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NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest defensemen of all time

By Colton Pankiw

BOSTON - JANUARY 01: Bobby Orr #4 of the Boston Bruins and Bobby Clarke #16 of the Philadelphia Flyers share a laugh during pregame ceremonies on January 1, 2010 during the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
BOSTON - JANUARY 01: Bobby Orr #4 of the Boston Bruins and Bobby Clarke #16 of the Philadelphia Flyers share a laugh during pregame ceremonies on January 1, 2010 during the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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detroit red wings, nhl power rankings, nicklas lidstrom
Detroit Red Wings, Nicklas Lidstrom (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Nicklas Lidstrom

Swedish phenom Nicklas Lidstrom was arguably the best player on the late 90’s and early 2000’s Red Wings, which is saying something considering just how dominant they were. Though his offensive numbers don’t match Coffey’s, he could simply do it all.

One of the most shocking things about Lidstrom is the fact that he went undrafted during his first year eligible, and wasn’t taken until the Red Wings selected him with the 53rd pick at the 1989 NHL draft.

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Lidstrom won four Stanley Cup Championships (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008) with the Wings and played a monumental role in all four, including the 2002 Cup which saw him win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

He also took home the Norris Trophy seven times, and was a nominee for the award in 12 of his last 14 seasons. Statistically, his best season came during the 2005-06 season, where he posted 16 goals and 80 points in 80 games, while averaging a staggering 28:07 in ice time.

Lidstrom was also extremely successful on the international stage. The 2002 Olympics were extremely disappointing for Sweden, as they were upset in the quarter finals by Belarus.

In 2006, Lidstrom was not going to let Sweden go home disappointed for a second straight time, and scored the game winning goal in the Gold Medal game against Finland. With the gold medal, Lidstrom joined the Triple Gold Club, the other two being his Stanley Cups and a World Championship gold medal in 1991.

One other remarkable Lidstrom stat is that he never once missed the playoffs in his 20 seasons, which is the longest streak ever by an NHL player. By the time those 20 seasons ended, with the last coming in 2011-2012, he had played 1,564 regular season games, scoring 264 goals and adding 878 assists. He also played in an incredible 263 playoff games, where he put up 54 goals and 129 assists. He is the greatest Swedish defenceman of all time.

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