Nicklas Lidstrom had his No. 5 jersey retired by the Red Wings on Thursday night. The seven-time Norris Trophy-winner joined the elite company of Steve Yzerman's 19, Gordie Howe's 9, Sid Abel's 12, Ted Lindsay's 7, Alex Delvecchio's 10 and Terry Sawchuk's 1 in the rafters of Joe Louis Arena. Lidstrom called the ceremony "a tremendous honor" and he delivered a heartfelt, well-written speech.

Nicklas Lidstrom will play for the Red Wings' alumni team in a Winter Classic contest against the Maple Leafs. The retired great will skate alongside other Hall of Fame Detroit players such as Mark Howe, Chris Chelios, Garry Unger and and Slava Fetisov as well as Chris Osgood, Mike Vernon, Brian Rafalski, Larry Murphy, Mickey Redmond and newly-retired Tomas Holmstrom. Lidstrom would still be the Wings' best defenseman if he were playing in the NHL right now.

The Detroit Red Wings will retire Nicklas Lidstrom's No. 5 on March 6 before a game against the Colorado Avalanche. Lidstrom resisted any temptation to return during the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign after retiring in May 2012. The Wings declined to retire his number this year because they thought the shortened season wouldn't allow them to give the event and Lidstrom their proper due.

Nicklas Lidstrom hasn't been tempted to back away from his retirement and return for another season. "Not to the point where I do this, come back," Lidstrom said. "I know how much fun playing is, but I also know what it takes to be there (on the ice) and that's something I can't do, be up to that level of play where I want to be and that's the reason I retired and I'm still retired." He went on to say that even if he had known that the 2012-13 campaign would be essentially cut in half due to the lockout, he still wouldn't have re-signed for one more season. Lidstrom will be remembered as one of the greatest defensemen of all-time, but his playing days are firmly behind him.

Nicklas Lidstrom was signed by DET on Friday January 18.

Nicklas Lidstrom's number will not be retired this season. Due to the shortened season, the Detroit Red Wings don't feel there's enough time to do the event justice. "We want to have a night for Nick like we did for Steve Yzerman," Red Wings GM Ken Holland said. "To try to put everything together in six weeks -- we're trying to get the business back up and running. It's a big deal to retire Nick's number. We want to do it right." Consequently, Lidstrom's number will be retired next season.

Detroit coach Mike Babcock talked to Nicklas Lidstrom on Tuesday and the future Hall of Fame defenseman doesn't plan on reconsidering his retirement. "First off, this is all a little blown out of proportion," Babcock said. "But we got to talking and I was asking Nick how his family was, how he was enjoying himself, and he said he was having a great time. He said he has been going to some (Swedish) Elite games recently, and it had gotten his blood racing again. But not to the point where he would be interested in putting his equipment on again." The 42-year-old ended his immaculate career following the 2011-12 season with 1,142 points and a plus-450 rating in 1,564 contests.

Nicklas Lidstrom won't be able to help the Detroit Red Wings directly as a player next season, but he'll use his hockey knowledge as a scout. Brendan Savage reports that Lidstrom will most likely work as a scout in Sweden, which isn't a huge surprise. This could be more than a gesture of gratitude because the team hasn't been landing quite as many European steals as they once did.

The Red Wings engaged their fans in a novel promotion this past week. They challenged them to honor recently retired future Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom by paying tribute to him in sidewalk art. The winning artist will receive an autographed hockey puck. If you are around Detroit check out the sidewalks!

Nicklas Lidstrom, 42, officially called it a career on Thursday after 20 NHL seasons. "Retiring today allows me to walk away from the game with pride, rather than have the game walk away from me," said the future Hall of Fame defenseman. He racked up 1,142 points, fourth most in franchise history, in 1,564 career games. Lidstrom captured four Stanley Cups as a member of the Wings and he was awarded with Norris Trophy, as the league's best defenseman, seven times. He concludes his playing days with a plus-450 plus-minus rating, which ranks him eighth in league history. The talented defender was also as gentlemenly off the ice as was on it, picking up just 514 minutes in penalties in his career. Lidstrom also had 183 points in 263 career postseason contests. We wish him the best in his retirement.