Perfect Game for the Perfect Human: 10-12-13 vs. Philadelphia

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, projected to be finished in 2017). 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 12, 2013: 7:00ET vs. the Philadelphia Flyers

Wouldn't it be nice to shove highlights of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals right in the faces of Flyers fans?

Once more, with feeling.

I should get back on topic. Moreso than the first two opponents in the Sabres and in the Coyotes, Philadelphia would be a grand opponent to host the number retirement. Compared to the lack of history between the Red Wings and Sabres on the ice and despite the recent success Lidstrom and the Red Wings had against the Coyotes, Lidstrom helped end Detroit's 42-year Stanley Cup drought with a series sweep of the Flyers in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals. Even though it's a small sample size 7-game series, and even though that series was 16 years ago, it's still an important part of the Red Wings' modern history, especially in the context of the current run of 22 straight playoff appearances and as the kickstarter of the dynastic run between '97 and '08 and of the Red Wing Renaissance started by Steve Yzerman.

I said this about the first two games, and it'll very likely still apply through all the home games in October: this game is still early enough in the season that it looks like they're trying to get Lidstrom's number up into the rafters where it belongs, and where it should have been last season except for that pesky lockout. (Side note: I'm really tempted to start #peskylockout on Twitter.) Any game in November and beyond could still be a good candidate, but it won't have the "early season game" reason going for it that would support the assumption that the Red Wings want to get this done as soon as possible. What's that quote? "Be quick, but don't hurry." Lidstom's number retirement should be done right, of course, and the Perfect Human will get a perfect number retirement ceremony (assuming the visiting team cooperates), so it shouldn't be rushed, but there really shouldn't be any reason that doesn't involve "Lidstrom can't make it" to delay the ceremony very long into the season.

Pretty much the only reason I wouldn't want to use this game as the number retirement game is the possibility that the Red Wings would lose to Steve Mason. Any special significance attached to any game has the risk of being at least partially ruined by the home team losing, but I most certainly wouldn't want to taint the Perfect Human's record by having "Red Wings losing to Steve Mason and the Flyers on Lidstrom number retirement night" become a part of his perfect biography. Then again, there's also the narrative of most Red Wings teams over the past decade losing to teams they should beat handily.

Should the Red Wings retire Lidstrom's number before this game? MAYBE.

Perfect Game for the Perfect Human: 10-10-13 vs. Phoenix

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 10, 2013: 7:30ET vs. the Phoenix Coyotes

I should clarify that the number retirement is in Detroit, not* in Phoenix.

There's certainly a history of recent postseason success against the Coyotes that could make part of the career highlight montage. And there's the fact that Phoenix has basically become a second home for the Detroit Red Wings, so I guess you could say that one bad thing about the new divisional alignment is that Detroit will have fewer home games since they won't play in Phoenix as often.

This game is Detroit's second home game of the season, but 8 days after their home opener. Since they won't have opening night festivities to deal with like against Buffalo, they could have a night dedicated to Lidstrom AND still have the number retirement happen as soon as possible. Granted, considering Detroit goes on a brief road trip after the home opener, it won't be as soon as we'd like, but we can always complain about other scheduling issues that are bound to come up during a Winter-Olympic-break-including regular season.

The other thing I've been considering but haven't been able to find information for is if Detroit already has a schedule of promotions they plan on holding during the season (aside from the obvious Winter Classic related events and the Winter Classic itself). Might be awkward to hold Lidstrom's number retirement on the same night they do a hypothetical Pavel Datsyuk bobblehead night. (Side note: If someone can make, market, promote, and distribute Datsyuk dangle-puck dolls or make paddle balls except with Datsyuk's stick and a puck, I will love you forever.) On the other hand, it would be fitting if they held the retirement the same night as a hypothetical Swedish Heritage Night.

Should the Red Wings retire Lidstrom's number before this game? MAYBE.

*RIP Ruslan Salei

Addendum: Yzerman's number retirement ceremony was announced on August 31, 2006, and the ceremony was schedule for January 2, 2007. I'm not necessarily arguing that Lidstrom's number retirement announcement and game selection will follow a similar pattern, but it's something to go off of. At this rate, I could possibly get through about 15 games or so before we hear an official announcement for Lidstrom's ceremony date. If I could, I would use one of my Winging It in Motown BOLD Predictions to select which date the ceremony would be, but I don't think the Red Wings are going to wait that long before making an official announcement.

Perfect Game for the Perfect Human: 10-2-13 vs. Buffalo

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.