The Detroit Red Wings will raise Nicklas Lidstrom’s No. 5 to the rafters of Joe Louis Arena prior to a game against the Colorado Avalanche on March 6.
Lidstrom, who announced his retirement on May 31, 2012, spent his entire 20-year career with the Red Wings where he four Stanley Cups. The seven-time Norris Trophy winner finished his illustrious career with 264 goals and 1,142 points in 1,564 regular season games, the second most in franchise history.
“For a long time, there was no doubt in ownership’s and management’s mind that Nicklas Lidstrom would play his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings and that his sweater would fittingly go up into the rafters along with the other all-time greatest Red Wing players — Abel, Delvecchio, Howe, Lindsay, Sawchuk and Yzerman,” Detroit’s senior vice-president Jim Devellano said in a press release on Thursday.
Lidstrom was Detroit’s third-round pick, 53rd overall, in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.
