Nicklas Lidstrom announces his retirement from Detroit Red Wings after 20 years
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Nicklas Lidstrom announcing his retirement from professional hockey, May 31, 2012. PHOTO BY: Chris Jones
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 05/30/2012
DETROIT (WXYZ) - Nicklas Lidstrom has officially announced that he will retire from the Detroit Red Wings.
Red Wings Executive Vice President, General Manager Ken Holland and team captain Nicklas Lidstrom were present for the news conference which was held at Joe Louis Arena.
Lidstrom says his strength and agility are not where they are supposed to stay on with the Wings.
"My drive and motivation are not where they need to be to play at this level. And that's why I've decided to retire," said Lidstrom.
Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Red Wings spoke at the news conference regarding the big announcement.
"It is one of the most emotional days in Red Wings history with Nick retiring," said Ilitch.
The seven-time Norris Trophy winner will indeed call it quits after a 20-year career with the Red Wings.
Lidstrom played his first game for the Red Wings in 1991. He was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams - 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. He also played in the Stanley Cup Final in 1995 and 2009.
In 20 seasons, Lidstrom never failed to play in the postseason, finishing his career with 263 playoff games to his credit.
There had been speculation since the end of the season that Lidstrom was considering retirement, but he said as recently as last month that he was still undecided.
He suffered a deep bone bruise in his right ankle this season which caused him to miss 11 games.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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