There’s not much to say about Nicklas Lidstrom that isn’t already said. Everyone with some hockey knowledge knows about his greatness and what an amazing player he was. And it’s no wonder, with how many cups and individual honors he won during his career.
Lidstrom, nicknamed ”Lidas” in Sweden and ”Mr. Perfect” in North America, was known for his defensive abilities, and you can almost count on one hand how many mistakes he made during his 20 years in the league.
Lidstrom was also the perfect captain for the Red Wings and a great ambassador for the team and the city of Detroit.
Nicklas Lidstrom played 1,564 games in the NHL and scored 264 goals and 1,142 points. If you play for 20 seasons in the best league in the world, you will face a lot of great players. And you will also face a lot of dirty players.
READ ALSO: 50-year-old Jaromir Jagr ties Wayne Gretzky’s incredible worldwide goal-scoring record
Guesting on the Swedish podcast Släpp Sargen, Lidström was asked about who’s the dirtiest player he ever played.
”I’ve played a lot of guys who tried to get under my skin. Brad Marchand was one of them. When I played him, he was still young, but he was that kind of player,” Lidstrom said.
”Brad May was another one. He always committed with his hits, always trash-talked after the whistle. He always tried to get to you.”
But one player stood out from the rest, Lidstrom said.
”Well, I don’t know if I want to say he’s the nastiest, but the player that stood out for me was Chris Pronger. He was a D-men, and so was I, so we didn’t have that many battles, but he was always there after a whistle. It was always something with him.”
But at the same time, Lidstrom admires Pronger.
”He was a fantastic player, but at the same time, he played dirty and tough, with cheap-shots all the time.”
