Lidstrom On Larkin: 'It's Gonna Be Fun To Watch Him In The Years To Come'
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Nicklas Lidstrom spent years dazzling Red Wings fans. But in retirement, he's finding that he can play the role of the dazzled, instead of the dazzler.
Like most of the rest of the hockey-watching population, Lidstrom has been impressed with 19-year-old rookie Dylan Larkin. Although he's tied for fifth in the league now at plus-21, Larkin spent a significant portion of the season leading the NHL in plus-minus. He has 19 goals and 20 assists on the season. And he casually broke the speed record for the All-Star weekend's Fastest Skater competition in January – a record that had held for longer than Larkin has been alive.
So it's no surprise Lidstrom can spend some time simply appreciating the talent in the organization he retired from in 2012.
"I think Larkin is sticking out, the season he's had so far," Lidstrom said Tuesday night before his ceremonial puck drop at Joe Louis Arena to commemorate his Hockey Hall of Fame induction. "Being a rookie, being a 19-year-old in the league and playing so well, and continuing to play so well too throughout – we're what? Sixty games into the season, and he's still playing well. As a rookie you can play real well in the first half but then you kind of hit the grind of an NHL season. But he's just been plugging along and playing well."
Since Larkin's first game for Detroit (which he started and scored in) Red Wings fans have put him in the unenviable position of being compared to all-time great Steve Yzerman. Yzerman was also a flash of youth and talent who got started as a teenager. From his first start and his first goal to his first All-Star appearance, Larkin has done plenty this season that's fallen under the category "first to do so since Yzerman."
Although Lidstrom said he wasn't as familiar with Yzerman's earliest NHL days, he knows Larkin's career could move along the same trajectory.
"I didn't see Stevie when he was that age, but I've heard how good he was, and I've heard the comparisons too," Lidstrom said. "When I came, Stevie was an established captain and he was in his mid-20s. But Larkin's got a bright future in front of him. It's gonna be fun to watch him in the years to come."
A huge part of what makes Larkin appointment TV for so many hockey fans is that blazing speed. It may have been surprising that he broke such a long-standing speed record at All-Star festivities. But Red Wings fans who have watched him all season have seen the 19-year-old virtually turn into a cartoon character when his legs get going.
That speed may be rare, and even the best in hockey. But according to Lidstrom, it's also a representation of the changing NHL – a league that has seen evolution even since his own playing days in 2012.
"Just the speed he (Larkin) has and some of the youth around the league too – I've been retired coming up on four years now, and it seems like the pace is even faster than when I retired," Lidstrom said. "It seems like the game is getting faster and faster. The players are getting better. They're all in great shape. There aren't any lines where you can say, 'That's a fourth liner,' because they all can play against the top lines. There's so much parity in the league. Even going back four years, we didn't see that."
Larkin has been a major cog in the Wings' season, which stands at 30-20-11 (good for third in the Atlantic Division). A 24-year playoff streak is hanging over Detroit, and it's a hotly competitive race to the finish. Within that Atlantic Division, the Wings have a one-point lead over Boston, and are just three points behind division leader Florida.
Outside of the day-to-day competition, in retirement, Lidstrom has been enjoying both the parity of the league and the unique show that is Larkin.
"I think they're a very good team, a very fast team," he said of the Wings. "The league is so close now. If you lose a couple games, you can drop. If you win a couple games, you move up. It's such a tight race and it makes it real exciting. It's almost like playoff hockey now, and you've got 20-some games left to play. Every game matters. Every point matters. That's making for exciting hockey."
