Who is Henrik Zetterberg?

By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, August 29, 2006

Who is Henrik Zetterberg?

The answer isn’t as easy as; “He is a 25 year old, Swedish born, professional hockey player.” Anyone who is reading this article should already know that. The real question is; what does Henrik Zetterberg mean to the Detroit Red Wings?

So… Who is Henrik Zetterberg? Let’s start from the beginning:

Henrik Zetterberg is the kid who, as the 41^st ranked European skater, wasn’t drafted until the 210^th pick of the 1999 NHL entry draft. As a 5’10”, 150 lb 17 year old, the Red Wings gambled on his size.

Red Wings Assistant General Manager, Jim Nill, later said, “We thought that if he grew stronger, he could be something special. We took a chance on him with our 4th choice in the 1999 Entry Draft. Our gamble paid off because Henrik took off the next season, making the jump to the very competitive Swedish Elite League where he won Rookie of the Year.”

While following the 1999 draft online from home, I too had a feeling about the young Swede. I immediately began to focus on finding out as much as I could, asking myself, just who is Henrik Zetterberg?

The first thing I found out is; this was a player who, as a teenager, was the leader of his hometown team. The year before he was drafted he scored 17 goals and 14 assists in 41 games for the Timra Red Eagles in Sweden’s lower league. His great performance helped move Timra up to the Allsvenskan for the 1999-00 season. He was showing early on that he had the skill, determination, and leadership qualities it would take to make it to the NHL. 

Zetterberg quickly became the Allsvenskan’s biggest offensive talent. In the 1999-2000 season, he scored 16 goals and 24 total points in 31 games, helping Timra get to the playoffs and then earning a spot in the Swedish Elite League the next season. It was Zetterberg’s 14 goals in 21 playoff games that pushed the team to the next level. The same year, Henrik was named Assistant Captain of Sweden’s World Junior team and was the country’s best player, scoring three goals and two assists in seven games. He was gaining international experience as a leader at the age of 18.

In 2000-2001, Zetterberg’s first season in Sweden's Elitserien, he scored 15 goals, added 31 assists and was fourth in league scoring with 46 points.  He was named Sweden's Rookie of the Year. Later that year he became a member of Sweden's national team. By the 2001-2002 campaign, Zetterberg had established himself as a star in the Swedish Elite League and on the International level. Opposing defenses began to focus on shutting the youngster down. His numbers in Timra dipped to 10 goals and 22 assists in 48 games.

Later that year, Zetterberg took his game to the next level and started to dominate even international games. The best proof came in the Swedish Hockey Games as he scored 4 goals in the finals and was named the best player of the tournament. After an impressive season where he also starred in his second World Championship, Zetterberg also earned a spot with the Swedish Olympic team and received a great deal of ice time on the squad's third line. As only one of three non-NHL players on the Swedish team, playing with future Redwing teammates, Niklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom, Zetterberg played impressively. He won the country's Gold Puck award as the best player in Elitserien as well as the country's top participant in international competition. His four-goal performance in the gold medal game at the Swedish Hockey Games and undaunted play against NHL veterans at the Olympics were the deciding factors.

Who is Henrik Zetterberg? He is a special athlete who touted as an agile skater with solid speed and impressive overall skill in all areas, with no major weaknesses, had proved that he was ready to make the jump to the National Hockey League for the 2002-2003 season. By this time he had shown that he possessed phenomenal hockey sense which he used to his advantage in all situations. With soft hands he had the ability to stick-handle through traffic at full stride. He had excellent hands and great moves, and the ability to make things happen on the attack.

Size was still a concern coming into his rookie season in Detroit, but Zetterberg soon began to display his work ethic and strength. Although not possessing a large frame, Zetterberg was a well balanced player who skated hard and was difficult to knock of the puck. The Red Wings were pleased that he was a mature and intelligent player who played a two-way game and was very responsible defensively. With playmaking ability and imagination he already had the ability to quarterback a power play with ease. He was versatile center that also had the ability to play on the wing as required. Internationally and in the Swedish leagues, he showed that he could perform well in key-situations and key-games. Mentally, he seemed to be prepared.

          "I had a lot of pressure when I was in Sweden, so I am used to it. I just have to wait and see, and try to do my best. Hopefully it will go well."

Already drawing comparisons to Swedish legend Peter Forsberg, Zetterberg took the hype in stride, showing great poise and maturity.

"I don't think it's fair for me to be compared to the greatest player in the league."

He would need to be able to handle high expectations in Detroit and also adjust to the North American style of play. But, these concerns weren’t enough to hold him back any longer. In training camp that year, he showed that he was ready to step up and join a veteran-laden Red Wings lineup that had just won the Stanley Cup a few months earlier. Management new by now that he had the potential to be a top-line player in the NHL, and hoped he would have the kind of impact that Pavel Datsyuk had the year before. Zetterberg didn’t disappoint.

Who is Henrik Zetterberg? He is indeed an impact player who came in and cracked an NHL lineup that had Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Igor Larionov, and Pavel Datsyuk. Was he a reserve player? Did he take random shifts on the fourth line? No! His first shift was on a line with Fedorov and Shanahan. He was ready to prove himself amongst the leagues best.

Zetterberg spent much of the season on the extremely productive “Two Kids and a Goat” line with Datsyuk and Hull. The trio had superb chemistry and led the NHL in points during the second half of the season. Future Hall-of-Famer, Hull, who was very outspoken and not known to allow coaches to partner him with rookies and youngsters, had nothing but praise and accolades for the “Euro-Twins”.

"They're wonderful, wonderful players. I am blessed to be able to play with these guys. I guess I'm smart enough to know what I'm doing. I get the puck; I try to get it to them; I get open. I'd like to think that I'm kind of integral, because I know where to go to make their hard work pay off. But they do a lot of the yeoman's work."

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a kid like Hank Zetterberg come into the league and have as much composure, as much skill, and savvy for the game, in my career. I’m given a lot of credit but all I’m doing is going out and trying to find the (open) area, and use (Datsyuk and Zetterberg) to my advantage, and they are a lot of fun to play with!”, Hull exclaimed.

Zetterberg finished the year with 22 goals and 22 assists, leading all NHL rookies in scoring and points, and was considered by most to be the leading candidate to win the Calder trophy for Rookie of the Year. Zetterberg was edged out by St. Louis Blues stay-at-home defenseman Barrett Jackman, but won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award, as voted on by the players. Line mate Brett Hull, again, gave him a strong endorsement.

"If you can put up a case for someone who's better you go right ahead. I don't think you can," Hull said. "I don't want to take away from anyone else because I think there are   some really good young players, but I'd like to see anyone better."

Despite not winning the award, Zetterberg had proved his worth to the league and the Detroit Red Wings. Captain Steve Yzerman had this to say about the young Swede:

"I didn't really know Henrik that well as a player before (last season), but after watching him for virtually the entire season, the guy's really a world-class player in all parts of the game."

"He's so good all over the ice. I just like to think I know where to go. You go to certain spots, and he's going to get the puck to you. Really, he's as good a young player as there is in the game. I don't know if we necessarily realize how good he is. He does make some great one-on-one moves, but he's just a tremendous all-around player."

The arrival of Henrik Zetterberg and the effects of him establishing himself on the team, marked the beginning of the transition of the Red Wings from a Stanley Cup winning dynasty to a team re-loading for the future. Following the 2002-2003 season, superstar center Sergei Fedorov left the team via free-agency. The change meant more ice time and even more of an offensive role for Zetterberg. After his impressive rookie season, he would be expected to deliver the following year. Once again, the rising star met the challenge.

Due to a wicked slash from Vancouver defenseman Bryan Allen, Zetterberg had an injury shortened sophomore season but still managed to improve his productivity, scoring 15 goals and 28 assists in just 61 games. His 43 points were just one less than his rookie season total, in 18 fewer games. When he was playing, he was often referred to as the best player on the ice by then head coach Dave Lewis. In his first game returning from the 21 game break with a broken leg, Zetterberg didn’t miss a beat, scoring a goal and two assists, including setting up Brendan Shanahan’s game-winner in overtime.

Who is Henrik Zetterberg? He is a player who faces adversity and overcomes it. Somehow, he dominates in a subtle way. It’s not until you sit back and think about it that you realize how much he controls the play when he is on the ice. Many people argue that Zetterberg benefits from playing with superstars, that he is a product of the Red Wings offensive powerhouse. While it is true that Zetterberg has played on lines with Shanahan, Hull, etc… he has also spent as much time playing on lines with gritty role-players like Tomas Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson. He even spent times on the “Grind Line” with wingers Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty. He has proven to be effective in any role he is challenged with, whether it is on the power play with Steve Yzerman or on the penalty kill with Johan Franzen. Its no wonder Zetterberg finds himself on the ice in almost all key situations. I argue that Henrik is not a product of the Red Wings offensive powerhouse; he is one of the reasons the Red Wings are an offensive powerhouse!

Another example of why is when the NHL locked out its players for the 2004-2005 season. Zetterberg returned to his native Sweden to play for his home-town Timra Red Eagles. The only other top-talent NHLer on this squad, aside from Calgary goalie Mikka Kipprusoff, was Tampa Bay Lightning winger Fredrik Modin. Often, Zetterberg and Modin did not play on the same line. Despite not playing in a line-up full of star players, Henrik, or “Zata” as he is known as back in Timra, lead the Swedish Elite League in scoring with 50 points, tallying 19 goals and 31 assists in 50 games. Zetterberg went on to lead the SEL in playoff scoring before Timrå was eliminated from the first round by Djurgardens in seven games. Despite the Red Eagles failure to advance, Zåta was red hot, racking up six goals and two assists in just seven games.

Following the re-structuring of the collective bargaining agreement and the end of the 2004-2005 NHL lock-out, the Red Wings found them selves struggling to cut payroll to get under the new 39 million dollar hard salary cap. Recent failings in the 2003 and 2004 playoffs as well as the new CBA had forced the Redwings to head in a new direction. The Wings had to buy out the contracts of several players including veteran bruiser Derian Hatcher, goalie Curtis Joseph, winger Ray Whitney, and even fan favorite Darren McCarty who was a huge part of Detroit's recent three NHL Championships. The process was very painful for the fans in Detroit, as they were used to owner Mike Ilitch spending as necessary to bring top NHL veterans to the Motor City for their annual push for Lord Stanley's Cup. General Manager Ken Holland was quick to re-sign Detroit’s aged veterans such as local heroes Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, and Chris Chelios. He also felt it important to lock up defenseman Mathieu Schneider for 3 million dollars a year. However, those moves left him only about 7 million dollars to split between the Red Wings two young talented restricted free agents, Datsyuk and Zetterberg and to fill two other roster spots.

It was believed that Datsyuk’s agent was asking for 4-5 million a season for two seasons, which would have his contract ending at the exact same time that Datsyuk is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2007. This was severely impacting negotiations with both Datysuk and Zetterberg, and Holland appeared to be making no progress as the 2005 training camp approached. The news that Detroit and Datsyuk and Zetterberg could not agree on contracts had many fans angry at either the players for wanting more money, perhaps more than they haven’t proven to be worth, or at Ken Holland for waiting too long to address the contracts of the two building blocks of the team’s offense. Most fans were probably a little angry at both the players and management. Fans weren’t the only ones who are disappointed that negotiations had taken so long. Zetterberg himself voiced concern in the Swedish media that the Redwings had put off his contact until last, assuming that he would sign for 1-2 million a year. Zetterberg was reportedly asking for 2.5 million a year.

When the two sides finally did talk, they agreed to a four year, 10.6 million dollar contract, paying Zetterberg 2.65 million a season and securing his services with the Redwings until 2009 when he will be 29 years old. It was a fair signing for both sides. Zetterberg got better than the 2.5 million a season that he was asking for and the Redwings got him long-term, a year past when he could have been eligible for unrestricted free agency. It was a huge gesture on Zetterberg’s part to sign a long term deal without breaking the franchise. It did not go un-noticed among management, players, and especially fans that Henrik gave up a year of free agency, a year in which he could ask for a big contract from the highest bidder.

Who is Henrik Zetterberg? He is an honest man who, through contract negotiations and with his signing, displayed class and commitment. It showed a lot about what it means to Henrik to show gratitude to the franchise that gave him the opportunity when he wasn’t a highly scouted prospect. A team that treated him well and put him in a roster with the likes of Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, and Niklas Lidstrom. It was about doing what is beneficial for the club that needed him in the line-up, after all they have done for him, making his transition to a new country and a new way of life easier.

By signing this deal, and doing before training camp, especially with Datsyuk refusing to accept Detroit’s offers, Zetterberg had instantly become a fan favorite in Hockeytown. By showing that he is unselfish, and was willing to work for the benefit of the team, “Hank” had earned some well-deserved respect in Detroit.  

The Redwings needed to sign Henrik. General Manager Ken Holland, unable to come to an agreement with the demanding Datsyuk, needed to make a positive move to help bolster Detroit’s offense, build on the future, and put a positive spin on a day in which it was announced that Datsyuk will sign with a Russian team for 6 million dollars a year. The Redwings needed a bonafide star that could not be classified as an aging veteran. They needed someone to build there future around. Zetterberg is that player.

With the NHL’s new emphasis on opening the game up for more scoring, it was predicted by Zetterbergfan.com that Henrik would have his “breakout” season, tallying more than 30 goals and 40 assists, that he would emerge as a team leader both literally and statistically. That is exactly what he did!

In the 2005-2006, Zetterberg had his best NHL season ever, finishing the year with career highs: 39 goals, 46 assists, 85 points, and a +29 in 77 games. He surpassed his previous season marks of 22 goals (in 79 games of 2002-2003 rookie season), 28 assists (in 61 games of injury shortened 2003-2004 season), 44 total points (2002-2003), and +15 (2003-2004). With only three seasons in the NHL, Zetterberg already ranks 64^th on the Detroit Redwing’s All-time scoring leaders list with 172 points (76 goals and 96 assists). With his outstanding season this year he has developed into a team leader and his skills are now known around the league.

Now a team leader in all areas, Zetterberg is getting strong consideration for being captain of the Detroit Red Wings, whether it be this season or in a few years when Niklas Lidstrom retires. He has demonstrated the skill, work ethic, and leadership qualities required. Ken Holland has already said,

“Zetterberg will be a captain on this team one day!"

So, who is Henrik Zetterberg? If the real question is; what does Henrik Zetterberg mean to the Detroit Red Wings? The answer is: everything.

It is Zetterberg’s time. With legendary Steve Yzerman retired, he is the new leader of the team, the new face of a franchise with a proud history. He is a new fan-favorite. He is expected to carry the load offensively on a new-look team missing Brendan Shanahan and his 40 goals. He leads players like countrymen Holmstrom, Samuelsson, and Franzen with hard-work and sacrifice. He sets an example for up and coming prospects like Jiri Hudler, Tomas Kopecky, Valteri Filppula, and Igor Grigorenko with effort, modesty, and respect to veterans and his team. Henrik Zetterberg is an idol.

Did Lidstrom, Zetterberg Get Cheated?

By Helene St. James, Free Press,  August 28, 2006

Is Jarome Iginla vastly superior to Henrik Zetterberg? Is Chris Pronger a much better defenseman than Nick Lidstrom?

The two Red Wings don't fare especially well in the Hockey News magazine's 2006-07 rankings of the top 50 NHL players, out last week. Lidstrom was placed at 15, while Zetterberg was tucked away at No. 28.

...Even more curious is how Iginla placed seventh while Zetterberg just cracked the top 30. While Iginla is talented, this past season he finished 51st overall among NHL forwards, with 35 goals, 67 points and a plus-5 rating in 82 games.

Zetterberg, on the other hand, had a breakout year that established him as one of the top two-way forwards in the game. He had 39 goals among 85 points and was plus-29 in 77 games, placing 20th among NHL forwards.

But the magazine has its reasons for ranking Iginla so high: "Don't be fooled by the numbers. Iginla was hung out to dry by an organization that believed it could get great results in the new NHL by playing the same old defense-first style. On top of that, the Flames never gave Iginla anybody to work with up front."

As for Zetterberg, he is called "a wonderful talent with a zest for the game ... look for him to join the 100-point club this season."