Trailing the San Jose sharks 3-0 in the Western Conference Semis and with their playoff lives at stake, the Detroit Red Wings turned to a 41-year-old man to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive. Fortunately for Detroit that old man is not just any 41-year-old defensemen, it happens to be Nicklas Lidstrom. As LBS reader SpinMax pointed out, Lidstrom still has it despite his age. We sort of already knew that when he played through testicle surgery in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. Lidstrom scored two goals for the Red Wings Friday night, one of which was particularly amazing. Check out the Nicklas Lidstrom skipping puck goal video:
I hope I can do anything athletic when I’m 41, let alone pick a corner on a hockey net and put a puck that is hovering about a foot over the ice into that spot. Given his age, it’s tough to say whether or not Lidstrom will be back with the Red Wings next season. One thing is for certain: if he retires, it won’t be because he can no longer play.
