Nicklas Lidstrom goes down as one of the top five defensemen in the history of hockey.
But as Art Regner of the Detroit Free Press tells us Lidstrom himself never had any dreams his career would be as prolific as it became.
Even back in 1989, the Wings saw something in the Swedish teenager that he didn't see in himself.
"When I first came over, I think I signed a three-year contract and I was just hoping to make the team," Lidstrom said last week. "I didn't know anything about the team, except for Stevie (Yzerman) being on the team.
"If I didn't make it, I could always go back and play in Sweden, but I wanted to make a career out of it over here. But I wasn't sure if I was good enough to do it."
Regner goes on to tell us how Lidstrom's appearance as a teenager at the 1991 Canada Cup really cemented everyone's belief that he was going to be one heck of a player. But even then certainly no one was predicting a career that included 7 Norris Trophies and 4 Stanley Cups.
On Thursday that career will conclude with Lidstrom's jersey #5 going to the rafters in Detroit. He is a slam dunk Hall of Famer in 2015, as well.
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