ED: I wrote this back in April on my previous blog, but this was the post that inspired my un-retirement because of the fun I had writing it, and I wanted MORE FUN!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was watching the Red Wings game last night, and Lidstrom wound up and fired a 'weak' 90 mph slapshot (I'm guesstimating, of course). For whatever reason, I started thinking about how I'm gonna miss Ken Daniels casually saying Lidstrom's name. Daniels began pleading for Lidstrom to come back next year, and the inevitable "What happens when he's gone" thoughts creep through your mind. We've already seen what happens when he's out with an injury:
The suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked
Obviously, when Lidstrom decides to retire, hopefully in 25 years, the Wings will do something severe to replace him. It won't just be "Recall (Insert unprepared, way too young guy) from the Griffins." They will take Lidstrom's 6 million salary and get themselves a bossy defenseman.
Speaking of which, I was doing some thinking, and even if Lidstrom plays another year at around 6 million, the Wings could afford Ryan Suter AND Zach Parise. They already have cap space to play with, and with Stuart likely heading back to the west coast, that frees up more space. After Suter becomes a Wing, Holland will look at his roster and say, "Would I rather have Jiri Hudler and unused cap space, or Zach Parise with little cap room?" The choice is obvious.
Am I digressing? You betcha. The reason I bring all of this up, is I started to wonder where Nick Lidstrom ranks on the list of all-time Detroit greats. There are many throughout time. Ty Cobb, Alan Trammell, Joe Schmidt, Bobby Layne, Gordie Howe, etc. However, I have never seen them play, and sports have changed throughout the years. So I give you...
Kevbo's top 5 Detroit athletes of the last 25 years:
First...
The Honorable Mentions:
This part of the list was the most difficult. The top 4 are pretty obvious. However, that 5th spot was tough. Henrik Zetterberg has an argument, being one of the best two-way players in hockey, also earning a Conn Smythe for MVP of the playoffs. Miguel Cabrera also has a claim, being the best hitter in baseball right now. It came down to three guys though.
HM1: Justin Verlander. Pitcher. Boss. Rookie of the year in 2006. MVP, Cy Young, 1st place in the Pinewood Derby, probably. Every time I watch him pitch, I get the feeling I got when I first saw Goodfellas. If he keeps this up, he will be the best pitcher in Tigers history. Plenty of time to do that. (ED: I have mentally updated Verlander to 5a. after Datsyuk)
HM2: Chauncey B-B-B-Billups. This was a tough one. Mr. Big Shot. The point guard and court general of the 2004 NBA Champions. He lead the team to what, 6 straight conference finals? He was the leader of the "Going to Work" Pistons, and I don't think he was truly appreciated until he was traded for Allen Iverson, a move in which everyone, myself included, thought was necessary and excellent. When he left, the team fell apart, and now they are rebuilding.
Now to the list.
5. Pavel Datsyuk
I can already hear a couple of you attempting to call out my Red Wing bias. Those are probably voices in my head, but regardless, of course Datsyuk gets the nod here. When you have the most successful franchise in the city, and one of the best in the country, the list is gonna be dominated by players from that franchise. Also, DID YOU SEE THOSE HIGHLIGHTS OH MY WORD. He's the best player in the league. Am I biased? Sure. Take away my bias, is he still the best player in the world? Yes yes.
Also, he likes James Brown.
4. Isiah Thomas.
Bush!
Watch this video if you love early 90's VHS recordings.
I was just a wee lad when Isiah was taking over the NBA with his massive inferiority complex. Like Billups, he was the court general for this back-to-back NBA championship team. If it wasn't for a wrist injury to Thomas, that darn Jordan guy, or old age, these guys probably would have won a couple more. He's one of those players I wish I could've seen more of.
Top 3 after the jump
Top 3 after the jump