Q. Where will Nicklas Lidstrom rank among the game's all-time best defensemen when he retires? Obviously, there is only one Bobby Orr, but Lidstrom's consistent play is amazing. He's almost plus-400 in his career! Who's the career leader in that category?
— Greg Galpin from Mich.
A. Agreed, Greg, Lidstrom is a slick and amazing blueliner, and appears to be on track to win the Norris Trophy (top defenseman)for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Scott Niedermayer won it with the Devils in 2004 to break the string, and prior to this amazing run, Lidstrom was also the runnerup for three straight seasons.

What's not to like? Lidstrom is a top-notch skater, a seemingly effortless puckhandler, and a dangerous and deft shooter. That about says it all, right? And like Bourque, the most consistent peformer I've seen in any sport, Lidstrom does it all consistently and reliably. No doubt he will join contemporaries such as Bourque, Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis and Larry Murphy in the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, guaranteed.

At the All-Star break, Lidstrom had a plus-378 plus/minus ranking, tops among all active NHLers. The only one close was fellow Red Wing ChrisChelios (+349), who is the only other active NHLer over 300.

The record holder in the NHL's ''expansion-era'' is ex-Montreal great Larry Robinson (+730), followed by Orr (+597), Bourque (+528) and Wayne Gretzky. But keep in mind, as pointed out by Bob Waterman of the Elias Sports Bureau, Robinston played 1,348 career games, compared to Orr's 657. Conceivably, Orr could have cracked 1,000, if his knees hadn't given out from under him.

Q. What's really going on with the Lightning? It's getting hard to watch. Will John Tortorella make it through the season?
— Pat Coughlin from Charlotesville, Va.
A. I know Tortorella's demanding, sometimes caustic approach can be tough for players to handle. However, Pat, I don't think he's the problem in Tampa.

The Bellowing Moose on the NHL Refs helping Red Wings? Predators complaining, but they aren't exactly road warriors

Tampa's woes are traceable, first and foremost, to the net. GM Jay Feaster finally cut the cord on Marc Denis, whom he traded for in June '06, believing that the kid could be a franchise 'tender. He wasn't alone in his thinking. Which is another way of saying a lot fo people were wrong about Denis.

Once Denis was shipped to the minors, it looked as though Tortorella would ride a while with rookie Karri Ramo, but as of the All-Star break the rookie Finn stood a lackluster 2-7-1 with a hefty 3.37 goals-against mark and a pedestrian .884 save percentage. Those numbers don't cut it in today's NHL. Now Tortorella has little choice but to ride Johan Holmqvist (17-13-4), and there is a chance the ex-Ranger returns to the form that brought him 27 wins with the Bolts last year.

Tampa has enough offense to win. The defense is not great, but O.K. It's all about finding an answer to their 24-square-foot question, and I believe Feaster will find another goalie prior to the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

Q. Who finally makes the playoffs first, Rick Nash or Olli Jokinen?
— Rich from Dayton, Ohio
A. Interesting question, Rich, and right now my nickel is on Nash making it first with Columbus.

Ken Hitchcock is an excellent coach, and would be among my top 2-3 choices to work my bench if I were GM. I also would prefer the Columbus roster over the Florida roster, and the Columbus hockey environment over that in Sunrise.

The big, strapping Nash (6-4/215 pounds) should be a better player than he has been over his first 4 1/2 NHL seasons. He probably will finish with a career-high 65-70 points this year, and I am willing to bet he is in the 90-plus range in the next year or two.

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