I've been watching Lidstrom closely this series, and have come up with some of the general rules by which he plays the game. I'm sure you folks, who follow him more closely, can add to my list:
So here is the Tao of Nicklas Lidstrom, the old master of defensive hockey:
* Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it's been.
* Do not hit or be hit.
* Move fast, but do not hurry.
* React, but do not over-react.
* Keep your body between your own net and the attacking player.
* Let every man cover his own man.
* Do not play for yourself. Just play.
* Watch for the real threat, not the apparent threat.
* Cover the passing lanes. It is the man without the puck who is most likely to score.
* Do not attack the man who has cleanly gone by you. Cover the players rushing in late for the rebound. The goalie can stop the one, but not the other.
P.S. Thanks for linking to my "When Pavel Met Evgeni" piece. Good to hear the feedback (not so many folks in Edmonton are following the playoffs with your intensity).
BTW, I wrote an entire blog post at The Cult of Hockey on this Lidstron-Old Master theme. If you're interested you can find it here:
http://communities.canada.com/edmontonjour...8/lidstrom.aspx
