| |
| 1998-99 Leaders |
| Stat |
Leader |
No. |
Goals
Assists
Points
+/-
Shots
Ice time (F)
Ice time (D)
Faceoff Pct.
Hits
PP Pts.
SH Pts.
|
Wendel Clark
Igor Larionov
Steve Yzerman
Larry Murphy
Brendan Shanahan
Steve Yzerman
Chris Chelios
Steve Yzerman
Darren McCarty
Nicklas Lidstrom
3 players
|
32
49
74
+21
288
21.6
26.7
56.9
217
29
4
|
|
|
Imagine if Nicklas Lidstrom had left Detroit. Imagine if he had
spurned millions of U.S. dollars and the glitz of the NHL for
the safety, the school systems and the silver snowfalls of his
native Sweden. Imagine how we would feel about the Red Wings
now, how old and vulnerable they would seem.
Lidstrom is among the finest defensemen in the world, and for
more than a year Detroit lived in fear that once his contact
expired after the 1998-99 season he would go home, where his
heart is, and play in the Swedish Elite League. Lidstrom had
hinted as much after rejecting the Red Wings' offer of a
long-term deal in the summer of '98. He and his wife, Annika,
want their sons, Kevin, 5, and Adam, 3, to get Swedish educations
and soak up the country's culture, but the lure of financial
security must have proved too difficult to pass up. In August,
Lidstrom, 29, signed a three-year, $22 million contract to stay
in Detroit.
With Lidstrom in the fold, the Red Wings, still deep and dazzling
up front, still guided by the incomparable Scotty Bowman, have
the defensive strength to make another run at the Stanley Cup.
This is the team of the '90s, and the fact that its attempt to
threepeat ended with a second-round loss to the Avalanche last
year doesn't mean Detroit is dead. The defending champion Stars
are favored to win again, but they'll do so only if they can clip
the Wings. "I found myself very envious," says Detroit captain
Steve Yzerman of watching last year's Cup finals. "I thought, We
should be out there."
The value of Lidstrom goes beyond his ability as a defensive
pillar who averages more than 50 points per season. By playing
nearly half the game and covering huge swaths of ice, he will
enable aging blueliners Larry Murphy, 38, and Chris Chelios, 37,
to conserve their strength and thus be more effective. The Red
Wings' defense still has question marks -- Will Aaron Ward, with his
big slapshot and big checks, become more consistent? Can
free-agent signee Steve Duchesne, who was cut from the Kings last
season, provide the offensive punch he did earlier in his
career? -- but with Lidstrom, Murphy and Chelios on the ice late in
games, Detroit can control crucial shifts.
Of course, no one controls the Red Wings more than Bowman. At
66, and 14 months removed from angioplasty, the man can't seem
to give up hockey as long as there's a Cup to chase. (He's won
eight so far.) This year Bowman is talking about implementing
new defensive systems; expanding the role of his most dynamic
forward, Sergei Fedorov; and getting veterans such as Brendan
Shanahan and Igor Larionov energized from the opening face-off.
In June, Bowman sent a pointed letter to his players telling
them to get in shape. Think his words have weight? Ward dropped
15 pounds, forward Martin Lapointe shed 25, and lithe
forward-defenseman Mathieu Dandenault, whom Detroit will need on
the blue line this year, added 10 pounds of muscle. By training
camp, players had T-shirts made that read TRAIN TO REGAIN and
AIM TO RECLAIM.
The motivation supplied by Bowman and the sting of losing to
Colorado could inspire Detroit to dethrone Dallas. The Wings
would have no chance, however, had the Lidstroms gone home.
Issue date: October 4, 1999
ALSO:
SI's Scouting Report Main Page
SI's Pierre McGuire Insider Rankings
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