DETROIT — We’ll learn Thursday at 11 a.m. whether Nicklas Lidstrom will return for another season in Detroit or retire.
And according to a source within the organization Lidstrom will be announcing his retirement.
Lidstrom will appear alongside general manager Ken Holland at the press conference.
When Lidstrom, 42, returned for his 20th season in Detroit last year the club did not hold a press conference to make the announcement, which led to speculation that his could be the end of the road for the seven-time Norris Trophy winner.
Lidstrom missed 11 games in the later part of the regular season with a deep ankle bruise and could never get back to full health.
“(I wasn’t) where I wanted to be,” Lidstrom said at the end of the season. “You want to be out there killing penalties, you want to be more in a rhythm but when you can’t do it, it’s hard to get that rhythm going.”
Lidstrom, who wound up missing a career-high 12 games this regular season, needed injections before games to dull the pain and it didn’t allow him play on the penalty kill.
“I felt it during practice a little bit when we were skating but I didn’t want to take too many shots (pain killing) for practices,” said Lidstrom, who turned 42 at the end of April. “Once the games were played it didn’t bother me at all.”
The seven-time Norris Trophy winner said the injury wouldn’t weigh on his decision to return for a 21st year with the Wings.
Lidstrom is a member of the exclusive “Triple-Gold” club, winning both an Olympic gold medal (2006) and an IIHF World Championship (1991) with Sweden in addition to the four Stanley Cups he won with the Red Wings.
He became the first European player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2002.
He took over the Wings captaincy when long-time teammate Steve Yzerman retired in 2006.
