It's that time of the year again: time to pose the question: "Will Nicklas Lidstrom retire this offseason?" True, the Detroit Red Wings are still in the playoffs and aren't a team you should ever count out (despite the fact that they're one loss away from being eliminated), but it's worth looking at now, with the regular season having reached its end.
Lidstrom will be 42 years-old this month (on April 28) and has played 20 seasons in the NHL, all of them with the Red Wings. Well, Lidstrom has already been asked whether or not he'll retire, and the Detroit Free Press wrote about it on Thursday:
Lidstrom very patiently answered that question today the same way he has answered it every other time it has been brought up this season -- or last year, for that matter: He'll wait till after the season is over, talk it over with his wife, then decide.
He's definitely not the type to manufacture a story - Lidstrom will make a calculated decision and announce it once the season is over. The last two offseasons have come with questions about Lidstrom and his future in the NHL, and it looks like this one won't be any different. Mike Babcock, the Red Wings coach, did have something to say on the matter:
"I'd be shocked if he retires," Babcock said. "But I've been shocked before."
We'll find out if Babcock will be shocked once the playoffs wrap up for the Red Wings.
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