PHOTO: Bildbyrån
They are two of Swedish hockey’s great giants.
And the respect between Peter Forsberg and Nicklas Lidström is enormous.
– It was a joy to play with him, admits “Foppa” in an interview.
When you have to name Sweden’s best hockey player, there are two names that usually come to mind first. Namely Peter Forsberg and Nicklas Lidström.
Foppa & Lidas
Two icons that are immensely popular in our oblong country and also unforgettable icons in North America. “Lidas” reaped great success with the Detroit Red Wings, where he was the team captain for many years and won four Stanley Cup titles and seven Norris Trophies as the league’s best defender.
The article continues after the picture.
“Foppa” had his best time with the Colorado Avalanche with two Stanley Cup trophies but moved around a bit more and also managed games with the Quebec Nordiques, Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators. In the national team jersey, Forsberg can also boast a little more with his two Olympic golds and two World Cup golds, compared to Lidström who “only” has one Olympic gold and one World Cup gold on his track record.
Forsberg pays homage
The respect between the two giants is extremely great and when Foppa gets the opportunity to talk about Lidas, he chooses the finest words.
– He is definitely one of the best defenders of our generation, perhaps the best of all time, says Peter Forsberg in an old interview with Expressen.
The article continues after the picture.
Above all, it was extremely difficult to face Nicklas Lidström on the ice, which happened many times during their time in North America.
– He was incredibly difficult to face. He rebounded faster than he went forward, one of the hardest shots in the league and a great game sense. I got to feel it quite a few times when I played in Colorado. Every time you would put a little flip pass next to him, he just sucked it down with the club and that was it, Forsberg tells the evening newspaper.
READ MORE: The best Europeans in the NHL of all time have been named and as many as three Swedes take a place in the top 10 – but not Mats Sundin(!)
That’s why it was so much easier to play with him, which they did in the 2006 Olympics, which ended in the best possible way with Olympic gold for Tre Kronor.
– It was a joy to play with him the times you did. My strongest memory of Nicklas is when he shot home the gold in the Olympic final in 2006. That shot, if I had stayed in front of the goal there, he would have shot me dead, haha, Foppa admits in the interview.
Who do you think is the best of Forsberg and Lidström? Share the article and have your say!
Share