Nicklas Lidstrom Sportsman of the Year 2008

[egroen 384]

Pronger (terribly inconsistent) and Neidermayer (very late bloomer) are definitely going into the Hall of Fame. Probably Blake (great early peak but has fallen a lot) as well. That's all I got.

Zubov and Gonchar? I don't think they will make it.

Edited November 20, 2008 by egroen

[kook_10 1,705]

I agree its kinda slim pickens. Outside of hitting and scoring, there is not a lot of sizzle on a defenseman's steak. Not so much of that these days.

[Guest Shoreline]

No chance these idiots would pick Lidstrom. No single hockey player has been chosen for this since Gretzky in '82, and he only had to destroy several records in a short span to get it.

[Dabura 12,207]

Spitz never did what Phelps did

I was referring to setting the record.

And Lidstrom > Bourque.

And hockey > swimming. Man up, you pansies.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Pronger (terribly inconsistent) and Neidermayer (very late bloomer) are definitely going into the Hall of Fame. Probably Blake (great early peak but has fallen a lot) as well. That's all I got.

Zubov and Gonchar? I don't think they will make it.

I dunno, I think Zubov would have a valid shot to make it; highest scoring Russian born defenseman in the NHL...Gonchar isn't a slouch either but I'd think that Zubov would have a better chance

[drupha 0]

And it was harder to do back then. No sleek hair caps, no ultra-comprehensive physical therapy (and I've worked with his PT, so I know) -- just a badass 'stache.

Swimming has seen someone like Phelps before. Nick Lidstrom is, I think, somewhat unique to his respective sport; I'm not sure the NHL has seen anyone else with a package like his. You wonder where it comes from, how anyone could have his vision, his knowledge of the game, his poise -- everything he does seems rooted in some sort of mystical Jedi training that mere mortals like us know nothing about. Michael Phelps is a tremendous, tremendous athlete, but you know his story, what he's all about, how he got to where he is. I think the seemingly inexplicable nature of Nick's talent helps give him the edge.

Nick Lidstrom = Win

You clearly know NOTHING about swimming.

Nick Lidstrom is one of the all time greats, but I think it would be a hard argument to say that he was the best hockey player of all time.

Conversely, most people who know anything about swimming would probably put Phelps there at this point.

Harder to do in the 70's? Like most other sports, the last few decades have seen a high degree of specialization within the sport. For example, Aaron Peirsol and Lenny Krayzelburg (if you don't know these names, you don't know swimming), are considered to be among the great swimmers of the last decade, but they specialized only in the back, and didn't swim competitively in the other three strokes.

In the last Olympics he beat:

Ryan Lochte in both IM events, when Lochte trained almost exclusively for the IMs (and who would have a huge stash of gold if he'd been born ten years earlier)

Ian Crocker, the world record holder who trained exclusively for ONE event at the Olympics

Every mid/sprint freestyler, many of whom specialized in the freestyle

The hockey equivalent of this feat is being a better center than Datsyuk, a better defender than Lids, and a better goalie than Hasek (in his prime). Lidstrom is an amazing defender, but he doesn't even show Phelpsian versatility in his own position. If what Detroit needed was a Derian Hatcheresque hulking bruiser, could he do it? No, he doesn't have the size to. And that's what differentiates Phelps. He dominates in swimming like no one is supposed to.

And lastly, there's something to be said about going out and winning eight straight times. As Wings fans, we all have seen firsthand that even if you have the best team, upsets happen, lapses in mental toughness happen. It didn't happen to Phelps and his relay teammates. I don't think you can emphasize that enough over eight finals.

That being said, would I be surprised if he had a positive steroids test? Not overly. I don't think he did, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[egroen 384]

That being said, would I be surprised if he had a positive steroids test? Not overly. I don't think he did, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Phelps is a freak of nature because of lactic acid tolerance or recuperation time. His body is able to completely flush lactic acid buildup in minutes when it takes most an hour. This allows him to train harder as well as compete at a higher level in more events than most can. A lot of top athletes have this ability, but Phelps is off the charts. Imagine sprinting 200 meters as fast as you can, and being able to repeat the same performance within 10 minutes.

What he accomplished would be similar to Ussain Bolt winning gold and breaking the world record in not only the 100 m and 200 m dash, but the 400 m, the relays, the 110 and 220 m hurdles and the long jump. Or a decathlete breaking the world records in each individual event. Pretty incredible.

Edited November 21, 2008 by egroen

[Dabura 12,207]

You clearly know NOTHING about swimming.

I was a top-ranked swimmer as a kid. I should have stayed with it, but I was seduced by hockey. (Go figure.)

I shouldn't have brought the hard/easier then, harder/easier now argument up; it never gets us anywhere at LGW. But taking away that angle, I still stand by my point about Nick being more interesting as a consummate sportsman. I think it's silly to say he doesn't stand a chance against Phelps because he's not Wayne Gretzky.

Like I said, Phelps is a tremendous, tremendous athlete. Like I also said, I know his PT -- known him for most of my life, in fact. So I have a very good, intimate understanding of what Phelps accomplished and exactly why it's so impressive. And he's going to win; that's a given. Heads will roll at SI if a hockey player beats him out.

Still, I'm surprised so many people are so quick to completely and utterly write Nick off here. Disappointing.

[egroen 384]

I was a competitive swimmer through college (actually ended up quitting hockey for swimming), and swimming gets so little coverage and attention, except for every 4 years at the Olympics, that it is nice to see it generate some excitement. I honestly would not be suprised if Phelps was snubbed for some football player... it's happened a few times this year already.

I was watching the Best Damn Sports Show and their top 100 sports moments, and to their credit, they actually had Phelps as #2. I was shocked.... but get what beat it -- The Miracle on Ice! I was pleasantly suprised, for a show that talks about hockey rarely and swimming never, to have them #1 and #2 really shocked me.

Edited November 22, 2008 by egroen

[12Newf 0]

phelps=steroids.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

phelps=steroids.

Got any proof?

[12Newf 0]

Got any proof?

no...but it took 8 years for them to strip marion jones. maybe he will have a change of heart.

[Opie 308]

no...but it took 8 years for them to strip marion jones. maybe he will have a change of heart.

I am not saying he did or didn't use roids, however he VOLUNTARILY took state of the art testing which includes his sample being kept on file for 20 years and available to testing at any time.

It was a huge story about how a bunch of US athletes joined this program.

I doubt he used Steroids, I think he is Mark Spitz, however technology in that sport finally caught up with the rest of the world as evident by the disaster of every record in swimming this Olympic.

[Dabura 12,207]

I was watching the Best Damn Sports Show and their top 100 sports moments, and to their credit, they actually had Phelps as #2. I was shocked.... but get what beat it -- The Miracle on Ice! I was pleasantly suprised, for a show that talks about hockey rarely and swimming never, to have them #1 and #2 really shocked me.

That's pretty sweet!