The Score’s John Matisz and Nick Faris have been ranking the top players of the last 25 years–since Wayne Gretzky’s retirement during the 1999-2000 season–and their third-best player is a logical choice:
NICKLAS LIDSTROM
Signature performance: The high-level numbers don’t fly off the page – 16 points, 41 shots on goal, and a plus-6 rating in 23 playoff games for Detroit.
Dig a little deeper and Lidstrom’s 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy begins to make more sense – two game-winning goals, including one in the Cup Final; 31 minutes of ice a night, five ahead of his closest teammate; and only one penalty taken despite facing the other team’s stars in four hard-fought series.
That year, Lidstrom became the first European to win playoff MVP. In 2008, he made history again as the first European to captain a Cup-winning team.
Why he’s here: Lidstrom is Bobby Orr’s biggest challenger for top defenseman of all time thanks to two decades of virtually mistake-free hockey.
The post-Gretzky era captures Lidstrom’s final 952 games – 61% of his career. It captures two of Lidstrom’s four Cups, all seven of his Norris Trophies, 10 of his 12 end-of-season All-Star selections, and his six-year reign as Wings captain. We discussed slotting McDavid ahead of Lidstrom on this list but ultimately gave Lidstrom the No. 3 ranking since the body of work from his final 12 seasons is more three-dimensional than McDavid’s first nine.
Lidstrom, a native of Vasteras, Sweden, had an impeccable reputation. He was predictably excellent – never out of position, never missing a teammate’s tape on a pass, never taking undisciplined penalties. His otherworldly hockey sense, effortless skating, 6-foot-1, 192-pound frame, and next-level hand-eye coordination allowed him to kill opposing attacks with a unique efficiency.
He was surgical on offense, too. He’d find a teammate back-door at even strength or wire a hard and accurate shot from the point on the power play. While he was the king of unsexy plays, Lidstrom was also money for 60-80 points a year, and he led or co-led blue-liners in points four times in the era.
There was a trickle-down effect to Lidstrom being elite for such a huge chunk of time. Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, and Rob Blake are all worthy members of the Hall of Fame, even though each won only one Norris.
Nicknamed “The Perfect Human” for his seemingly flawless game and classy personality, Lidstrom personified brilliance from the back end. – Matisz
