locker room and I was so embarrassed, he just laughed about it and shook my hand, he remembered my name and always used to ask how I was doing in passing. He really is the perfect human.
He´s from my hometown and he came back after his ventures in the US. He used to be a regular at the restaurant I had and he was the most down to earth guy you could ever imagine. Never ever did he use his fame to his advantage.
Lidstrom is the greatest defensemen of all time
🎯 I say it all the time.
Anyone that claims Orr was doesn’t understand that Orr was a forward playing on D, in the era of higher scoring too.
Lidstrom is the best defenseman of all time. He could have had a lot more points if he wanted, but chose to play his position about perfectly to give the team best chance to win.
yes he was from 21 to 42 he was perfect all the time makes him greater than bobby orr in my opinion ok bobby orr changed the game maybe... but are we going to attribute title of greatest defender of all time to someone who barely played 10 seasons and won 2 norris and that played more like a forward lidstrom as a 2 way defender was greater and thats no disrispect to bobby orr or any of the other greats...
Larry Robinson is the greatest of all time.
+722 career and +120 in a season.
@@godloves9163 To me,Larry is the only player in the same league as Nick.I give Nick the edge.Barely.
The NHL wouldn’t let him win a Norris until he was over 30 so he couldn’t break golden bobby’s record, truly shameless
Lidstrom's ability to shut down attackers night after night has been sorely missed since he retired. You really had to see it to understand how great he really was. He will always be the greatest defenseman of all time in my eyes. If the Red Wings young talent can be even half of the player that Lidstrom was then their future is looking bright.
As a Bruins fan I really wanna say Borque or Orr were the best defenseman ever. But Lindstrom is the best defenseman of all time.
Maybe learn his namn then
@@Jesper-j4nthis is hilarious. maybe he can’t spell his name but you can’t even spell the word name. you have me here with tears in my eyes laughing rn
really, gustav lindstrom? good news for the habs then, they just signed him.
@@leeharrison5718 It looks hilarious yes, but most likely it's just a swedish language auto-correct, since name in swedish is namn.
I’m a Detroit man, but Lindstrom is second to Orr, unless you take longevity into consideration.
He holds the NHL record for most games played Vs missed. (Close to 99%) Only 42 missed & most were scratches around playoffs for rest
Wow
Not only was he the greatest defenseman to grace the game of hockey. He is also one of the nicest and down to earth guys out there. My aunt was his kids nanny for a few years and I actually ended up getting the old play structure from his backyard. And he tried endlessly to help take it down and put it together where my father promptly reminded him, you’re making a run for the cup, there’s no chance you’re gonna ruin that by blowing out your back carrying lumber. Truly one of a kind person and player
Perfect human
So proud of Lidas from Västerås IK 💛🖤🇸🇪
I love the Donkey Kong music 😁 brings back memories of the 90s
Truly the best of all time. I wish he won more of those Norris trophies, but now adays they hand them out to whatever defenseman scores the most. It's a forward trophy at this point.
We need the Norris for best offensive dman and the Lidstrom for best defensive dman
You did it again brother!
The fact that you started with that goal against Pittsburgh from 1999 is pure greatness.
Lidstrom didn’t have a sophomore slump. He was actually excellent defensively that year. (Defense is his job after all). This is the problem with a lot of fans assessing defensemen’s performance. They just look up points. You have to actually watch them play.
Right. Lidstrom was great from the start.
I’m a simple man, I see a new lidstrom video and I drop what I’m doing to watch
As a kid growing up during the Bobby Orr era I can honestly say if Bobby had stayed healthy, he would be the GOAT!
In fact, Bobby was until Nicklas Lidström finished writing his own script.
Bobby played with such intensity and reckless abandon that his body was sacrificed.
Watching Lidstrom at ice level over the years was like watching a ballerina on ice.
Lidstrom was so graceful and calculated in everything he did. His skating an opponent out of play didn't necessitate a bone-crushing body check. Although, he was strong enough to do this if need be.
What set Lidstrom apart from all other defensemen was his intelligence and conservation of energy.
Bobby Orr was an amazing talent and Lidstrom was too.
Everybody, teammates and opponents loved both of them and respected both of them.
@@williewalker8048 What set Orr apart was NOT ONLY his intelligence, AND the fact that he was 3 moves ahead of everyone else, but that he had 9 different changes in speed, starting with fast.
@@jamesanthony5681 Agreed, his ability to read things so much quicker than everyone else was why he hardly ever got caught out of position.
Most of his NHL opponents said he was from another level.
Growing up in the 90s he was my favorite player and a big part of what made me a Red Wings fan. Man thinking back we've had so many amazing players through the years but Lidström is the greatest defensemen of all time and just a amazing human being.
Biggest? Nope. Fastest? Nope. Hardest shot? Nope. Smartest? Damn Skippy!
Zero flash to his game but he was always in the right spot and knew what you were going to do before you did. His shot was always in the right spot, so it didn't need to be the hardest. His awareness of everything on the ice kept him from taking big hits and kept him in the lineup. Like Tim Duncan in the way that he just did everything well and dominated without being flashy. So happy I saw as many of his games as I did.
Absolutely, one of the greatest Dmen to ever lace em up. Picture perfect off the ice too, a model for so many youngsters.
So glad i got to watch him play, a blessing of our generation and of my lifetime. Thank you Lidstrom for all of the fantastic memories ❤️
8 seconds. It took you all of 8 seconds to gain this like and subscribe. I was at this game against Calgary as a kid; I would've been 13. Down 2 with 9 minutes to play, Zetterberg treats us to his signature backhand to bring us within 1. Later, Datsyuk pulls a patented Datsyuk move to get past a guy with no stick, passes the puck to Zetterberg and just like that, the game was tied with 3 seconds and change left to play. I've been fortunate to have attended more games than I can remember in my young life. I've been to two road games, many games at the Joe and LCA, a playoff game, and I even got to watch the number 5 rise into the rafter. None of them have topped the experience I had watching Lidstrom saunter his way around Kiprusoff like he had channeled an inner Patrick Kane to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I've watched the highlight video from that game at least a couple dozen times. Your decision to include that highlight, even if it was any other highlight from that game (and anyone else who makes that same decision, for that matter) left me no choice but to fill the thumb and check the bell. From a Red Wings fan whose team runs through his veins, thank you for this video. I look very much forward to watching the remaining 31 minutes and 12 seconds lol.
Hell yes brother LGRW!
Bruh..... DKC music and red wings ot glory is just so much perfection 👌 ❤
the fact that u put the underwater DK music to the intro highlights is so kickass. works so well too, feels like a synthy surreal 80s jam
This opening song has to be from Donkey Kong Country 🔥
that's where I remembered that from!
Watching this with my morning coffee and I'm like, "That's Aquatic Ambience from DKC!"
It is! From one of the water levels where you get to ride a marlin. lol
Man, that's the image that popped up in my head too!
Love your videos keep em coming 💯
Also great song choice with donkey Kong in the background
As a Red Wings fan, I am very grateful for your video. Thank you very much for your unbiased opinion of Lindstrom. Great video.! My hat's off to you to produce this video. Great history research of him.
One of the best defensemen of all time, and I’m honored to share a birthday with him.
Legend
I was born in 89. My entire conscious life, Lidstrom was there locking it down. I teared up the day they raised his banner. Only time sports has ever really hit me in the feels.
🇸🇪
i'm a hawks fan, and if you give me an all time draft, i'm picking datsyuk and lidstrom with my first two.
I agree,man Datsyuk was something special
1000%
I’m not even a hawks fan but I’d take Kane > Datsyuk for sure.
@@dmwd96 kanes brilliant man. but 1 v 1 datsyuk would smoke him. lets be honest here.
@@the.wayne.b I honestly can’t get there. Kane has higher totals in virtually every stat category. More awards won, higher points per game, all while being the hands down best player on his team throughout. Datsyuk achieved less while on a team where he arguably wasn’t even the best player. Hard to put Datsyuk over Kane when watching a video about how the best player on the red wings at the time wasn’t even him, it was lindstrom. With Kane and the 3 cups they won, he was hands down the best player through their entire run. I agree Datsyuk was great, just can’t agree that he’s the best to ever do it. I’m honestly only comparing to Kane for the fact that you’re a Hawks fan for relevance.
That Olympics goal was the best sports memory in my life. I was in a skii resort bar in Switzerland at the time, and for that final game it filled up with no one but swedes and finns, watching the game on a crappy small television in a far corner of the establishment. Even though it was a final game between rivals, there were no hard feelings or fighting, but both swedes and finns had mutual respect for one another. The "worst" (as in, just regular teasing) thing that happened was a pair of finns hanging a Finnish flag in front of the television in one of the period breaks. It was swiftly removed.
Then seeing Lidström's goal, assisted by Forsberg and Sundin - i.e. probably the best Swedish trio there ever was - is something I will remember for the rest of my life.
The Lidstrom years. What a time to be alive!
19 seasons, 4 Cups, 7 Norris, 1800+ games, 1300+ points, captain and arguably the greatest Wing ever, and one of the best to ever do it.
Yet Detroit couldn't add 2 dots above to O to make an Ö...
His final olympic goal vs Finland was magic. Forsberg to Sundin then to Lidström. Puck touched by three greats.
Everybody makes mistakes. Except Nick Lidstrom.
Great comment. The Perfect Human.
one of the first PC games I played with my brothers was NHL98 what a time! great video as always!
Lidström from blue line was unstoppable in that game 😂
I appreciate the use of the Donkey Kong water level song at the beginning of the video. Tapped right into my nostalgia bone.
Do remember he played beyond compare in 3 eras.
great channel btw. Amazing stuff.
What a player. Detroit has made some amazing decisions over the years……and it’s lead to amazing things. Lidstrom was just like the video says “perfect”…..
Only Orr would be looked at as being another at the same level…..many are closer than I might admit. But man….its hard to out people ahead of Lidstrom!
Lidstrom. Forsberg. Lundqvist.
Not bad Sweden!
You should DEFINITELY do one on Pat Lafontaine. Imo one of theeee most underrated of all time!!
Pat Lafontaine. Very happy that I was able to watch him in his glory years on tv and I wasn't even an Islanders or Sabres fan. But come playoff time I made sure to tune into his games just to watch his amazing skill.
When the guy was fully healthy he was a beast playmaker and goal scorer. If not for some rough injury plagued seasons on and off in his younger years and later in his career from 93 to 98, and he could have easily been a 1500 point career guy.
He still made it to over 1000 points in only 865 which is fricken amazing. Imagine Pat fully healthy throughout his career and possibly playing more seasons!! He was a victim of the heavy hitter checkers of the 80s sadly too and wasn't a big guy at all at only 5'10 and 180 pounds.
Also look at those years he played for the lowly basement dwelling Sabres who were quite a crummy team most of those seasons and the latter seasons of the Islanders(post dynasty years) yet he still put up massive points with them
Perfect song to match with one of the greatest games ever made
So lucky to have him for all those years
Nicklas Lidstrom is guaranteed a Top 3 or 4 defensemen of all time in NHL history. There is no way around that.
The way I see it, only Ray Borque can challange him, but to be honest in so many ways, Lidstrom is a valid bid to be THE greatest defender in NHL history.
He was great at both NHL level and International level. Winning evreything possible for a defender with 4x Stanley Cups + 2 finals, 7x Norris Trophy, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy,
10x NHL first All-Star team + 2x NHL Second All-Star, NHL 2000s All-Decade First Team (2009) and Olympic gold medalist 2006 + IIHF World championship gold medalist 1991 =
Triple Gold Club member 17# (Only 30 players have ever achived that to win all 3 Majors)
He is number 1. If you are drafting al all-time team, he is the first defenseman off the board for any franchise that is serious about winning.
An* all-time team
@@CertifiedClapaholic Yeah he is on a lot of fans, pro players and experts wish-list of draft pick for first line defenders.
Why on earth did you use the water level theme from Donkey Kong country 😭😭😭
Because its a f-ing masterpiece, just like Lidström
As a Hawks fan myself that grew up watching Lidstrom's entire career - without question he's easily the 2nd best defenseman in NHL history (one could argue the best) and certainly the best I have ever seen play.. I'd say Bobby Orr is the GOAT considering his style literally changed the game of hockey, but Lidstrom isn't too far behind. I mean Bourque, Coffey, Leetch, Potvin etc were all terrific and certainly among the elite of their era, but Lidstrom was special - he was in a tier above them - and one could argue in a tier of his own. And if one want's to argue which defenseman was the most "complete defenseman" - you could argue that title belongs to Lidstrom considering he was near-perfect on both sides of the puck and is everything you would want in a defenseman if you could build one from scratch. Obviously Orr was an offensive anomaly - a wizard with the puck - and defensively sound but Lidstrom was the better of the two on the defensive side of the puck.. Either way - no matter where any hockey fan stands - Lidstrom is without question a GOAT.
There are a handful players where it's difficult to argue which one is/was the GOAT and there is no clear-cut answer because you cant go wrong with any of them because it really comes down to individual preference, and Lidstrom is among them - and the same goes for Gretzky and Lemieux or Hasek and Brodeur etc, and any argument made for any of them being the GOAT is valid. And that's why I have a really difficult time ranking players because many of these GOATS are in their own league and it would be "wrong" to argue one is/was better than the other - so I think guys like Lidstrom, Gretzky, Lemieux etc all share that "GOAT" label.
Good video!
bobby orr did not win a norris at 41 or led his team to a stanley cup at what 38 years old....
4:50 love that you
Can see he’s wearing red wings pants
Easily top 3 or 4 defensemen of all time so glad I got to enjoy watching him and the red wings in the 90s and 2000s
There should be a new NHL award for defensemen named after him. The Norris has become the Art Ross for defensemen, the Lidstrom award could be the Selke.
100%
Amazing content as always!
9:53 - The lockout shortened season was 1994 (not 1995) and featured the aforementioned Pavel Bure’s Vancouver Canucks against Mark Messier’s Rangers in the Stanley cup final.
The result of those playoffs left my second favorite player of all time without a cup. Good thing my first favorite player was a perfect defensemen ;)
Might wanna give that a quick google…
@@davekuhn9342- well I’ll be damned!
Imagine how certain I was of that memory for not even checking before posting smh.
I remember a Mats Sundin interview some years ago, and he got asked who the hardest to play against was? Without hesitation he said "Lidström". "No matter what you did his stick was always in the way." Sundin almost seemed dejected right there thinking about Lidströms stick, even though this was long after they both quit.
My Dad always told me he was 10 steps ahead of everyone on the ice and knew what play to make before the puck was even on his stick. His IQ is unmatched
Kids these days do not understand how good this man was. As a die hard wings fan I cannot explain how much this dude meant to this franchise. IMO I’m bias but he’s still the greatest D man of all time. Hes top 2 or 3 no doubt.
When you do things right, people wont be sure you did any thing at all. Lidstrom was not flashy, but he was where he needed to be, when he needed to be.
You have earned a sub my man
Thank you most of all to Chrisofer Rockstrom for finding him and alerting him to Wings Director of Amateur Scouting Jim McDonnell who passed the word onto GM Jimmy Devellano. Without Rockstrom, rumor had it that the Rangers were looking at him, too.
When we won olympics 2006 it was lidstrom forsberg sundin but lidstrom made the final slap shot goal :)
Lindstrom was ridiculous. He was money in the bank for the wings every night. Easiest guy to coach and play with. Well done
6:45, why is Honelander in this video?
Absolutely perfect meme hahaha
Homelander though.
Lidstrom was the greatest defensemen of all time...... Orr was he?
Ha!
Am i right in thinking the opening music is the Donkey Kong Country underwater levels music?????
4:44 the "all star" makes an appearance
His final season he was the defending Norris Trophy winner…. ‘Nuff said
Is that music in the background in the beginning a lil donkey Kong snes I detect? 🤌
I bet awood40 clips made its way into here.
This music got me thinking I'm watching a Donkey Kong Country 2 playthrough.
Lidström is in my opinon the most solid defenseman in NHL history.
Niclas Lidström is number 1 and will always be, nobody will take that place. 🇸🇪
An excellent video. But I disagree with one thing. In 96, it wasn’t Nick who was the best defenseman in the game. It was Vladdy. He combined Nicks defensive play & scoring touch, but adding a physical presence few have ever had.
Nothing wrong with that opinion at all💯 I really need to remake my vladdy video soon🙏
I’m not crying you’re crying
Aquatic ambiance for music. Lmao. Like for me
He was called the "perfect human" for a reason
Lidstrom should have shot more, his slap shot is underrated
as a finn that reminder of torino 2006 finlas loss its hard...
As a Colorado avalanche fan lidstrom will always be the greatest defensemen of all time
The fact Lidstrom was still an NHL caliber defenseman and still chose to retire is a graceful way to exit. He chose to leave on his own terms rather than be forced to leave due to his body or play regressing too far for NHL standards.
If you add "all around defenseman" he is easily number 1. There have been several who were either better offensively or defensively, but no one had a better all around game ever.
They called him the perfect human for a reason
I miss Nick playing on the Wings
everything except his shot. had the series on his stick for the repeat in 09 and shot it RIGHT INTO FLEURYS CHEST.
It was a great save by flowers and the Wings had gotten screwed earlier in the 09 series.
Lets be fair here fam, even the best offensive shooters only make about 12% of their shots. Fleury made himself big where he needed to be big. This is like saying Kunitz(?) missed a wide open net the year before and deriding him for it when the shot was all but impossible even in ideal conditions.
Goated!
I agree 100%
Neat little mini-bio documentary. Unfortunately, the music is distracting and kinda annoying. I'm a life-long Wings fan and love LIdstrom, but I had to turn it off about halfway through. The music was seriously driving me insane.
"The Perfect Human" was his nickname if I remember correctly
Is that the Stardew Valley mining music?
The goal at 0:38 is why I'm named Nick
W Chrono Trigger song
The Perfect Human😂
I thought I heard a rumor Franzen didn't care for Lidstrom. Probably bogus, pretty sure it was just Babcock.
he should have had 11 Norris thropys
"Tom Brady of hockey, playing well into his mid 40's" you mean like Gordie Howe?
Orr is #1. Bourque and Lidstrom 2 & 3…pick your own order
Lidstrom is 100% the greatest defenseman ever to play the game.
The music sounds like it's from an RPG.
It’s from Donkey Kong Country. Aquatic Ambiance.
Dryden 6 cups in 8 seasons?
Sweden. The best players
“Iron man streak unfathomable”
Phil kessel is laughing
This video makes me sad
I know exactly what you mean
Its crazy to think that Konstantinov was better! And im a huge Red Wings fan! No disrespect to #5
Vlad was the real complete defender. Lids is the greatest Dman all time but he was still incomplete.
@@jacoblamb3535out of your mind
@@waterboy417 you have no idea. They were the most dominant pair ever to play together imo and I watched that. Vlady was a complete dman. When you caught a breakout pass you better pray you know where he is. Lidstrom didn’t have that and yet he’s still the goat dman.
@@jacoblamb3535 I do have an idea as a wings fan who watched every game of their career lol. Just think it’s kind of a dumb take to say lidstrom wasn’t as “complete” just cause he wasn’t as physical (especially I already knew that was gonna be your reason before you even said it)
@@waterboy417 okay so we have seen the same things. A complete player at the highest level is physically dominant. So he was incomplete. Not an insult just the truth. Lidstrom is my childhood idol. I own one piece of sports memorabilia and it’s a signed game worn #5. He’s the best. But someone will come along who plays like the perfect human and also crushes dudes. And that guy will be the goat.
Yeah it was damn near impossible to beat the red wings there for about a solid decade, they were like the yank-me’s of hockey. I’d imagine tho having a yzermanamd/or lindstrom is like having mahommes who just wins & wins & wins, early & often & over again so all the older guys that wanna collect that championship can go there cheap leave when they’re satisfied, they just add to the unreal core of hombres. Even when the devils beat em, they still came into every season as the flav-o-rites. If it was anything other than hockey, where anything can happen, for instance the devils & maybe the aves would not have won if it were the nba. Almost forgot so the devils. Aves & kings maybe tne black-cocks wouldn’t have won their combined 7 championships If the red wings were a basketball team & not nhl where more than any league tne dogs win way more often than any other sport.
Buddy that background music is 2/10
Also, sorry but I’m a bit lost on saying anybody was better than Orr, he was Gretzky before Gretzky , he was a defenseman but also was doubling up the next closest guys in offensive stats. People can say Jordan wasn’t ths GOAT but to say greytzjy wasn’t when his numbers were so far & away beyond the second place guys is silly. I like to think Brett hull was the best goal scorer ever & if you take Gretzky off the table then msybe but you can’t, & Bobby Orr can’t be removed from the greatest d-men & 2nd greatest all round playas. Even if you love your guy, aka lindstrom, he’s not Bobby Orr & would bet dollars to donuts that he would say you’re out your cotton picking mind if you put him above Orr. He was great & I’d say tbs blues & many other teams would have more than what they’ve got as far as winning. Fuggggin Detroit, again!
The way Gustav Forsling plays, he must model his game after Lidstrom.
Every single swede since 1989 has tried endlessly be like nick. So yes duh.