"I don't even want to think about it"

#41 wingsownnhl43

2nd Line Scorer

Member
586 posts

Posted 06 May 2010 - 12:09 AM

Doom and Gloom... People thought when Yzerman left the wings were done, well we were not. I love lids, I'd take him over almost any player in the NHL. But I think he is done. What happens next you might ask? Simple... the Wings continue forward, acquire new talent and bring up kids that have been developing in the minors.
We will never replace Lids, but other teams have won the cup without him.... so can we.

Phenomenal post. I remember this board when we lost Stevie and Shanny in the same season.. I dont think anyone thought we'd recover.. People just need to put their emotions aside.

#42 Detroit # 1 Fan

Legend

HoF Booster
16,872 posts

Location:St John's

Posted 06 May 2010 - 12:16 AM

In the span of 4 seasons to lose Yzerman, Shanahan, McCarty, and possibly Lidstrom, Maltby, Draper and Ozzie is a tough pill to swallow. In Lidstroms case, I really hope he does come back. He can still play the game.

Brian McGrattan 2013. Get it done Kenny.

#43 Grim

1st Line All-Star

Silver Booster
1,620 posts

Posted 06 May 2010 - 12:26 AM

Yes. This guy has more class than all of us on this thread put together. Don't presume he is greedy and self-centered and only wants the money

I agree it has nothing to do with greed. Nik has already given this organization so much, likewise he has been more than handsomely paid. what more should we expect from him?? I think he's more apt to call it a career at this point than to handcuff a team already strapped by the salary cap.

Exercise Tiger remembered 28 April 1944

#44 Heroes of Hockeytown

Big Goal Bob

Bronze Booster
13,729 posts

Posted 06 May 2010 - 12:36 AM

Doom and Gloom... People thought when Yzerman left the wings were done, well we were not.

This isn't really a good analogy. Steve's role on the team had been diminishing rapidly for two or three seasons before he retired; he was still a good player when he left (you might remember he went on a great run from December of the '06 season and into the playoffs where he certainly didn't look like 40 year old with a bum knee) but was already well on his way to being replaced, and very adequately so, but Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

No other defenseman on the team is as good as Lidstrom; few defensemen in the league, even today, are as good as Lidstrom. He is the motor that powers the big red machine, and he does it on all fronts. I don't believe his departure will be the end of the Wings -- far from it -- but it will be unlike anything most Wings fans have yet experienced.

55fan and Nev like this

"We've been in the same spot all year long. We won 50 games for the fourth year in a row. People think we're just hum-drum and boring.
No, you know what we are, we're good. You can't do what we do every single day and not be good." - Mike Babcock

#45 Nev

Hall-of-Famer

Member
2,304 posts

Location:Lincolnshire, England

Posted 06 May 2010 - 12:47 AM

OK, reading all these quotes from the Wings, I am now officially scared. It is sounding worryingly like he is going to retire. As HoH points out, his retirement is going to leave a gaping hole on the Wings, far bigger than Yzerman's retirement.

He's still one of the top 5 d-men in the league, but I guess age and injury have shown him to be human this season, for the first time ever. You never ever saw him make mistakes before. And for a guy who is so used to being perfect all the time, that must be hard to take. I'm reminded of Roy's retirement. He was still good, but no longer dominant. I remember the look on his face after they got upset by the Wild, he couldn't understand why he couldn't stop them from scoring.

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

#46 RedStormRising

1st Line Sniper

Member
771 posts

Location:University of Minnesota

Posted 06 May 2010 - 01:07 AM

I won't be surprised at all if he hangs them up... At some points this season it was agonizing for me to watch him be so slow and weak out there on the ice. Tough to see Mr. Perfect become human. End of another era.

wingsownnhl43 likes this

#47 F.Michael

Old School Dynamic Duo

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6,805 posts

Location:Wisconsin

Posted 06 May 2010 - 07:55 AM

I won't be surprised at all if he hangs them up... At some points this season it was agonizing for me to watch him be so slow and weak out there on the ice. Tough to see Mr. Perfect become human. End of another era.

Well I dunno if I'd label Lids as slow, and weak, but I will say he's starting to show his age, and he's not as dominant as he was 4 to 8 years ago.

That said he stll got 2 years left in the tank, or at least I think he does.

'Evolution' created by Offsides

#48 kozac

another soft russian

Member
807 posts

Posted 06 May 2010 - 08:44 AM

He is a smart guy. If he thinks that he can't be a top player anymore he is going to retire. It's way classier to leave when you're at the top of your game, and we all know Nick is all about class.
Unfortunately for us all his age is becoming a factor. Just think how many mistakes and giveaways ,uncharacteristic of him, you saw this playoff year. Too many for the Nick Lidstrom I'm used to seeing.

#49 Electrophile

Ipsa scientia potestas est.

Silver Booster
9,355 posts

Location:North Carolina

Posted 06 May 2010 - 10:24 AM

Doom and Gloom... People thought when Yzerman left the wings were done, well we were not. I love lids, I'd take him over almost any player in the NHL. But I think he is done. What happens next you might ask? Simple... the Wings continue forward, acquire new talent and bring up kids that have been developing in the minors.
We will never replace Lids, but other teams have won the cup without him.... so can we.

The difference is, when Steve retired, we had already started transitioning new guys in (Pavs, Hank) to make his absence less noticeable. We have no one like that to help when Nick leaves. THAT'S why his absence will be that much more difficult.