Sports Illustrated recently released a list of the greatest NHL players by number and quite a few Red Wings are on the list. But perhaps one of the more obvious ones is not.
↵Six-time Norris trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, considered by some the best defenseman ever, is not listed as the best to wear No. 5. That distinction went to Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders dynasty of the 1980s.
↵Potvin (310 goals, 742 assists, 1052 points) and Lidstrom (237 goals, 809 assists, 1046 points) have almost identical numbers offensively, so maybe they gave the edge to Potvin based on his slight advantage. Lidstrom's has six Norris trophies as the league's top defenseman, doubling that of Potvin (three) and they both have four Stanley Cups. Lidstrom also has a Conn Smythe (2002) to his credit as the most valuable player of the playoffs.
↵You can't go wrong with either choice here, but it seems that Lidstrom would have the edge in this matchup.
↵Other Red Wings were able to avenge their current captain's exclusion, however. Henrik Zetterberg was awarded No. 40 and Pavel Datsyuk beat out Mats Sundin for No. 13. Below are the Red Wings that made the list.
↵1- Terry Sawchuk
9- Gordie Howe
13- Pavel Datsyuk
14- Brendan Shanahan
19- Steve Yzerman
24- Chris Chelios
40- Henrik Zetterberg
91- Sergei Fedorov
96- Tomas Holmstrom