Longtime Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this week. Two of his sons, Adam and Kevin, would like to follow in his footsteps.
Each is taking part in the Red Wings' developmental camp this weekend after playing in Sweden last season.
Adam Lidstrom, 19, is a forward who played for Vasteras of the SuperElit league, finishing with seven goals and 14 points in 40 games. Kevin Lidstrom, 21, is a defenseman who had one assist in 22 games for Enkopings of the third-tier Hockeyettan.
"It's a different kind of hockey [in Europe]," Adam Lidstrom said, according to the Detroit News. "It's more skill [oriented] and not as physical as here. I feel I've learned a lot over there."
According to Adam, his father isn't much of a vocal presence during practice.
"He's kind of quiet, he just sits and watches the game," he said. "He'll say a couple of things after the game to think about."
Nicklas Lidstrom was the 53rd player taken in the 1989 NHL Draft and spent his entire 20-year career with the Red Wings, finishing with 264 goals and 1,142 points in 1,564 games. He was a member of four Stanley Cup-winning teams, won the Norris Trophy seven times and was a 12-time All-Star. His No. 5 was retired by the Red Wings on March 6, 2014.
"It's a special feeling," Adam said when asked about wearing the Red Wings' jersey. "I've thought about it my whole life about wearing it, and now it will come true."
Todd Nelson, coach of the Red Wings' American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, will coach the developmental camp.
"I just saw the one [Lidstrom] playing forward," Nelson said Friday, according to Mlive.com. "For some reason I didn't catch the other one. I'm not playing favorites by any stretch of the imagination. But when you're running a practice, you're trying to get the flow of the practice.
"I saw a few sequences. [Adam] moves up and down the ice pretty well and makes some pretty smart plays."