LIDstrom Taken For Granted in Detroit

Nick Lidstrom is coming back to Detroit for at least one more season, announced today after he signed a reported 6-6.5 million dollar deal.

General Ken Holland is reported as saying the deal will leave him some room to resign the likes of Todd Bertuzzi, Tomas Holmstrom, Justin Abdelkader, and Darren Helm.

This is great news, so I tuned into some local sportstalk radio….

I was surprised to hear the backlash from fans today on my local sportstalk radio stations. Hopefully it’s just a vocal minority, but the amount of people that called in saying Lidstrom didn’t take enough of a “hometown” discount was disturbing.

I was ready to explain why Lidstrom is fully worth what ever the Wings end up paying him, but the fact that I I have to, and people don’t already know that he is worth 6-10 million dollars gives me more fuel to write something a little different.

For years Lidstrom has been consistent,productive, and darn near perfect on the blue line. A lot of other towns would just eat a guy like that up. Unfortunately for Nick Lidstrom, Detroit had already adopted its favorite son. For years under Yzerman’s shadow Lidstrom just did his job, Won Norris trophies, and went home to Sweden during the summer. Lidstrom was taken for granted.

By no means am I knocking the captain, he was great, but Lidstrom should be much closer to Yzerman in terms of respect than he is.

We’re a few years removed now from the legend of Steve Yzerman, and Lidstrom is captain. Still playing a nearly flawless game night in and night out, still producing, and still a top defenseman in the league. Still around Detroit Lidstrom does not have the respect he deserves. After 18 years many locals still pronounce his name “Lin-strom”, and what I heard today was worse. Fans mad Lidstrom didn’t take a “hometown” discount. Fans saying we should just let him go, and spend the money elsewhere. Lidstrom, still being taken for granted.

He is a top 3 D-man in the league, and the Wings get to pay him like Brian Rafalski.

Let him go?
You’re mad when Brandon Inge is asked to play catcher, but when it comes to paying Lidstrom what he has earned, you just say “let him go!”? “spend the money elsewhere”?

Lidstrom has been nothing but loyal to the Red Wings, Michigan, Detroit, and his fans.

If you add it all up, other than the Red Wing’s organization, who has been loyal back?

Answer: Nobody. Lidstrom did the right thing by his team resigning today, but he owes the fans here next to nothing. If Nick had agreed to a deal for five million, instead of 6, how much closer does that REALLY get you to winning a cup?

He takes a pay cut and that isn’t enough for Detroit fans. Nothing but great in Detroit, and that’s not enough for Detroit fans.

That being said, Welcome back Nick Lidstrom!

Hopefully today’s out burst was a vocal minority. If you agree or disagree, let me know below, or Email @ [e-mail]