Western Conference Hottie REWIND: Niklas Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings)

[Delicious UPDATE thanks to loyal HftL follower, Deanna!!]
I really don't think I have to preface this with much, but Deanna posted a link in the "comments" which revealed the most BEAUTIFUL pics of Lidstrom from the Swedish magazine, Café.  CLICK HERE to read the article courtesy of "Google Translate." Um ... thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Deanna!!! ; )

YOWZA, mommy!!
(wait ... I can't see ...)
LOL!!

I'm guessing that alot of you are missing HftL's regularly scheduled posts as much as I am (aside from the fact that we get new readers / followers on a regular basis who may have missed some of our delectable offerings that have already been "covered"), so I decided that something is better than NOTHING and that I will "REWIND" to those irresistible players that have already been featured here on the blog (when it's a little "slower" around here). I hope none of you ladies have any objections, but I really doubt that you will - who doesn't want to re-explore "conquered" territory?!!

; )

THE FIRST "REWIND" IS DETROIT'S NIKLAS LIDSTROM(original post date - October 29, 2008; written by Kena L. with a few comments of my own thrown in) 

Before submitting myself to all of your conjectures, let me reiterate that I am not a Red Wings fan. That being said, I can't help but notice hot guys where ever I find them and now that I've admitted to that, lets get on to the good stuff, shall we? Great.

Here we have Niklas Lidstrom. I think he's the first defenseman we've scrutinized in this series (of articles) so far. Which is kind of strange, considering the fact that one of my favorite things about hockey is watching good defense. Oh well, onward...

IMPORTANT HOCKEY STUFF: It's hard to prove your mettle as a defenseman with numbers, but Nicklas Lidstrom has won pretty much every single honor of distinction available to someone who's specialty is defense. Starting with those 5 (I might be one off in either direction) Norris Trophies, Olympic Gold Medal, several World Championships, etc. He's the only European to ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has 10 appearances in the All-Star game. His coach says that “he's the most professional person (in fact, he's so professional he rarely gets any penalty minutes which is unusual for a player who has caught my eye), I've ever seen,” and “he just doesn't make any mistakes.” When I get to watch, I always see him setting down there, just waiting like a cat to pounce on some unsuspecting forward. Yes, he's that good.

THE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: 6'1” 198lbs. Dark blond hair (which he thankfully keeps fairly short), with one of the most dangerous looking blue-eyed stares I think I've ever seen. [This video demonstrates it well - it starts at about 6 sec. in] I mean, the intensity of his stare is highly disconcerting. Kinda makes you want squirm, (and not just in a good way, either). In fact, he actually does make me squirm. I have every confidence that if he were in law enforcement, he could simply stare at criminals and they would confess every traffic ticket they ever received. It's no wonder everyone finds it hard to score on him. I'd really like to try, though (and I don't just mean hockey with that statement either). In other bonuses, he's got 4 beautiful boys (all of which are blond), so I get to be jealous of that too.

I can't imagine what it would be like challenging him on the blue line. Enough can not be said about his leadership capabilities. He leads by example. Nothing ever flusters him (although, again I'd like to try, [sly grin]).

[there's really no denying that Lidstrom is sexy - an attractive older man - distinguished (look at the bottom pictures). Kena will laugh at me for this!]