Red Wings D Lidstrom, 41, signs one-year deal to return for 20th NHL season

By Ray Bennett
Monday June 20, 2011

The Detroit Red Wings won't have to worry about another veteran defenseman retiring, especially when it's their captain.

On Monday, 41 year old Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told the Red Wings front office that he will sign a one-year contract to return for his 20th NHL season. It was reported that Lidstom will make the same $6 Million salary that he had last season.

Lidstrom, who has spent his entire career in Detroit, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he scored 16 goals and notched 46 assists in a full 82-game season. Lidstrom even became the oldest player at the age of 40 to record his first career hat trick early in December against St. Louis.

Throughout his career, Lidstrom has been regarded as the best defenseman and European to play in the NHL in the past quarter-century. In his nineteen seasons, Lidstrom is a twelve-time All-Star, a four-time Stanley Cup winner and a six-time Norris Trophy winner for the league's best defenseman. On Wednesday, Lidstrom will find out if he'll win his seventh Norris Trophy in the NHL's annual awards ceremony.

Lidstrom also won the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs most valuable player. He also has a Gold Medal for his native Sweden, winning it in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He is also a member of the Triple Gold Club by having Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Hockey Championships and a Stanley Cup Championship.

After Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman retired after the 2005-2006 season, Lidstom became the team's 38th captain in team history after spending nearly a decade as the team's alternate-captain. After winning his fourth career Stanley Cup in 2008, he became the first European-born captain to win the Cup.

The news of Lidstrom's return comes at a time in which the Red Wings need to fill holes on defense. Just a few weeks ago, veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski announced his retirement after 13 NHL seasons. People inside the Red Wings front office, including General Manager Ken Holland, thought that Lidstrom would go the same route as his former teammate.

This past week, Lidstrom told Holland and the Red Wings that he would tell the team of his decision of whether or not he would return for a 20th NHL season in the span of a few days. On Monday during a conference call with Holland, Lidstrom confirmed him he would return.