There was a strong indication last week that Lidstrom would return for his 20th season next year. This morning, according to the Detroit Red Wings' official website, Lidstrom and Ken Holland will announce that Lidstrom will in fact be returning:
The Red Wings got their man when legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told team officials last week that he will return for a 20th NHL season.
Terms of Lidstrom’s one-year contract were not finalized before today when the 41-year-old captain and general manager Ken Holland got together in Las Vegas.
Before the news popped up on the team's official website, their official Twitter feed announced an 11 a.m. media conference call involving Lidstrom and Holland, suggesting Lidstrom would return -- and, as many astutely pointed out, Lidstrom would never retire over a conference call.
I wasn't as sure as Sean last week that Babcock was talking purely on what he thought Lidstrom would do rather than what he might've known. The breaking news on the Red Wings' website quotes Babcock as saying he received Lidstrom's decision last Tuesday, around the same time he was quoted as saying, "He's too good. And our team is too good for him to quit," which -- I thought -- was too powerful of a quote from someone left completely in the dark on Lidstrom's inkling.
Obviously, it can't be overstated how great of news this is for the 2011-2012 Red Wings.
Lidstrom will find out this week whether or not he will earn his 7th career Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman.