Nicklas Lidstrom

Swedish professional hockey player Nicklas Lidstrom is an All-Star defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League. He won the James Norris Trophy, as the league's top defenseman, six times.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8457063&view=bio

In 2011, Lidstrom was named a captain of one of the teams at the 2011 NHL All-Star Game as selected by the participating players. He will lead Team Lidstrom at the event which takes place on January 30, 2011, at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal was named the captain of the opposing team. As captains, both received the honor of drafting their teammates for the NHL All-Star Game using a pool of skaters, goaltenders and rookies selected by fans and the NHL Hockey Operations Department.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=549749

Growing up in Sweden, Lidstrom played in the Swedish Elitserien, or the Swedish Elite League for three seasons starting in 1998, before joining the NHL. In 1991, he joined the Detroit Red Wings for his rookie NHL season.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8457063&view=bio

Lidstrom represented Sweden in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. He led the team to the gold medal, after defeating Team Finland in the final game. Lidstrom returned to the Olympics in 2010, however Sweden was eliminated in the quarterfinals.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8457063&view=bio

Following his first NHL All-Star Game selection in 1996, Lidstrom won the Stanley Cup Championship with the Red Wings in both 1997 and 1998. In 2001, he was selected for his first James Norris Memorial Trophy, as the top defenseman in the NHL. The following year, he won the Stanley Cup again with the Wings.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8457063&view=bio

Following the 2006 retirement of Red Wings captain, Steve Yzerman, Lidstrom was named captain starting in the 2006-07 regular season. In 2008, he led the Wings to another Stanley Cup Championship, becoming the first European player to captain a team to the championship in the NHL.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8457063&view=bio