Nicklas Lidstrom 18 Seasons as Captain

Lore & Background

Lidström was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings 53rd overall in the 1989 NHL entry draft and joined the team in the 1991–92 season. He scored 60 points in his rookie season, finishing second to Pavel Bure in voting for that year's Calder Trophy. He was selected to the 1992 NHL All-Rookie Team. Lidström was an alternate captain from the 1997–98 season and became the first European captain in franchise history after Steve Yzerman retired. He captained the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup, becoming the first European-born-and-trained captain to win the Stanley Cup.

Reader's Guide

Lidström played his entire 20-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings. He won four Stanley Cup championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008), seven James Norris Memorial Trophies, was named to twelve NHL All-Star Teams (ten First Team and two Second Team selections), voted into 12 NHL All-Star Games, and received one Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs most valuable player. He is the all-time leader in games played with a single NHL team by a European-born player. Lidström was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Hockey Hall of Fame on 9 November 2015. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

Did You Know?

• Lidström won the Norris Trophy seven times, a feat matched only by Doug Harvey and exceeded only by Bobby Orr (eight).
• Lidström played in the playoffs for an NHL record 20 consecutive seasons, a record he shares with Larry Robinson.
• He finished his career with the second-most Stanley Cup playoff games played in NHL history (263), behind Chris Chelios (266).