It seems the Perfect Human is imperfect, after all.

Nicklas Lidstrom’s consecutive streak of 213 games came to an end Wednesday against the Canadiens, the Detroit Red Wings captain unable to answer the bell with what his team called flu-like symptoms.

Not since the Red Wings season finale in Chicago on April 12, 2009 had Lidstrom, nicely called “a genetic freak” by his own coach, missed a game. And Detroit clearly was poorer for the Bell Centre absence of the inspirational 41-year-old, a virus flattening one of hockey’s greatest defencemen.

Not unlike the apparently indestructible Martians by airborne bacteria in H.G. Wells’s classic War of the Worlds.

On Wednesday, ageless former Habs and Red Wings rearguard Chris Chelios turned 50 (which sort of contradicts “ageless”); Lidstrom, the Detroit captain, seems to be approaching not his 42nd birthday but his 25th; and then there’s Red Wings icon Gordie Howe, 83, who played professional hockey from the 1940s through ’80s – an untouchable record of five decades.

Evidently there’s something in the high-octane water they’re sipping in the Motor City.

Lidstrom took part in a portion of the Red Wings’ morning skate and was the first of his team off the ice. A half-hour later, the team announced he was ill and wouldn’t be available to the media, at best a game-time decision for the evening’s faceoff.

He was scratched without having participated in the warmup.

It’s not often you feature an athlete without including at least a word from the individual. But why not in the case of Lidstrom, perhaps the lowest-profile, most unspectacular leader in hockey?

All that this man does is play.

And play.

And play some more, almost never one skate out of position, almost always one stride ahead of the opposition, physically and mentally.

He is on a one-year contract for the second straight season, earning $6.2 million. Short-term is just the way he wants it, considering his future as he goes.

Lidstrom is in his 20th NHL season, a four-time Stanley Cup champion, seven-time Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenceman and an 11-time all-star.

He has excelled in the pre-lockout NHL, a friendlier time for defencemen, and has shone in the era since new rules have demanded that rearguards not merely adjust, but fully reinvent their games.

You’ll find the native of Vasteras, Sweden on many NHL leaderboards: he is the league’s leading active player in games played (1,543), plus/minus (an obscene plus-451) and goals on-ice for (2,580); he is ranked second in assists (873), third in points (1,136) and shots (3,829), and seventh in power-play goals scored (132).

Without belabouring his statistical brilliance, clearly a tribute to his longevity, Lidstrom last season became the only NHL player to capture a major individual award – his seventh Norris – during a season in which he was age 40 from Game 1 through 82. Only Raymond Bourque has finished first or second in Norris voting 10 times, and now Lidstrom has a chance to equal Bobby Orr’s all-time record of eight Norris victories.

“He’s one of the best players ever, period,” Babcock said of Lidstrom on Wednesday morning. “He’s an incredible human being, he’s very humble and he provides unbelievable leadership. I think he’s the best player leader in the NHL.

“Because of no ego, he doesn’t allow the rest of the team to have ego and then you’re just about winning. The team comes first and to me that’s the best situation for any coach.

“The other thing about him is he’s not a kid,” Babcock added. “He’s a man, so when you talk to him, when you ask him a question, you get a good answer. He gives you feedback and that helps you whether planning your schedule, helping you with specialty teams or whatever. He’s got a lot to offer.”

Most NHLers have lost a step well before their 40s, scrambling in vain to keep up. But Lidstrom shows no signs of slowing down. He’s missed only 20 games the past 10 seasons, nicknamed the “Perfect Human” for his durability.

Babcock is using Lidstrom 23:44 per game on average this year, up a tick from 2010-11. The plan had been to trim his workload, until coach and player sat down to discuss it.

“We tried less minutes last year,” Babcock said through a half-smile. “He met with me at the end of the year, said he didn’t like it, so we fixed it.”

And the coach sees no reason why his captain won’t be back for a 21st season.

“I would think (he’ll return) if he’s good and the team’s good,” Babcock said. “Nick’s not going to play on a bad team and I don’t blame him. Why would he? If his game falls off, I don’t think he’ll play, either. But he likes it, he enjoys the day-in, day-out routine of the league and he seems to be having lots of fun. If we play well and he plays well, I think he’ll be back.”

Indeed, it’s almost a running gag in the Red Wings dressing room – needling Lidstrom about next year’s contract after each of his good games, which are many.

The veteran would be bound for his 12th All-Star Game this weekend if he’d tossed his name in the hat for the balloting and selection process. But he respectfully decided not to, preferring a few days of rest to a weekend orgy of sponsor gladhanding and a game of shinny.

Famously, Lidstrom and teammate Pavel Datsyuk were suspended a game by the NHL for skipping Montreal’s 2009 “classic,” a policy then introduced by the league to punish what it considered unreasonable truancy.

“With seven Norris trophies and going to the All-Star Game every year, if Nick needs four days off as a 41-year-old, I think the NHL respects that,” Babcock said. “There was no fooling around. It was done up front and he deserves the time off.”

That little break for one of hockey’s most remarkable talents just came one game earlier than anyone expected.

dstubbs@montrealgazette.com

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