Former NHLer Critical Of Red Wings Icon Lidstrom

Former NHL defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was offering a holiday message to Detroit Red Wings legend Nicklas Lidstrom and it wasn’t Merry Christmas.

Visnovsky is of the opinion that Lidstrom stole his Norris Trophy. In an interview with the Slovak version of NHL.com, Visnovsky is insisting he should have won the award as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2010-11. That was the season in which Lidstrom was winning his seventh Norris Trophy.

During the 2010-11 campaign, Visnovsky was leading all NHL rearguards with 68 points. He would score 18 goals and finish with a plus-18 rating.

By contrast. Lidstrom would finish the season with 16-50-66 totals and a minus-two rating.

“Yes. I won it comfortably by six points over Nicklas Lidstrom, who already had six awards and was just finishing his career,” Visnovsky said. “I was +18, he was -2, but I still didn’t even make it into the top three.”

In the voting for the Norris Trophy that season, Lidstrom would earn 736 points, edging Shea Weber (727) of the Nashville Predators to win his seventh Norris Trophy. Zdeno Chara (688) of the Boston Bruins wound up third in Norris balloting.

Thinking about Lubomir Visnovsky getting absolutely skunked for the Norris in 2010-11

— Connor (@91_Pluty) December 20, 2024

“I finished fourth and Lidström won his seventh Norris Trophy,” Visnovsky said.

Visnovsky would garner 573 points. He had 20 first-place votes. By comparison, Lidstrom was placing first on 35 ballots, Chara on 33 and Weber on 32.

Only Orr Won More than Red Wings Lidstrom

That season would also see Lidstrom wind up second to Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Lady Byng Trophy voting and 19th in Hart Trophy balloting.

Bobby Orr’s eight Norris Trophy wins are the only to rank ahead of Lidstrom on the all-time list. Doug Harvey would join Lidstrom with seven Norris Trophy wins.

Happy 48th birthday to Lubomir Visnovsky! The former @LAKings defenseman was born on August 11, 1976.#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/rVXEENd9UU

— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) August 11, 2024

At the age of 40 in 2011, Lidstrom remains the oldest winner of the Norris Trophy. Today the vice-president of hockey operations for the Red Wings, Lidstrom’s other Norris Trophy wins came in 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Though he never won the Norris Trophy, Visnovsky was a six-time winner as top defenseman in the Slovak Premier League.