It's been a foregone conclusion for a long time now that Nicklas Lidstrom's number 5 is going to hang from the rafters at Joe Louis Arena (and the new arena, whenever that's built). After deciding not to do the number retirement ceremony last season because the wounds of the lockout were still so very fresh,* the Red Wings will retire it this season but have yet to announce a date. In the spirit of trying to find material to write about during the offseason, I'll go game by game on the Red Wings' schedule (home games, obviously) and weigh the merits and pitfalls of holding the ceremony before that game.
October 2, 2013: 8:00ET vs. the Buffalo Sabres
Home opener. Using this game is quite bold and amibitious. You have the opening night ceremonies with the introduction of the entire Detroit Red Wings lineup and then another 30-60 minutes or so for Lidstrom's number retirement ceremony? I would hate to be the person in charge of coordinating everything if this were my assignment.
That Detroit will be playing in the Eastern Conference this season no doubt will interest many fans because we'll all see opponents we hardly ever did under the old divisional alignment. Unfortunately for Lidstrom's number retirement, this fact means that teams like the Sabres won't hold any special significance as "the perfect game" for the ceremonies. Of course, there's also the argument that the opponent really doesn't matter. I loved that Steve Yzerman's number retirement happened against the Anaheim Ducks because I got to watch the ceremony on local TV (since Los Angeles also gets the Anaheim games). But aside from that benefit for me, nothing about the Ducks really stood out in terms of Yzerman's career because most of what spawned the current rivalry with the Ducks happened in the '07 and '09 playoffs after Yzerman retired. If the opponent really mattered, maybe it would have happened against the Colorado Avalanche or Washington Capitals (when Yzerman won the Conn Smythe in the '98 playoffs). In Lidstrom's case, he probably has more teams with significant meaning than Yzerman did--the Pittsburgh Penguins, the same Colorado Avalanche, the Carolina Hurricanes--but it's still difficult to argue for a particular game just based on the opponent.
The best thing going for opening night's bid to retire Lidstrom's number is that it doesn't delay something that should have happened last season but for a wholly stupid and unnecessary lockout. Number 5 takes its rightful place up in the rafters where it should already be. NBC Sports Network broadcasting this game also provides a nice push as it potentially showcases the career and legacy of one of the greatest players ever to a wide audience hungry for hockey after what always feels like a terribly long offseason. But I think the sheer logistics of combining a number retirement ceremony with opening night festivities combined with each ceremony detracting from the other by holding them both in the same night means this game is out of the running.
Should the Red Wings retire Lidstrom's number before this game? NO.
*Considering Lidstrom endured two lockouts during his NHL career, I think holding it during the shortened season would have fit pretty well, despite the twisted symbolism.
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