PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Nicklas Lidström is one of Swedish hockey’s greatest players of all time.
And today we congratulate the great “Lidas” on his 54th birthday.
While the icon reveals the best he ever played with.
Few hockey players can measure up Nicklas Lidström’s incredible success. He is called “The Perfect Man” in North America and that says a lot about his greatness.
Lidström’s career
“Lidas” is truly one of Swedish hockey’s all-time greats and his track record is admirable. During his 20 seasons in the NHL, he remained faithful to the Detroit Red Wings throughout the years, reaching an unparalleled 1,142 points in 1,564 games.
The article continues after the picture.
The defense icon managed to win four Stanley Cup titles and was named the NHL’s best defenseman a total of seven times during his career in North America. It was also both Olympic gold and WC gold with Tre Kronor before his career ended in 2012.
Best teammate
In 2022, Nicklas Lidström was also named Sweden’s best hockey player of all time. But when he himself gets to choose the very best player he has had the honor of playing with, he doesn’t have to think very long.
The article continues after the picture.
And it is neither Peter Forsberg or Mats Sundin which Lidström chooses.
– Pavel Datsyuk is the most skilled player I have ever played with. Then I still played with Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Brett Hull. But Datsyuk’s “skill” and what he could do with the puck… He is the best I have ever played with, says Lidström in the television program “Hockeymorgon”.
The Swedish legend played ten seasons together with the Russian puck-wielder and it really left a deep impression.
– He had a long club and an almost straight blade, not a nice angle. But his club technique and his movement pattern… You didn’t believe it was true when you saw him off the ice and then on the ice and the things he did, says Lidas in the interview.
– He and Chris Chelios used to compete in taking the puck from each other. At the time, Chelios was over 40 years old and was an incredible competitive person. But Datsyuk played with Chelios, who was a tough guy to face. He didn’t get hold of the puck.
Share the article to congratulate Nicklas Lidström on his birthday! 🎉
READ MORE: Nicklas Lidström and Mats Sundin say what they really think of Swedish hockey today: “It’s an incredible receipt”
Sign up for our newsletter
Share