yeah i mean, definitely two guys of a different class, but in terms of the all-star appearances.. the first few were earned, after that it just becomes an old boys club where you just bring the same people back. even in the years where lidstrom was getting more points than bourque when they played together, bourque was being selected as an all-star when lidstrom wasn't. it's a business thing, more than anything. like keeping clinging onto the hope that brett favre will somehow have a miracle season again. people want to see the name, and lidstrom couldn't break in until all those old dogs retired and people could actually start to witness the talent.
that's one thing me and my dad always talk about. it's so shitty how people will play in the nhl (or any professional sports league for that matter) long after they should have retired (claude lemieux had a brief comeback, chelios played until he was like 45 just for shits) and all it does is delay someone else a spot in the line-up. a future star who doesn't get a chance because the old guys wont leave. and we allow it, because sports are really just a business and whatever name sells more seats or jerseys is what takes precedence. like the whole notion of crosby being this childhood protege is obviously going to drive him to succeed in the nhl because he's got the world on his side. he's an unbelievable player, but i have no doubt that he's better because everyone had been prematurely convinced it would be so. shit, even i could get some points in the nhl if you put me on the powerplay with a couple future hall-of-famers (i'm referring to when he broke into the league and played with john leclair and mark recchi). the old self-fulfilling prophecy thing. you want it to work, so it does, just like we all wanted crosby to be a star, and it became so.
but any way, enough with that tangent.
i still like lidstrom over coffey, bourque, mcinnis, harvey, orr, all those guys. i don't know why, but i just cannot find a single flaw with his game or character. he's everything you raise your child to become in terms of a professional athlete, from his work ethic, to his leadership, sportsmanship, and production at both ends. all while sporting the C for a team that would currently be referred to as a modern dynasty.
