What makes nick lidstrom so good

Lidstrom won an Olympic gold medal. He won seven Norris Trophies, finished second three times and, considering he didn't start winning those Norris trophies until he was in his 30s, probably deserved a couple more.

He was the first European captain to raise a Stanley Cup and was so good that his team never missed the playoffs during his entire career. And yet, despite the enormity of his career and accomplishments, picking one Nicklas Lidstrom moment or highlight is all but impossible for those close to him.

He racked up 1, career regular-season points, sixth all-time among defensemen -- yet very few of them stand out. He was the best player on the ice all the time, every game. Not just for one moment. Look at a photo of his teammates making memorable plays and there's usually No. It just took everybody else some time. It's because Lidstrom's game was subtle. His gift was making the game look easy and making it easier on his teammates.

It wasn't just teammates following Lidstrom to see what to do. And it wasn't just when he played. It's still happening. They show clips of Lidstrom to all the defensemen in the organization from the teenager recently drafted right on up to Drew Doughty.

The reason is simple: Lidstrom wasn't some other-worldly physical specimen never to be duplicated. He didn't have Zdeno Chara 's size. He didn't have Al MacInnis ' huge shot.

He wasn't an all-time skater like Paul Coffey or Bobby Orr. He doesn't have any attributes that stand out. His understanding of the game, it made it so simple. The small, repeatable things were done over and over again to near-perfection. When he was the coach in Detroit, Scotty Bowman tracked the frequency in which the Red Wings retained the puck after a player passed it. These weren't just passes back to his defensive partner, these were passes to Detroit's forwards on the tape where they could build up speed and gain the offensive zone in position for a quality scoring chance.

You think of that more of a trait for a forward. Nick had eyes in the back of his head, he could see plays before they would happen. Once in the offensive zone, Lidstrom had the uncanny ability to keep it there without ever getting caught up the ice. He didn't have MacInnis' shot, but what made Lidstrom's shot so special is that he always got it through. Even as the game evolved into one heavy in shot-blocking, Lidstrom found ways to beat it. It was subtle.

He and the puck would still be moving when he wound that stick high for a shot, his head up surveying the ice the entire time. The second he spotted an opening, either for a shot or pass, he snapped that stick down so quickly there was no way to block it. Teams planning to beat the Red Wings would enter a game with the sound strategy to dump the puck into Lidstrom's end in order to force him to turn and get the puck, creating an opportunity to wear him down physically.

It was almost impossible to execute because his hand-eye coordination was so good; he'd often block the dump-in attempt and start the attack the other way. They'd go to the other side because it was no use. They avoided him as much as possible and it set up the whole Detroit game. Lidstrom's stick work was incredible.

If opposing forwards got too close with the puck, it was gone and headed the other way in one swift move. It forced forwards to make their move a few paces earlier than they would against any other defenseman, and usually that move was to the outside. Goalies in Detroit quickly realized Lidstrom's stick was so good that if he was being approached on a 2-on-1, they could be aggressive with the puck carrier because chances are there wouldn't be a clean pass to the other player.

It was going to be choppy on the other side. You knew you had that extra second to get across. He had such a long reach that he'd just use the stick to his advantage.

That's why you never had to see him diving or making these great plays. It's who I've kind of idolized my whole life as a hockey player," said Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad , the Calder Trophy winner. He was fun to watch and an inspiration to me.

He made great decisions all the time. It just seemed like he always made the right play out there. He played a lot of minutes because he was able to not exert a lot of energy when he didn't need to. Lidstrom was an inspiration to all around him, a sensational performer who made playing the most difficult position on the ice seem easy. Off the ice, Lidstrom carried himself with similar poise. But that nickname is kind of something that I just chuckle about.

Lidstrom's game was never about flash. You weren't going to see something he did highlighted on play of the day, but he made the plays that paid off at the end of the day. Nothing seemed to bother Lidstrom. Even when he committed a rare mistake, his trademark steadiness never wavered. In other words, nothing bothered him. Just play. What is Nicklas Lidstrom worth? Who is the best NHL defenseman of all time? How many points did Nicklas Lidstrom have? Where is Nicklas Lidstrom from?

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