Among The Greatest

Fun fact: I was never a fan of the Detroit Red Wings despite them having possibly the most talented team for at least a decade during the mid-1990s until the mid-2000s. It's hard to argue with the likes of Yzerman, Fedorov, Larionov, Murphy, Coffey, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and a pile of other names that have been some of the best players the NHL has ever seen. One name that stands above them all, though, is Nicklas Lidstrom for his skill, consistency, and durability, and this date was a big one for Lidstrom back in 2009 when he put his name alongside some of the greatest men to have ever played this game when it comes to winning.

On this day back in 2009, Nicklas Lidstrom became the defenceman who had played the most playoff games in NHL history as he suited up for his 228th Stanley Cup Playoffs game, breaking the mark set by Larry Robinson who is also among the all-time greats. The Red Wings squared off against the Chicago Blackhawks in a game where Patrick Sharp would score the overtime winner in a 4-3 win for the Blackhawks. Clearly, the game didn't end how Lidstrom may have liked, but the fact that he broke Robinson's record is a pretty amazing feat.

By the time that Nicklas Lidstrom had retired, he held the record for playing in the most playoff games in NHL history at 263 which has since been broken by Chris Chelios and set at 266. When you consider that Chelios has played in eight more seasons before Lidstrom entered the league in 1991-92 and only played two more seasons after Chelios retired, that's pretty impressive. What might be more impressive is that the Red Wings never missed the playoffs the entire time he wore the Winged Wheel.

When we think of the greatest defencemen to have ever played this game, we often go to the names who drew individual accolades for their accomplishments. Names like Orr, Robinson, Bourque, Coffey, and Horton are often mentioned for their achievements in terms of points and winning, but it's hard to ignore the legacy that Nicklas Lidstrom left in Detroit that will likely never be equalled.

Listrom holds the record for the most games by layed by any European player at 1564 to go along with playing the most playoff games by any European-born player. He is the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, and a seven-time Norris Trophy winner. He was the first European-born-and-trained player to captain a team to a Stanley Cup championship, the first European-born-and-trained defender to win the Norris Trophy three-straight years, and he's a twelve-time NHL All-Star.

On the inernational scene, he's a IIHF World Champion in 1991, a silver medallist in 2004, and a bronze medallist in 1994. He's a 2006 Olympic gold medallist, named to the 2006 Olympic All-Star Team, and became a member of the Triple Gold Club.

He's still the oldest defender to record a hat trick which also made him the oldest player to record his first hat trick when he did so on December 15, 2010 in a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Blues, some 19 years and 1442 games since breaking into the league! He's also the oldest defenceman to score in a Game Seven of a playoff series when he recorded a second-period power-play goal against the Phoenix Coyotes in the opening round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Again, as a guy who has zero allegiance to the Red Wings, I'll be the first to say that I'm just as guilty as the next person who didn't give Nicklas Lidstrom the credit he's due for what he did on the ice. He won more Stanley Cups than any of Orr or Bourque; more Norris Trophy wins than Bourque, Coffey, Chris Chelios, or Denis Potvin; and, has won as many Conn Smythe Trophies as Robinson, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Brian Leetch, and Scott Niedermayer.

When you put all of his achievements and accolades together, it's hard not to see Nicklas Lidstrom slotting in somewhere directly behind Bobby Orr as the greatest defender of all-time, but it's certainly easy to make the claim that Lidstrom is the greatest European defenceman in the history of the NHL. Names like Borje Salming, Sergei Zubov, Victor Hedman, and Roman Josi would be in that conversation, but the man who stands atop that mountain will always be Nicklas Lidstrom.

While Chris Chelios has surpassed Lidstrom by three games, it's pretty clear that the Detroit Red Wings played at a higher level thanks to Nicklas Lidstrom patrolling their blue line for as many seasons as he did. Adding his name to the list of best defenders of all-time is a no-brainer.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!