Blackhawks' Keith, Oduya reveal their NHL idols
During the Stanley Cup playoffs, we're asking some Blackhawks to tell us which player they grew up idolizing. We'll share their story on each game day.
Duncan Keith and Johnny Oduya both chose Ray Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom, but both talked more about Linstrom.
"Tried to study his game and try to implement things a little bit as best I could," said Keith, speaking of Lidstrom. "It seemed like he very rarely made mistakes. He always put the puck in the hands of a player where they were in a good position to succeed or make a good play. He never really put his teammates in a bad spot. There's a million things that you could talk about with him, but those are a couple that stick out."
Keith grew up wearing Bourque's No. 77, and Oduya played with Lidstrom in the Olympics in Vancouver. What was it like playing with him?
"I mean, it's cool," Oduya said. "Any time you come to the NHL, you play against a lot of guys you watched. It was fun, especially in the Olympics.
"You always play against guys, but it's a little bit different when you play with them. You watch what they do and see how good they are on a consistent basis."
Lidstrom played in 1,564 games in a career that went from 1991-2012. He piled up 183 points in 263 postseason games and won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings.
- John Dietz