NEW YORK (May 31, 2012) – Nicklas Lidstrom, long-time Red Wings captain who announced his retirement today during a press conference at Joe Louis Arena, will be today’s guest on NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman. Also joining today’s show is actor and hockey fan Matthew Perry and Manager of NHL Hockey Operations and Player Safety Rob Blake, who will appear in person at the studio inside the NHL Powered By Reebok store in midtown Manhattan.

Lidstrom, the man the Detroit Red Wings nicknamed “The Perfect Human,” and their captain for the past six seasons has officially hung up his winged-wheel sweater and retired from the NHL after 20 remarkable years in the Motor City. Lidstrom helped the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups and seven times was awarded the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.

Blake, who joined the NHL’s Hockey Operations department last year, played more than 20 NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. Blake went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 with the Kings and ultimately captured the Cup with the Avalanche in 2001. Also an Olympic gold medalist from the  2002 Winter Games as a member of Team Canada, Blake currently works with Senior Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan and his staff on all aspects of the game.

Perry, who was at Prudential Center Wednesday night for the Kings’ 2-1 overtime victory over the New Jersey Devils in the opener of the Stanley Cup Final, will star this fall in the NBC comedy series titled, “Go On.” Perry plays Ryan King, a sports talk radio host and recent widower ready to get back to work after the recent loss of his wife.

NHL Hour with Commissioner Gary Bettman broadcasts live on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network, NHL.com and NHL Home Ice (channel 92 on XM and channel 207 on Sirius Premier). The show will re-air on Sirius
XM Radio, with archived shows available for download via podcast on NHL.com.