Yes, Nicklas Lidstrom admitted as he looked around the Detroit Red Wings' dressing room, he misses the place.

No, not enough to make him want to come back and play again.

Walking into his home away from home from 1991-2012 Friday morning for the first time since he retired after more than two decades as the NHL's best defenceman, former Wings captain Lidstrom sought to emphasize one point.

Even as bad as the Wings have looked since he got back into town, Lidstrom won't be swayed.

His playing days are done. "It's fun watching," said Lidstrom, who saw his second straight Red Wings defeat in person as the Anaheim Ducks dumped Detroit 5-2 Friday at Joe Louis Arena.

"I know how much fun it is playing, too, but I also know what it takes to be there and that's something I can't do - be up to that level of play where I want to be.

"That was the main reason I retired and why I'm still retired."

Not that he isn't finding outlets to fulfill the passion he still holds for the game. But while so many other superstars are moving quickly into the front offices of their old NHL teams, Lidstrom has opted to take the other direction.

He's helping coach his son Samuel's team back home in Vasteras, Sweden.

"I've been on skates quite a bit," Lidstrom said. "I help out with my 12-year-old's team. I'm the assistant coach, and have been on the ice with them a few times a week.

"It's been fun being there every day, being at practices and on the ice with one of my kids. Being home a lot more is something I really enjoy.

"It's a slower pace, but I'm enjoying retirement."

While he'll serve as an ambassador for this spring's world championship in Stockholm, Lidstrom has not been asked, nor has he sought, any sort of advisory position with the Swedish national team.

Nor will he have any input on his country's 2014 Olympic squad.

"I'll just be a spectator," Lidstrom said of the Olympics.

He's not completely severed his ties from the big-time, engaging in birddogging for his old club.

"I've been doing some scouting," Lidstrom said.

"I watched some of the junior teams, and national teams this fall, and watched some of teams going through my hometown, some of the junior kids.

"It's different, kind of a learning process.

When you're watching a whole team it's hard to pick players out.

You have to focus on one or two players that you're really looking it. It's a new thing for me.''

Lidstrom's scouting report on his scouting abilities is to take a wait-and-see approach.

"It's too early to tell," he said. "I think we should rely on (Red Wings European scout) Hakaan Andersson before decisions from me."

Clearly, Lidstrom is missed by his old club.

"I just saw Homer (Tomas Holmstrom) and Nick in the hallway and told them, 'I should have loved you more when you were here,'" Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.

Even those who opposed him couldn't find joy in an NHL without Lidstrom.

"You can't hate that guy," Ducks forward Teemu Selanne said. "He was so classy, played so fair and he has no enemies."

As was his tradition as a player, Friday, Lidstrom drove to the rink with Holmstrom. He's staying at Holmstrom's place.

"It was fun, a lot of memories," Lidstrom said. "It feels good to see the guys and a lot of the other people around the team.

"It's different walking in here and coming into this locker room when you're not a player anymore."

As Lidstrom is discovering more with each passing day, the difference isn't all bad.