Yzerman - Lidstrom Discussion

[KrazyGangsta 79]

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before but I was wondering what your thoughts are on this discussion. Some of my collegues we're having a discussion that the retirement of Lidstrom will have a bigger impact on the Red Wings then Yzerman's did.

I do tend to agree but I ask you fellow Wings fans couple of questions regarding on this discussion.

1- Who's retirement do you guys think will hurt the team more and why?

2- Will you be more sad seeing Lids hanging up the skates or it can never be more saddening then stevie Y?

3- As different positions on the ice, who do you guys think had a better career and if you we're going to have one of this players on this team who would you chose and why?

4- Do you guys think Lids was a lil' shadowed in the previous years due to Yzermans success?

Edited May 29, 2010 by KrazyGangsta

[Broken 16 381]

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before but I was wondering what your thoughts are on this discussion. Some of my collegues we're having a discussion that the retirement of Lidstrom will have a bigger impact on the Red Wings then Yzerman's did.

I do tend to agree but I ask you fellow Wings fans couple of questions regarding on this discussion.

1- Who's retirement do you guys think will hurt the team more and why?

Lidstrom's. By a mile. Yzerman, as great as he was, was replaceable. Lidstrom, not so much.

2- Will you be more sad seeing Lids hanging up the skates or it can never be more saddening then stevie Y?

More sad with Lids because I know the team is gonna be worse off than it was when Yzerman left.

3- As different positions on the ice, who do you guys think had a better career and if you we're going to have one of this players on this team who would you chose and why?

In terms of hardware, Lids. Obviously. Steve was a great leader and a warrior, but he had his flaws. Lidstrom was almost flawless in his prime.

4- Do you guys think Lids was a lil' shadowed in the previous years due to Yzermans success?

No. Yzerman was a great captain with a lot of heart and an amazing skill set. He deserved every bit of spotlight he's ever recieved, imo.

In the end though, it's hard to make an accurate analysis until the repercussions of Lidstrom's retirement are felt.

Edited May 29, 2010 by Broken 16

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Lidstrom's retirement will hurt the team more because his drop-off in play was so much smaller. By the time Stevie retired he wasn't the best forward on the ice every night (although he was capable of being the best sometimes it wasn't consistent because of his build up of injuries and the effect of age). Lidstrom is still the best defenseman on the ice every night easily still a #1 d-man in the NHL. Plus Lids plays a more vital position and takes up way more minutes every night than Stevie did in his last years.

[b.shanafan14 733]

Lidstrom's retirement will be a much greater blow to the team then Stevie Y's was. He is still the team's beat player, barnone.

Yzerman's retirement was sadder than Lidstrom's will be. Lidstrom, whenever he hangs them up, whether it is now or in two years will go out as still one of the best players in the league. No knock on Lidstrom by any means, but Stevie was an absolutely gutsy SOB. He played through things few players could throughout his career and was still one of the best in the league. Steve came in and was handed a franchise at such a young age and turned it around, not only through skill but heart. And watching Steve play those last 4 years or so when you could tell he wasn't able to do as much as he wanted was really tough. Lidstrom will is loved by fans for good reason, but Steve was one in a billion.

Tough to say who was better at his position. Lidstrom is the second best defenseman of all-time next to Orr and the best as far as i'm concerned at playing the defensive position in a more traditional sense, whereas Orr was Gretzky on the blueline. Steve did more on two bad knees than most anyone else did on two good ones. If he had gone his whole career healthy he could have put up astronomical numbers. But Steve also had tremendous intangibles, ridiculous determination (not that Lidstrom doesn't, just less adversity), and completely changed his game for the good of the team. Basically, Lidstrom was perfect, Steve had to deal with imperfection.

Lidstrom was always overshadowed, but more because of playing a subtle game. Steve and Shanny were well loved and were media savvy where Lidstrom before Steve's retirement was taken for granted. Lidstrom had a harder time getting the respect he deserved from the league, taking so long to win his first Norris. Lidstrom should gave had at least one or two more. When Steve was in town, there was no one else that could match him, so I suppose you could say Lidstrom was overshadowed, but so was everyone.

[evilmrt 636]

I'm going to have to say Lids would be the harder retirement to take. His play in his later years has been excellent, and he still is one of the best in the league. Yzerman was even more valueable than Lidstrom at his peak, but declined sharply in the last part of his career. I remember in the 90s though, whenever Stevie was injured...it seemed like the whole team was lost without him, and just played miserably. Once he would come back, they were great. Thats how I remember it!

[LeftWinger 5,131]

simple, just tell Lids, here's 5 years at $4.5M per. That way he can still be our #1 defenseman and then maybe wind up #4 by time the contract is up. By then Dylan McIlrath will be up here and Rafaski will be gone.

Stuart Kronwall

Ericsson Lidstrom

McIlrath Smith

(notice I left out Kindl, I have a feeling he is gonna be middle of the road and not be around to long.)

[13dangledangle 968]

Same as every other poster so no need to reply lol but I will say Yzerman will ALWAYS be my favorite captain...and not just of the wings

[alyssa 1]

Lidstrom right now>Yzerman in 2006.

Obviously losing Lidstrom is a much bigger blow.

[hardcoretom21 71]

Losing Yzerman (and Shanny at the same time) was a big blow to the team, but they had players who stepped up the following season, and they were eventually beaten by the Stanley Cup champs (Ducks).. But losing Lidstrom, especially considering how well he's still playing will undoubtedly hit the defense corps pretty hard....