commentary...

i could talk about Nicklas Lidstrom,and his seven Norris Trophies,four Stanley Cups,twelve All-Star seasons(ten-first team All Star seasons),1,564 regular season games,1,142 points,264 goals,878 assists,and an amazing plus/minus numbers,of plus-450(all of these numbers,are regular season,not including playoffs)... he played another 263 games in the playoffs,had 54 goals,and had 129 assists,and a plus/minus number,of plus-61,with 30 playoff power play goals,with eleven game winning goals,in the 20 years,of his NHL career...
i remember one playoff goal,in particular:April 21,2002:game three,Red Wings,down 2-0,against Vancouver,first round,and Lidstrom ripped puck,past the Vancouver goaltender Dan Cloutier,from a hundred feet away(center ice),with 24.6 seconds left,in second period,and Red Wings won game,3-1,and then won three more games to win first round series,and then blew away every other team,that stood in their way to the Stanley Cup,that year...
numbers does not tell you how much his character meant to the Red Wings,and to the NHL... he is humble,and very classy,and he worked hard,and was nicknamed,by his teammates,and by most of the NHL,as,"the perfect human",because he made very few mistakes,on the ice... in his retirement comments,he basically said that he just did not have the basic drive,to go through one more season,even though his wife did tell him that if he wanted to play one more season,"then we would make it work..." i can not tell you how well he spoke,and i will not try,people,because it was total class...
to him,i do say:you are always be a Red Wing,in my heart,and the one game i saw you play,was a memory that i will always remember,and in three years,you are going to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame,no doubt,and as a side note(laughing),if you are not a first ballot inductee,it will be the biggest robbery,in history... have a good life,Nicklas!!!
if the Red Wings do not retire your number five sweater,sometime next season,i will picket Joe Louis Arena,in knee-deep snow,if need be...(laughing)