Joe Sakic names Nick Lidstrom as toughest opponent

You just love to see the mutual respect from one sports legend to another - especially when the players were on opposite sides of arguably the fiercest rivalry in recent NHL memory. 

Former Colorado Avalanche captain and NHL Hall of Famer Joe Sakic recently divulged whom he believed to be the hardest player that he ever had to face over the course of his career during a Sportsnet Roundtable. And he didn't hesitate with his answer. 

”Nick Lidstrom, for sure,” Sakic said.

”He was faster than you, he was smarter than you, and he was just a guy that you could never beat one-on-one. He was tough to play.”

While Sakic gave his answer, he was joined by two of Lidstrom's former Red Wings teammates in Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull, both Hall of Famers themselves. Given the fact that they both played against and with the iconic blue liner, they almost certainly were nodding with agreement. 

Of course, Lidstrom is one of the premier sports figures not only in the city of Detroit, but in the history of hockey. And his nickname of "The Perfect Human" is well deserved, considering the numerous accolades that he earned during his legendary career. He won four Stanley Cup championships, seven James Norris Memorial Trophies (awarded to the NHL's top defenceman), one Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, and was voted into 12 NHL All-Star Games.

The Red Wings never missed the postseason during his career, the longest in league history for a player never missing the playoffs. He was the first European-born-and-trained captain of a Stanley Cup winning team, as well as the first European player named playoff MVP; he's also the all-time leader in games played with only one NHL team and by a European-born player.

Lidstrom was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on 9 November 2015, and was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history in 2017.