He planned to be an electrical engineer and hesitated to move to Detroit at first because he wanted to play for his native country in the 1992 Olympics.

In today’s edition of Detroit Red Wings revisited, a series designed to distract while the hockey world is shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we look back at Nicklas Lidstrom on his 50th birthday.

He became a member of the franchise at the 1989 draft, and ended up being a key member of four Stanley Cup championships and succeeding Steve Yzerman as the team’s captain. Even before he retired in 2012, Lidstrom was regarded as one of the best defenseman to ever play the game.

Here is a look at his life and career.

[ Before Al the Octopus, the Detroit Red Wings had the Red Winger ]

The early years (1970-79)

Born April 28, 1970, Lidstrom grew up in Hogbo, a small town on the outskirts of Avesta, roughly two hours northwest of Stockholm. It sounds improbable given the supremely calm-tempered adult he grew up to be, but Lidstrom was a rambunctious child, chasing his two older sisters around with a bandy stick. In his biography, The Pursuit of Perfection, Lidstrom’s father, Jan-Erik, said Lidstrom would steal apples from the neighbor's trees.

At age 7, Lidstrom started playing street hockey with his friends. The first time he put on skates was at an outdoor rink.

Hockey takes hold (1980-89)

At age 14, Lidstrom began playing midget hockey with Avesta BK. If he couldn’t make a practice, he’d skate on soccer fields converted to rinks in winter. Lidstrom tried playing both forward and defense, but liked defense better because it meant he could see the play develop in front of him. He dreamed of making it to the NHL, and idolized countryman Borje Salming, who at the time played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

At 17, he started playing for Vasteras IK in Sweden’s second division, and a year later, debuted in the top league (now known as the Swedish Hockey League). Lidstrom caught the attention of Christer Rockstrom, the Wings’ top European scout. He pushed the Wings to draft Lidstrom, then 19, in the third round, 53rd overall, at the 1989 draft in Bloomington, Minnesota.

“He wasn’t very big or strong, but he was very talented,” senior vice president Jimmy Devellano later recalled. “Christer really pushed him.”

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Coming to America (1990-99)

Lidstrom studied electrical engineering, and drove a truck during a year’s service in the military (he got time off daily to continue his hockey career). He hesitated to join the Wings in 1991 because it meant forgoing the Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, but second thoughts evaporated as Lidstrom tallied 60 points his rookie year in the NHL. He finished second to Pavel Bure for the 1992 Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie.

In 1994, Lidstrom and Annika, who married in 1998, welcomed Kevin, the first of four sons. On June 7, 1997, he hoisted the Stanley Cup, playing a key role in ending the Wings' 42-year drought.

He was named an alternate captain in 1997-98, and added a second Cup in 1998, finished those playoffs with 19 points in 22 games.

The golden years (2000-09)

Lidstrom won his first Norris Trophy in 2001, at age 31. The next spring, he tied Brett Hull with 18 points in 23 playoff games, fourth-most on one of the best teams ever assembled. Lidstrom won his third Stanley Cup and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

In 2006, he scored the winning goal in the gold-medal game at the Torino Olympics, joining the triple gold club (Olympic and World Championship gold, and a Stanley Cup).

He was named captain in 2006, the natural successor after Yzerman retired. In 2008, Lidstrom became the first European born-and-raised captain to win the Stanley Cup. A week later, he was awarded the Norris Trophy for the third straight year and sixth time of his career.

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The later years (2010-present)

Lidstrom won the last of seven Norris trophies in 2011, at age 41. He retired in 2012, saying he no longer felt he could go through the offseason workouts necessary to play at the level he demanded of himself.

He played 20 seasons for the Wings, during which they never missed the playoffs. He missed only 44 games during his career. His 1,564 games is the most games played by a player for one franchise. His 263 playoff games are a franchise record and second overall in NHL history behind former teammate Chris Chelios’ 266 games.

Lidstrom officially announced his retirement May 31, 2012, and the next weekend, he and Annika took out a full-page ad in local papers to say thank you to metro Detroit after calling the area home for two decades.

With the 2012-13 season shortened to 48 games because of a labor dispute, the Wings opted to retire Lidstrom’s No. 5 in March 2014. He was a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 2015.

The Lidstroms returned to Sweden in 2012, and live in their lakefront home in Avesta. Lidstrom has kept busy coaching his sons and occasionally scouting for the Wings.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.