Joe Sakic is a true legend. He’s widely acknowledged as one of the best players of all time, and the NHL has barely seen a better leader than Sakic on the ice or in the locker room.
Nicknamed Burnaby Joe, Sakic played in 13 All-Star games and led the Colorado Avalanche to two Stanley Cup titles. He was also named the MBP in both those seasons.
Sakic wasn’t just a great leader. He rarely played a bad game, he always led by example, and two 40 goals seasons prove it. He also earned 100 points in six different seasons. Sakic was a tough guy to play, and he wasn’t one to quit or give up.
Sakic wasn’t just a smart player, he was great in the physical play, and although he wasn’t the tallest guy in the league, he was quite impossible to bully.
Joe Sakic played in 1,378 games over a 20-season career, and during those years, Sakic played some of the best defensemen the league has ever seen. But when he was asked who, out of all his opponents over the years, was the toughest, he didn’t hesitate one bit. It didn’t even take him a split second to respond to the question from Dave Amber during a Sportsnet Roundtable with Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.
”Nick Lidstrom. For sure,” Sakic said.
He then gave a motivation that few people can argue against.
”He was faster than you, he was smarter than you, and he was just a guy that you could never beat one-on-one. He was tough to play.”
Recently, Nicklas Lidstrom was selected as the No. 8 in The Athletic’s ranking of the greatest players in modern NHL history. Lidstrom won seven Norris and four Stanley Cups. Last year, he was selected as the best Swedish player of all time.
