We have seen a fair amount of “quarter-century” talk over the course of the summer, including the Free Press’s “Quarter-Century Team” yesterday…
And this morning, Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson offers a “Mount Rushmore” for each and every one of the NHL’s 32 teams over the course of the first 25 years of the 21st century:
Detroit Red Wings
Nicklas Lidström, Defense
Steve Yzerman, Center
Pavel Datsyuk, Center
Henrik Zetterberg, Center
Lidström won the James Norris Memorial Trophy seven times from 2000-01 to 2010-11 and was the first European to captain an NHL team to the Stanley Cup (2008). Yzerman is the franchise assist leader (1,063) and captained the Wings to three Stanley Cups, including his last in 2002. Both are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Datsyuk is also in the Hall of Fame, winning four Lady Byng Memorial Trophies and three Frank J. Selke Trophies between 2005-06 and 2009-10. Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2008 and is fifth among the franchise leaders with 337 goals, 623 assists and 960 points.
Continued; I’m not certain whether I’d have Captain Yzerman on the list as he only played four seasons in the 2000’s, but the Red Wings’ GM did have a tremendously complicated surgery in order to continue his career after the Wings’ 2002 Stanley Cup, so his dedication to the team can’t be questioned.
Who fits on your “Mount Rushmore” for the Wings’ 2000 to 2025 teams?
