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Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg 2015
Born (1980-10-09)9 October 1980,
Njurunda, Sweden
Height
Weight
0 ft 0 in (0.00 m)
Position Center/Left Wing[1]
Shoots Left
NHL team
F. teams
Retired
Timrå Red Eagles
EV Zug
Detroit Red Wings
Ntl. team Flag of Sweden Sweden
NHL Draft 210th overall, 1999
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1997–2018
Website Henrikzetterberg.com


Henrik Zetterberg[2][3] (born 9 October 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Along with winning the Stanley Cup in 2008, Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. He won gold medals in the 2006 Ice Hockey World Championships and 2006 Winter Olympics, as part of the first team to ever win both tournaments in the same year, also making him a member of the Triple Gold Club.

Playing career[]

Swedish career[]

Zetterberg started his youth league career playing games for the Njurunda Sports Club, as did Fredrik Modin. In 2008, the club renamed their arena—until then known as Njurunda Ishall—to Modin & Zetterberg Hall in their honor.[4]

Zetterberg caught the attention of the Red Wings' Assistant General Manager Jim Nill and Director of European Scouting Håkan Andersson during a tournament in Finland. While Andersson was trying to point out Mattias Weinhandl, Nill could not help noticing "this little Zetterberg guy who always seemed to have the puck."[5]

Zetterberg was selected by the Detroit Red Wings 210th overall in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. Detroit was under criticism at the time for "mortgaging its future", trading away many of its earlier picks in the 1999 Draft. After playing for Timrå IK of the Swedish Elitserien for the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, Zetterberg signed his entry-level contract on 16 May 2002. Zetterberg came to Detroit to play his rookie season in the NHL in the 2002–03 season.

NHL career[]

Zetterberg made his NHL debut against the San Jose Sharks on 10 October 2002, at the Joe Louis Arena. He played in 79 games his rookie season, scoring 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points, leading all first-year players. Zetterberg finished the season as runner-up for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year behind St. Louis Blues defenceman Barret Jackman. In his second season, Zetterberg nearly matched his rookie stats despite missing 21 games due to a broken leg suffered against the Vancouver Canucks early in the season on 5 November 2003.[6] Due to the owners' lockout the next season, Zetterberg returned to Sweden to play for Timrå IK in 2004–05, leading the Elitserien in scoring with 50 points in 50 games.

HenrikZetterberg

As the NHL resumed in 2005–06, Zetterberg emerged as an NHL star and was also named an alternate captain in the absence of team captain Steve Yzerman. He enjoyed his second best statistical season in 2005–06, tallying 39 goals and 85 points, second in team-scoring to Pavel Datsyuk in a lineup which included Zetterberg and teammates Tomas Holmström, Mikael Samuelsson, Nicklas Lidström, and Niklas Kronwall. The combination was dubbed the "Swedish Five", a concept similar to the famed Russian Five of the Red Wings during the 1990s. All five players would also skate together at the 2006 Winter Olympics, helping Sweden to a gold medal.

With the announced retirement of Steve Yzerman during the season, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet speculated that Zetterberg might take over the captaincy for the Red Wings,[7] but Lidström was instead named Yzerman's successor while Zetterberg was named an alternate on the day of the Red Wings' 2006–07 season opener. That season, Zetterberg was selected for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, but withdrew to rest an injured wrist. Later in the year, Zetterberg scored his 100th career goal against the Phoenix Coyotes on 8 February 2007, prompting Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky to comment that Zetterberg is "probably the most underrated player in the league."[8] Nine days later, on 17 February, in another game against the Coyotes, Zetterberg picked up his first career hat-trick, all power play goals, and added an assist on an empty-net goal by Jason Williams for a four-point game. He finished the season with 68 points in his injury-shortened 63-game season.

Henrik Zetterberg crouching

Zetterberg during a break in the action in 2006

Zetterberg began the 2007–08 season with a 16-game point-scoring streak, breaking the record of 14 games set by former Red Wing Norm Ullman in 1960. He was voted to start for the Western Conference in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game alongside teammates Chris Osgood, Lidström, and Pavel Datsyuk, but again did not play in the game due to back problems.[9] Despite missing time due to injury, Zetterberg recorded a career-year with personal bests of 43 goals, 49 assists and 92 points in 75 games. He went on to add a 27 points in 22 playoff games, leading the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, their 11th in team history. In game six of the Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zetterberg scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP. His 13 playoff goals tied with teammate Johan Franzén for the Red Wings record for most in a single postseason. At the end of the season, Zetterberg was also up for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward, but finished as a runner-up to Datsyuk.

In the final year of his contract in 2008–09, Zetterberg agreed to a 12-year, $73 million contract extension with the Red Wings on 28 January 2009. The deal is the longest and most lucrative in franchise history.[10] Zetterberg recorded 11 goals and 13 assists for the Red Wings during the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs that saw them reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, only to lose to their 2008 opponent the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Despite a slow start to the 2009-10 NHL Season, Zetterberg's play quickly improved, and he recorded the fourth hat trick of his career on 14 November against the Anaheim Ducks, scoring three goals in the third period of Detroit's 7–4 victory. He scored seven goals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which saw Detroit bow out in the second round against San Jose.

Zetterberg posted 80 points in 80 games in the 2010–11 NHL season. However, the Red Wings were eliminated in the 2nd round of the Playoffs, again to San Jose.

In the 2011-12 NHL season, Zetterberg played on the 2nd line alongside Valtteri Filppula and Jiří Hudler. Both teammates had career seasons playing on the line centered by Zetterberg. Filppula scored a career high 66 points while Hudler had a 50-point season (25 goals, 25 assists). The Red Wings fell 4–1 to the Nashville Predators in the first round of the Playoffs, their earliest playoff exit since 2006.

Zetterberg signed with EV Zug in Switzerland during the 2012 NHL lockout.[11]

On 15 January 2013, Zetterberg was named captain of the Red Wings, succeeding Lidström who had retired.[12] Despite missing 13 games due to chronic back problems, he scored over 40 points through the first part of the 2013–14 NHL season. However, he sustained another back injury during the 2014 Winter Olympics and underwent surgery, causing him to miss an estimated two months of the season while the Red Wings pursued a berth in the NHL playoffs for the 23rd straight year.[13] Zetterberg returned for the final two games of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs as the Red Wings were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals by the Boston Bruins.[14] He elected not to play for Sweden in the 2014 IIHF World Championship to further recuperate from his back injury.[15]

On 6 November 2015, Zetterberg recorded his 300th career goal against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He became the seventh Swedish player to reach the 300 goal plateau, and the fifth player in Red Wings franchise history to have 300 goals and 800 points, following Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.[16]

On 9 April 2017, he played his 1,000th game for the Red Wings organization, as well as became the seventh in franchise history in total points.

During the 2017–18 season, Zetterberg reached several milestones. On 24 February 2018, he recorded his 335th career goal, tying him with Ted Lindsay for fifth all time in goals scored in franchise history. On 29 March 2018, he recorded his 954th career point, tying him with Sergei Fedorov for fifth all time in total points in franchise history.

On September 14, 2018, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced that due to a degenerative back condition, Zetterberg would be unable to continue on with his NHL career. However, due to Zetterberg having 3 years left on his contract at the time of the announcement, he is not fully retired.

International play[]

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Sweden Sweden
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Gold 2006 Turin
Silver 2014 Sochi
World Championships
Gold 2006 Latvia
Silver 2003 Finland
Bronze 2001 Germany
Bronze 2002 Sweden

Zetterberg has been a consistent part of the Swedish national team, "Tre Kronor", since 2001. He has enjoyed a fair amount of success in the IIHF World Championships, winning a medal in four of the five years he appeared in the tournament. He was one of just three non-NHLers named to the Swedish squad for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Zetterberg won a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and then again at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga, playing a part in the international sweep. Sweden became the first team in hockey history to win the Olympic gold and the World Championship in the same year.

HenrikZetterberg2008

Zetterberg in 2008

With the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, Zetterberg became a member of the Triple Gold Club. The term is used for an exclusive group of ice hockey players who have won Olympic gold, World Championship gold, and the Stanley Cup. Zetterberg is one of 25 members of this exclusive club, a club that also includes several teammates and his current head coach. Zetterberg along with teammates and fellow Swedes Niklas Kronwall and Mikael Samuelsson are the fastest to accomplish this feat, requiring only two years, three months and ten days.

Zetterberg was named captain of Team Sweden for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. On-going troubles with a herniated disc in his back, which caused Zetterberg to miss 13 games with the Red Wings earlier in the season, forced Zetterberg out of the 2014 Winter Olympics after one game. Teammate Niklas Kronwall was named captain for the remainder of the tournament.[17]

Zetterberg was named to Team Sweden for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. On 11 August 2016, Zetterberg was named captain of the team. However, on 1 September, Zetterberg withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury. He was replaced by Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund.[18]

Personal life[]

Zetterberg goes by the nicknames of "Zäta" (pronounced "Zaeta," which means "Z" in Swedish) and "Hank," an anglicized shortening of Henrik that is used by his Red Wings teammates.

In the summer of 2008 he became engaged to Emma Andersson, a Swedish model and TV host. On 23 July 2010, Henrik married his fiancee near the bride's hometown in Mölle Sweden.[19]

On 20 August 2015, Emma gave birth to their first child, a son named Love (pronounced Loo-VEY).[20]

Zetterberg served several months in the Swedish Army when he was 17 years old—a rare thing among NHL players—as Sweden at that time had a conscription policy.[21]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1997–98 Timrå IK Swe-2 16 1 2 3 4 4 0 1 1 0
1998–99 Timrå IK Swe-2 37 15 13 28 2 4 2 1 3 2
1999–00 Timrå IK Swe-2 42 20 14 34 20 10 10 4 14 4
2000–01 Timrå IK SEL 47 15 31 46 24
2001–02 Timrå IK SEL 48 10 22 32 20
2002–03 Detroit Red Wings NHL 79 22 22 44 8 4 1 0 1 0
2003–04 Detroit Red Wings NHL 61 15 28 43 14 12 2 2 4 4
2004–05 Timrå IK SEL 50 19 31 50 24 7 6 2 8 2
2005–06 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 39 46 85 30 6 6 0 6 2
2006–07 Detroit Red Wings NHL 63 33 35 68 36 18 6 8 14 12
2007–08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 75 43 49 92 34 22 13 14 27 16
2008–09 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 31 42 73 36 23 11 13 24 13
2009–10 Detroit Red Wings NHL 74 23 47 70 26 12 7 8 15 6
2010–11 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 24 56 80 40 7 3 5 8 2
2011–12 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 22 47 69 47 5 2 1 3 4
2012–13 EV Zug NLA 23 16 16 32 20
2012–13 Detroit Red Wings NHL 46 11 37 48 18 14 4 8 12 8
2013–14 Detroit Red Wings NHL 45 16 32 48 20 2 1 1 2 0
2014–15 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 17 49 66 32 7 0 3 3 8
2015–16 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 13 37 50 24 5 1 0 1 4
2016–17 Detroit Red Wings NHL 82 17 51 68 22
NHL totals 1,000 326 578 904 387 137 57 63 120 79
SHL totals 145 44 84 128 68 7 6 2 8 2

International[]

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1998 Sweden EJC Gold medal icon 6 2 1 3 4
2000 Sweden WJC 5th 7 3 2 5 8
2001 Sweden WC Bronze medal icon 9 1 3 4 2
2002 Sweden Oly 5th 4 0 1 1 0
2002 Sweden WC Bronze medal icon 9 0 7 7 4
2003 Sweden WC Silver medal icon 9 3 4 7 2
2004 Sweden WCH 5th 4 1 1 2 4
2005 Sweden WC 4th 9 2 4 6 4
2006 Sweden Oly Gold medal icon 8 3 3 6 0
2006 Sweden WC Gold medal icon 8 2 3 5 6
2010 Sweden Oly 5th 4 1 0 1 2
2012 Sweden WC 6th 8 3 12 15 4
2014 Sweden Oly Silver medal icon 1 1 0 1 0
Junior totals 13 5 3 8 12
Senior totals 73 17 38 55 28

Awards and achievements[]

Zetterberg 2010

Zetterberg with the Red Wings in Pittsburgh, January 2010.

Sweden[]

Award Year(s) awarded
Rookie of the Year 2001
All-Star Team 2002, 2005
Guldpucken 2002

NHL[]

Award Year(s) awarded
All-Rookie Team 2003
All-Star Game 2007, 2008*
Second All-Star Team 2008
Conn Smythe Trophy 2008
Stanley Cup 2008
NHL Foundation Player Award 2013
King Clancy Memorial Trophy 2015

* Could not play because of injury.

  • Named "Detroit Red Wings Rookie of the Year" in 2003 by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters' Association for his play during the 2002–03 season
  • Awarded the Sporting News Rookie of the Year (voted on by NHL players) in 2003
  • Named "The Hockey News Player of the Month" for October 2007[22]
  • Viking Award in 2007 and 2008, awarded to the "Best Swede" playing in North America
  • Named the first recipient of the 'TSN NHL Player of the Year' in 2008 by a panel of 30 people around the NHL[23]
Nominations
Award Year(s) nominated
Calder Memorial Trophy 2003
Frank J. Selke Trophy 2008

Records[]

  • Holds a Red Wings record for having at least one point in 17 consecutive games to start a season.
  • Holds the Red Wings franchise record for goals (13 – tied w/ Johan Franzén) and points (27) in a single playoff season.
  • Holds NHL record for most shots on goal in single post season with 116 in 2007–08.

References[]

  1. Detroit Red Wings scores, rosters, schedule and stats – MLive.com. Stats.mlive.com. Retrieved on 12 August 2013.
  2. http://www.cuponline.se/information.aspx?cupid=301
  3. http://www.merinfo.se/foretag/Royal-Swedish-Snowballs-AB-5569613275/2k4053v-1buix/styrelse-koncern
  4. Njurunda ishall byter namn (Swedish). Dagbladet Nya Samhället (14 August 2008). Retrieved on 14 March 2009.
  5. Wigge, Larry (22 May 2008). Zetterberg has grown into an NHL superstar. NHL.com. Retrieved on 25 May 2008.
  6. Forward sidelined with broken leg. ESPN (6 November 2003). Retrieved on 29 January 2009.
  7. Yzermans arvtagare (sv). Aftonbladet.se. Retrieved on 11 August 2006.
  8. Kulfan, Ted (2007). Zetterberg puts on show for Great One. The Detroit News. Retrieved on 9 February 2007.
  9. Brehm, Mike. "All-Star game realigned", USA Today, 23 January 2008. Retrieved on 29 January 2009. 
  10. Khan, Ansar (27 January 2009) Red Wings, Henrik Zetterberg agree on 12-year, 2-million deal. MLive.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.
  11. Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg agrees to join Swiss team. Usatoday.com (8 October 2012). Retrieved on 2013-08-12.
  12. St. James, Helene. Henrik Zetterberg becoming captain is 'pretty special;' will Pavel Datsyuk play in scrimmage?. Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Retrieved on 25 February 2014.
  13. Richardson, Lyle. What a Henrik Zetterberg injury means to the Red Wings. The Hockey News. TC Media. Retrieved on 25 February 2014.
  14. Henrik Zetterberg's return provides lift for Red Wings, but it's not enough. Retrieved on 24 June 2014.
  15. Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg to rehabilitate back, miss world championships. Retrieved on 24 June 2014.
  16. Red Wings forward Zetterberg scores 300th goal. NHL.com (6 November 2015). Retrieved on 6 November 2015.
  17. Sweden's Zetterberg out of Olympics. NHL.com (14 February 2014). Retrieved on 14 February 2014.
  18. https://www.nhl.com/news/henrik-zetterberg-replaced-by-mikael-backlund-for-team-sweden/c-281494002
  19. NHL.com (23 July 2010). Red Wings' Zetterberg marries Andersson. NHL.com.
  20. St. James, Helene (20 August 2015). Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg, wife welcome baby Love. Retrieved on 20 August 2015.
  21. Zetterberg remembers his military service. NHL (11 November 2013). Retrieved on 25 June 2014.
  22. The Hockey News, 20 November 2007, page 14
  23. Henrik Zetterberg Wins Inaugural TSN Award. The Sports Network (13 June 2008). Retrieved on 12 June 2009.

External links[]

  • Henrik Zetterg
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Mikael Renberg
Golden Puck
2002
Succeeded by
Niklas Andersson
Preceded by
Nicklas Lidström
Erik Karlsson
Winner of the Viking Award
2007-2008
2013
Succeeded by
Nicklas Bäckström
Alexander Steen
Preceded by
Scott Niedermayer
Winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy
2008
Succeeded by
Evgeni Malkin
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Nicklas Lidström
Detroit Red Wings captain
2013–present
Incumbent
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