Adventures of A Red Wings Packrat: Lidstrom Beer Bottle Edition...

My favorite random Red Wings item is my Nick Lidstrom beer bottle. It’s been a fixture on my hockey shelf since 2005. It also has my favorite acquisition story.

The year of the lockout was my freshman year of college. That meant that it was the first year that I had to miss a winter break skiing trip with my family because our breaks didn’t line up. So, my family and some of their friends headed up to Treetops Resort in Gaylord without me. I was already upset at missing out on the skiing, so imagine my reaction when I received a phone call informing me that Nick Lidstrom was also staying at the resort with his family. But for an exam that week, I would’ve hopped in my car and flown up I-75 in record time.

My little sister got her lift ticket signed, and the family had encounters with him all over the place. At one point, my sister (7 at the time) was skiing with my mom’s friend when they both wiped out. My mom’s friend was unhurt, but laying in the snow laughing at herself. She was about to sit up when all of a sudden, my sister pounced on her and told her to stay down because, “he might come over.” Lidstrom, apparently, had stopped a little ways up the slope and was looking at them with concern, trying to see if Mrs. C needed any help. I’ve never been prouder of my sister than I was when I heard that story.

My family managed to run into the Lidstroms at the resort restaurant, too. This is how the beer bottle was acquired. My family and our friends got sat at a table right next to the Lidstroms’ right as they were getting ready to leave. The group was short one chair, so Mrs. C went over to the now-vacated table to grab one. While there, she also swiped the empty beer bottle that had been sitting in front of Lidstrom and stuck it in her purse to give to me. It’s been proudly displayed in my room ever since.

I've never been so upset about missing a family outing as I was that week.  Every phone call was like torture.