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Hank Moves into Wings Top 50 All-time Scorers with
Overtime Game-winner
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, January 30, 2007
Henrik Zetterberg
helped spark a third period comeback and overtime win for the Red
Wings with an assist and a game-winning goal in overtime against the
New York Islanders tonight at Long
Island.
After falling behind
3-0 going into the third period, Detroit got a goal on the board
3:24 into the third when Zetterberg assisted on fellow Swede Niklas
Kronwall’s first goal of season, on the power-play. The game went into overtime
after Zetterberg’s linemate Tomas Holmstrom tied the game on another
power-play goal halfway through the third.
Henrik scored the
deciding goal at 2:57 of overtime when he took a cross-crease pass
from Niklas Lidstrom and deposited it into an open net behind
Islanders goaltender Rick Dipietro. The goal was Zetterberg’s team
leading 20th goal of season, putting him one ahead of Dan
Cleary who scored his 19th in the the third period to
make it a 3-2 game.
Zetterberg now has 5
game-winners this season and 22 in his career. He also has at least
20 goals in each of first four seasons in NHL and is only four goals
short of 100.
Tonight’s goal and
assist were Henrik’s first career points in four games versus the
New York Islanders. The Buffalo Sabres are the only remaining NHL
team that Zetterberg has no points against.
With his
214th and 215th career points tonight,
Zetterberg ranks 48th on the , passing Metro
Prystai, Earl
Reibel, and Floyd
Smith to break into the top 50 scorers in
franchise history. There have been 728 forwards and defensemen in
Detroit’s 80 NHL
seasons.
Zetterberg’s
Withdrawal Shows Leadership and Commitment to
Wings
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, January 21, 2007
When news broke last
week that Detroit Red Wings star forward Henrik Zetterberg had
withdrew from participating in his first ever All-Star game, it came
as a shock to a lot of fans. Why would anyone, even in this day and
age of prima-donna athletes not wanting to take part in practices,
exhibitions, or silly circus side-shows for the sake of the fans,
NOT want to attend his very first All-Star game? It should be an
honor to be recognized as one of the leagues best and to put your
skills on display for everyone to see. Why would you not go and give
the fans what they deserve?
The reason may be as
surprising as Zetterberg’s withdrawal: commitment.
What? How is NOT
attending this week’s superstar showcase in Dallas showing
commitment? Isn’t it a slap in the face of the selection committee
and the fans who want to see him play?
The answer is no. When
Zetterberg’s chronic tendonitis of the left wrist, which has
bothered him for a few seasons now, flared up again recently, he
realized what he had to do, even if it meant turning down an offer
to play in what would be his first All-Star game. After talking to
the Red Wings medical staff and General Manager Ken Holland, it was
obvious that the injury needs some treatment (cortisone shot) and
some much needed rest.
Zetterberg could have
gone and played in the game. It’s just an exhibition with light
contact and little strain. It’s doubtful that playing would have
made the wrist get worse. But it certainly would not have made it
get any better, and the Red Wings need their leading goal-scorer to
stay healthy for the remainder of the season. They knew this was the
only opportunity to rest the sore wrist between now and the
playoffs.
The star forwards
decision to back out of the All-Star Game shows commitment to his
team. It shows that he isn’t willing to jeopardize not being able to
play for the Red Wings for any regular season games, and especially
the playoffs. It demonstrates what his priorities are: winning where
it matters, for Detroit, who is six points behind
the Nashville Predators for first-place in the Central division.
Despite the injury,
which is certainly causing the young Swedish phenom pain (he heavily
wraps it for each game); Zetterberg has yet to miss a regular season
contest, having played all 49 of the Red Wings games. Playing hurt
shows grit. It shows dedication. It’s a quality of strong
leadership. It’s the stuff that former Red Wings legendary captain
Steve Yzerman was made of. And it reflects greatly upon the
character of Henrik Zetterberg and the type of man he is.
The cumbersome
bandaging and nagging discomfort seemingly hasn’t affected Hanks
ability to control the puck masterfully, to skillfully create
offensive chances, or to play defense solidly. Even hurt, Zetterberg
is averaging over 20 minutes a game this season, contributing on
power-plays and as one of Detroit’s most relied upon penalty
killers. As the top center, he takes the majority of the face-offs,
back-checks aggressively, and is on the ice in all key situations.
He shows no sign of hurting, when he is making magical passes to
line mates Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom, and not when he is
dekeing and dodging opposing defensemen and depositing pucks in the
other team’s net. Even in pain, he remains one of the games best
two-way players, and has made a very strong case as a candidate for
the Selke Trophy, awarded to the league’s top defensive forward.
That is why he deserved to be named to the All-Star Game for the
first time in his four-year career, despite not having offensive
totals that rank in the NHL’s top 20.
The reason for
Henrik’s slight dip in production this year is due to a nine game
point-less streak in the beginning of the season. The scoreless skid
may be partly attributed to his ailing arm, and may be partly
attributed to head coach Mike Babcock’s resistance to put Zetterberg
and Datsyuk together on the same line for the first couple months of
the campaign.
Zetterberg isn’t one
for excuses though, and either way with 19 goals and 21 assists
through 49 games so far, he is on pace for 32 goals and 35 assists
in 82 games, which will probably increase if he has a better second
half of the season after treating his wrist. Barring missing any
time or going on another scoring drought, Zetterberg will finish
with the second best season totals of his career. Last year, Henrik
had 39 goals and 46 assists in 77 games. If he continues his recent
pace he could challenge either career high. Zetterberg has 26 points
in Detroit’s last 25 games with 11
goals and 15 assists during that stretch. If he duplicates that over
the next 25 game stretch he could have 30 goals and 36 assists with
eight games remaining. If he gets hot, he could erase the early
slump.
It isn’t a question of
Zetterberg wanting to play in the All-Star game. There is no doubt
he wants to be there for his fans, and for himself. Zetterberg has
said it was a surprise and an honor to be selected. It was a matter
of doing the right thing, regardless of what people think of
high-paid athletes not respecting the wishes of the paying public.
By not playing in the All-Star game, Henrik Zetterberg has proved
how much of a star he is!
Wings' Zetterberg will skip All-Star
Game
By John Niyo, Detroit News,
January 19, 2007
Red Wings forward
Henrik Zetterberg won't be making his first All-Star Game appearance
after all.
Zetterberg, after
consulting with team officials and physicians, has decided to
withdraw from Wednesday night's game at Dallas, citing
a nagging wrist injury.
Zetterberg, the Wings'
second-leading scorer with 19 goals and 21 assists, will be in the
lineup tonight at Columbus, and he's
also expected to play Saturday at Colorado in the final game before
the All-Star break.
But Wings general
manager Ken Holland said Friday that Zetterberg might have a
cortisone shot to alleviate inflammation in his left wrist on Sunday
or Monday. Zetterberg has been bothered by tendinitis in the wrist
for nearly two years. The problem flared up again in August, forcing
Zetterberg to fly to Detroit from his
offseason home in Sweden to have the wrist examined by
a hand specialist at Detroit Medical Center. He had a cortisone
injection Aug. 14.
"He just feels that he
needs to give his wrist a rest," Holland said. "He wants to take the
opportunity to do that now rather than to continue beating on
it."
Zetterberg's absence
means defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom will be the Wings' lone All-Star
representative.
Zetterberg Withdraws from All-Star
Game
By
Ansar Kahn, Mlive.com, January 20, 2007
Playing in his
first NHL All-Star Game next week would have been a huge thrill for
Henrik Zetterberg. But, the Detroit Red Wings forward decided it's
more prudent to rest his ailing left wrist, so he has withdrawn from
the game.
Zetterberg is
experiencing tendinitis. It's not serious enough to keep him out of
the lineup -- he played Friday in Columbus and is scheduled to play tonight in
Colorado -- but the club is
considering giving him a cortisone shot on Sunday or Monday. It
would require 48-to-72 hours of rest, coinciding with the five-day
All-Star break.
Zetterberg's wrist has
bothered him for a couple of years. It got so bad last August that
he flew from Sweden to Detroit to
have it examined by a specialist. The club feared the wrist was
broken, but tests revealed no fractures or ligament damage. He
received a cortisone shot, returned to Sweden and was ready for
the start of training camp.
"It was really good
from the beginning of the season, but I would say it's been on and
off. Lately, it's been worse and worse," Zetterberg said. "Just had
a talk with Kenny (general manager Holland) and the medical staff and
came to the decision that I have to say no."
"After he got named to
the All-Star team, he came to me and expressed that his tendinitis
has started to flare up," Holland said. "It's nothing like
last summer, but given his history, he wants to make sure he's
proactive rather than reactive. It's enough that it's a cause for
concern."
Zetterberg said he
hasn't come close to sitting out any games.
"When I tape it, it
works OK. Some days it's good, some days it's really bad," he said.
"Hopefully five days without any skating and shooting will settle it
down and, knock on wood, it'll be better the rest of the season."
As for the cortisone
shot, Zetterberg said: "It's no fun to have to take a shot for
anything, but if it's necessary, I'm going to take it."
Andy McDonald of
Anaheim will replace Zetterberg on
the Western Conference team for Wednesday's All-Star Game in
Dallas. Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom
will be the Wings' lone representative.
You'd never know
Zetterberg's wrist was bothering him the way he's playing. He had
recorded at least one point in 15 of his last 16 games (seven goals,
14 assists) heading into Friday's game and led the team with 19
goals.
Wings
Fly with Skilled, Imaginative Play
Larry Wigge, NHL.com,
January 20, 2007
There has been no
slight of hand, no illusions, no trickery. But the Detroit Red Wings' recent play has been
part of a pretty breathtaking magical mystery tour orchestrated by
the talents of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
We’ve seen the
dazzling play of Datsyuk and Zetterberg together before, when Brett Hull was helping the youngsters break
into the NHL in 2003-04 and when Brendan Shanahan was around for support
last season. But the days when any team has a three-line juggernaut
like the Red Wings had have disappeared.
Poof!!!!
Without Hull, Sergei Fedorov, Shanahan and Steve Yzerman around, it’s not unusual that
Red Wings coach Mike Babcock would look to spread the wealth around
his lineup and use Datsyuk and Zetterberg on different lines. But
wait a minute!
After Zetterberg and
Datsyuk were put together for a Dec. 5 game at St. Louis and
combined for goals less than two minutes apart just four minutes
into a 5-1 rout of the Blues, Babcock set the record straight when
he was asked how long he might keep the dynamic duo
together.
"It only works for a
while, because ..."
Babcock paused and
shook his head before he continued, saying, "They both want to play
center."
Truth be told,
Zetterberg and Datsyuk are like two peas in a pod. Their skills are
intertwined, like the thread that pulls the greatest talent in the
world together to make such marvelous theater from night to night --
especially in the new-look NHL, where these breathtaking skills can
now be seen nearly every shift.
In the Red Wings’ 5-3
victory over the Nashville Predators Jan.
17, Zetterberg had two goals and one assist and Datsyuk three
assists to put Detroit just two points behind the
Predators for first place in the Central Division. But the
re-connecting of this dynamic duo is a month-long testament that the
Wings can survive just fine without breaking up one of the game’s
best tandems.
Since Babcock put
Zetterberg and Datsyuk together again on Dec. 14 against Chicago,
Zetterberg has had eight goals and 14 assists and Datsyuk seven
goals and 16 assists. And in the 18 games that the twosome has been
together, the Red Wings have gone 13-4-1.
During that stretch,
Babcock added Tomas Holmstrom to the mix to muck and
grind havoc in and around the opposing net to the tune of 10 goals
and seven assists in his last 14 games. And in their last eight
games together, the three some has combined for a mind-boggling 22
goals and 24 assists -- easily the hottest line in the
NHL.
"You watch the tapes
and see what they’re doing and you still can’t stop them," said Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, who
was part of a few pretty successful lines in his Hall of Fame
career. "You study the moves and then they do something completely
different."
So, Mike Babcock. What
has changed since you said you couldn’t keep them together in
early-December?
"I told Pav and Henrik
to choose which of them would be the center," Babcock said with the
wide smile of a mad scientist. "Simple as
that."
Truth be told, no one
has to designate if the center of attention for the night -- by
position that is -- is Datsyuk or Zetterberg. There are frequently
no words spoken between Datsyuk and Zetterberg. It's a quiet
confidence. A communication beyond words, spiced with skill,
instinct and an innate ability to produce something that a coach
could only dream of drawing up on a
chalkboard.
"Sometimes Pavel will
give me a wink or nod his head ... and I usually know what he
means," Zetterberg told me.
Sort of like Peyton
Manning gesturing at one of his receivers, when he gets up to the
line of scrimmage?
Said Zetterberg, "I
don't know how to describe it. I guess it's just instincts. I see
him make a move and think, ‘Where would I want my linemate to go if
I was making the same kind of move he's making?’
"
So, it's more than
just coincidence. It's like twins finishing one another's sentences
or a great comedy team adlibbing their way through a skit to make it
more entertaining.
To think, this
incomparable skill is represented by sixth- and seventh-round draft
choices 171st and 210th overall in the 1998 and 1999 drafts
respectively. Not to mention Holmstrom, who was a 10th-round pick,
257th overall, in the 1994 Entry Draft.
Several scouts
interviewed for this column indicated that Datsyuk always showed the
great skill, it's just that the glimpses of brilliance were too far
apart in his draft year. Like Datsyuk, Zetterberg's size was a point
of contention in an NHL where bigger was better during all of those
years where teams were able to trap and obstruct the smaller players
who weren't equipped to fight through the hands and arms and
stick-checks. Datsyuk is now listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and
Zetterberg at 6-foot, 190. Before they were drafted, Datsyuk was
5-10, 160 pounds and Zetterberg 5-11, 175
pounds.
"Pavel had loads of
talent, but I remember saying to myself, ‘At that size, can he make
those breathtaking moves against the big people he'd be facing in
the NHL?’ " said Rick Dudley, the former GM in Ottawa, Florida and Tampa
Bay, who now
scouts for the Chicago Blackhawks. "The
long and short answer: Obviously, he can."
There's an elite level
that often comes after players with the kind of skills that Datsyuk
and Zetterberg have flashed in front of us.
"The thing about elite
players is you see what they do and the numbers they put up, but the
next sign is the intensity they play with every shift," Gretzky
said. "The next time you see them play, just look at the intensity
on their faces and in their eyes. That's what impresses me most
about Datsyuk and Zetterberg."
The thing about Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg is that they are both
talented, imaginative, creative and relentless in their
determination to make things happen on the
ice.
"I see plays, yes,"
Datsyuk said, with a big smile. "But not three plays ahead. ... Two,
maybe."
"I think we both like
to see the challenge of competition at a fast pace," Zetterberg
said. "You should see how big Pavel's eyes get when the action gets
fierce. Mine probably do, too. Clearly, we both see a lot of the
same things on the ice and wonder how we can translate that into
making something happen out there."
Wonder? It's
precision. No abracadabras. Just a delightful creativity between two
very skilled and imaginative players.
Red Light Special: The NHL's Hottest
Line
By Brian Cazeneuve,
SI.com, January 19, 2007
It was a
dazzling sign of how well things are going in
Detroit these days when Henrik
Zetterberg of the Red Wings scored one of those
goal-of-the-year candidates against Nashville on January 17. Early in
the second period, Detroit's left wing exchanged
passes with his linemates -- center Pavel Datsyuk and right wing
Tomas Holmstrom -- skated to the high right slot, pulled a
360-degree spin-o-rama that would have made Denis Savard envious,
and slid a harmless looking backhand under the left pad of Predators
goalie Tomas Vokoun, who reacted late after being befuddled by
Zetterberg's acrobatics.
"When you're running
hot like that," said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, "those shots
always seem to go in."
Not only do
Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Holmstrom comprise the NHL's hottest line,
they are also perhaps the most radically rejuvenated trio in years.
"They are our offensive power now," says Wings goalie Dominik Hasek.
First, check out their
numbers:
In his last six games,
Zetterberg has three goals and nine assists, at least one point
in 14 of his last 15, and has amassed eight goals, 14 assists and a
+14 rating during that stretch. That's quite an improvement
from the slump in which he failed to record a point in seven
straight games from October 13 to 27.
Holmstrom went a
puzzling 19 games without a goal from November 2 to December
22. He has now tied his career-high with a recent six-game
point-scoring streak during which he had six goals, including a hat
trick against Phoenix on January 11, and four
assists. Since December 22, he has 10 goals, seven assists and
a +9 rating in 14 games.
Datsyuk didn't record
his fourth goal of the season until his 26th game, on December
5. In his last nine games, he has a sizzling six and 14
assists, including 11 assists in his last five games, and a +10
rating. He tied his career high for assists in a game
(4) against Phoenix on January
11 and Nashville on January 17.
Yet, if you look at
the stats, you can't point to increased ice time or additional
power-play time as a reason for the trio's emergence. Each player
has played roughly 18 to 22 minutes per game since opening
night. So why the change?
Many
reasons:
New speed: Consider
Datsyuk's previous linemates over the years -- people like
Brendan Shanahan and Brett Hull. They were great finishers who
wanted to get the puck in shooting position (i.e. at the end of a
rush). With Zetterberg and Holmstrom, both of whom are strong
skaters, Datsyuk has taken time to get used to the idea of giving up
the puck earlier in the rush.
Consistent speed: For
one, Babcock has kept the three together consistently over the last
month after breaking them up several times during the early part of
the season. They are among the team's three best skating forwards,
and the problem with mixing in a Robert Lang or Dan Cleary or even
fellow European Mikael Samuelsson is that when one player skates at
a different speed or skates at a different skill level than the
other two, it can slow the line.
A wing and two
centers: Datsyuk and Zetterberg are both natural centers, which
explains why Babcock separated them early this season. But they also
know one another's tendencies. Datsyuk jokes that he doesn't need to
back-check when he has confidence that Zetterberg will be there to
do it for him.
Datsyuk, a Russian,
spent time working on his Swedish with Holmstrom and Zetterberg (and
even former linemate Samuelsson) and he has taken to yelling
instructions to his linemates in their native tongue. Having a
Swedish captain, Nick Lidstrom, on the team doesn't hurt
either.
With its top line on a
tear, Detroit has ridden a five-game
win streak to reach 65 points, fourth-best in the NHL and only four
points off league-leading Nashville's 69.
Zetterberg's Spectacular Goal Highlights Wings
Win
By
Ansar Kahn, Mlive.com, January 18, 2007
…Detroit Red Wings' Henrik Zetterberg is becoming a
human highlight reel himself.
Last week, Zetterberg scored a slick one-handed
shoot-out goal to defeat Colorado. On Wednesday, he earned
himself some more air time on ESPN's SportsCenter with a spin-o-rama
move for a goal in Detroit's 5-3 victory against the
Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena.
It
wasn't the All-Star forward's only good move of the night. He scored
two goals, moving into the team lead with 19, and added an assist.
The Wings won their fifth consecutive game, snapped Nashville's
six-game winning streak and moved to within two points of the
Central Division-leading Predators.
Zetterberg's crowd-pleaser came 1:32 into the second
period. He lugged the puck down the right wing, stopped in the
face-off circle, spun around and fired a no-look backhand shot that
handcuffed Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun.
It tied the game at 2-2 and didn't please Predators coach Barry
Trotz, who yanked Vokoun for Chris Mason.
"It just came into my head as I was coming down
there,'' Zetterberg said. "I just tried to spin around and threw a
backhander at the net and kind of got a little lucky. I don't know
how it went in.''
Wings coach Mike Babcock said the puck "crawled up the
paddle of (Vokoun's) stick.''
"No excuses, no explanation,'' Vokoun said. "The puck
was in the net when it should have been stopped.''
Zetterberg said he's not sure if he's ever scored a
goal like that.
"It was unbelievable,'' said teammate Jiri Hudler, who
snapped a 3-3 tie by scoring what proved to be the winning goal at
14:16 of the second period. "Everybody thought he's going to pass
and then he spins around and it went in. Everybody went, `Wow!' ''
Said Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom: "It really looked
great from the bench. ''
Zetterberg's entire line has looked great of late.
Pavel Datsyuk picked up four assists. He has 20 points (six goals,
14 assists) in his last nine games. The other linemate, Tomas
Holmstrom, scored his ninth goal in the last 10 games and added an
assist. Zetterberg has points in 15 of his last 16 games (seven
goals, 14 assists).
Zetterberg also made a nice move on his first goal,
switching from backhand to forehand to avoid a poke-check from Kimmo
Timonen and firing a shot past Vokoun at 7:25 of the first
period.
ALL-STAR
Henrik Zetterberg
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, January 13th,
2007
In his fourth NHL
season, Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg has been
selected as a reserve for his first career All-Star Game by Western
Conference coaches; Randy Carlyle of the Anaheim Ducks and Barry
Trotz of the Nashville Predators. He joins Red Wings future
Hall-of-Fame defenseman Niklas Lidstrom, who was voted in as a
starter by the fans, for the game which will take place in Dallas on
January 24th. The NHL hasn’t held an All-Star game since
2004, due to the 2004-2005 NHL lock-out and the 2006 Winter
Olympics, in which Lidstrom and Zetterberg won the gold medal with
Sweden.
"I
found out this morning…kind of surprised. It's an honor,"said the
humble Zetterberg.
Zetterberg wasn’t
expected to be selected for the All-Star team. Having had an early
season nine game point-less streak, he has only 17 goals and 16
assists through 44 games this season. His 33 points to date place
him 71st amongst all forwards in the NHL, and he is tied
for 39th in goals. Despite being off of last seasons
scoring pace, Zetterberg excels at all aspects of the game,
including back-checking in the defensive end and killing penalties.
He is 10th amongst NHL forwards with a plus 15 (+/-) so
far. His defensive skills, combined with his offensive talent, make
Zetterberg a solid choice for the All-Star game as well as a Selke
trophy (best defensive forward) candidate this year.
The dip in Henrik’s
statistics can be attributed in part to the Red Wings losing
veterans Steve Yzerman to retirement and Brendan Shanahan to the New
York Rangers via free agency. Opposing teams can now focus on
stopping Zetterberg and line-mate Pavel Datsyuk by matching them up
with their top defenseman. However, Zetterberg can still control the
play and produce scoring opportunities in spite of the extra
attention from opponents. He has obviously earned the respect of his
peers and Western Conference coaches, and is deserving of being
recognized as an All-Star.
Wings' Zetterberg an
All-Star
By George Sipple, Free
Press, January 13, 2007
Forward Henrik
Zetterberg was the only other Wing selected to the Western
Conference team. He’ll join defenseman Nick Lidstrom, who was voted
in as a starter during fan balloting for the All-Star Game on Jan.
24. The reserves are selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations
department.
Wings general manager Ken Holland said he was glad
that Zetterberg was among a large group of players selected to the
All-Star Game for the first time. Ten players from the Western
Conference will be playing in their first All-Star Game.
“Having
a lot of first-time players, it shows there’s a lot of great new
players in our league,” Holland said. “A changing of the
guard to a certain degree.”
Zetterberg definitely belonged,”
Holland said. “I think he’s the
best two-way player in the National Hockey League and a star,”
Holland said.
They're Better when
Together
By Helene St. James, Free
Press, January 12, 2007
...(Henrik Zetterberg
and Pavel Datsyuk) spent the first two
months of this season apart, before being reunited last month. Now
both are putting subpar first halves behind them; entering
Thursday's game against the Coyotes, Zetterberg had five goals and
six assists in the past 11 games, and Datsyuk had four goals and
four assists in his previous five games.
"We struggled a little
bit before that, at the beginning of the season, both me and Pav,
and ever since we've been playing together, it seems we're creating
a lot more chances," Zetterberg said. "When you do that, of course
you're going to produce more, too. I still think we can produce a
lot more than we've been doing, points-wise, but the chances we've
come up with have been pretty good."
The two read each
other well, which comes from being partners consistently since
Zetterberg joined the team in 2002-03, a year after Datsyuk's rookie
season.
"When Pav has the
puck, he knows where I am and vice versa," Zetterberg said. "You
don't have to look -- you kind of know the areas where he is on the
ice and most of the time, he is right there. We like to play the
same style. Every time when we're playing together, we have
fun."
Tomas Holmstrom knows
that when he is on their line, everything gets
simplified.
"They don't pass me
the puck," he said, smiling. "I just go to the net and they do their
thing and I do my thing. I think that's why it works. I stay away
from them, and then once in a while, they feed
me."
Just as Datsyuk and
Zetterberg are more effective when they're together, the Wings are
better when both are in the lineup. Datsyuk missed the first two
games of this trip; as soon as he returned, the Wings looked like a
different team.
…“(Pavel) and Hank
obviously really enjoy playing with one another. You can see it.
They create a lot of things for us. When those two are going well,
we've got a good chance to win hockey games,” said Kris Draper.
Zetterberg's highlight-reel shoot-out
goal nets Wings 4-3
win
By Ansar Khan, Mlive.com,
January 10th, 2007
No gold medal was on
the line, and it won't get him his own postage stamp, but it was the
perfect time for Henrik Zetterberg to reach into his bag of tricks
and pull out a slick move.
Zetterberg's
spectacular shoot-out goal Tuesday gave the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3
victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi
Center. It
snapped the Wings' three-game losing streak.
It's a move Zetterberg
has tried before with no success. This time he beat Peter Budaj by
deking to his left and, with one hand on his stick, depositing a
soft backhand shot into the open right side of the net, much to the
surprise of the Colorado
goaltender.
It's the same move his
fellow countryman, Peter Forsberg, used to win the gold medal for
Sweden in the 1994 Olympics vs. Canada. The country minted a stamp
in honor of Forsberg after that goal. Zetterberg said he first saw
the move done by another Swede, Kent Nilsson, at the 1989 World
Championships.
"When it works it
looks nice, but when the goalie just stands there you kind of look
foolish," Zetterberg said. "I probably have to figure out another
move next time. It probably won't work
anymore."
Said Wings captain
Nicklas Lidstrom: "It was as good as Peter's move. It might be worth
a stamp here."
Linemates Zetterberg
and Pavel Datsyuk were the stars. Zetterberg opened the scoring with
a power-play goal at 7:20 of the first …
…Zetterberg's move
secured a vital victory. It spoiled a 40-save performance from
Budaj, who Babcock described as "outstanding." (Dominik) Hasek said
Budaj couldn't be faulted for not stopping
Zetterberg.
"It's tough on the
goalie," Hasek said. "You little bit follow the body and little bit
follow the puck. It looks like he makes a fool of the goalie, but
it's a good move and you cannot blame the
goalie."
By Helene St. James, Free Press, January 10,
2007
Eurotwins
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk united their powers Tuesday
night to help the Red Wings get their first victory on their
five-game trip.
Zetterberg
used a reach-back backhand to secure a 4-3 shootout victory over
Colorado at Pepsi
Center. It's
the same move Peter Forsberg used to win Sweden the 1994 Olympic
gold medal, but as every good Swede knows, the move was invented by
someone else.
"Actually," Zetterberg said,
"it's Kent Nilsson. He was the first one who did it in a Swedish
national game. I think a lot of guys do it now. ... It's something
we do after practice when we fool around. When it works it looks
nice, but when the goalie just stands there, you look kind of
foolish. It was nice it worked."
Zetterberg's
goal came after Datsyuk had deked to his forehand to score on
goaltender Peter Budaj.
(Earlier)
the Wings used their first power play to take the lead. Datsyuk
picked up the puck behind the net, darted to the post and slipped a
cross-slot pass for Zetterberg to snap past Budaj at 7:20 of the
first period. But it wasn't until Zetterberg scored in the shootout
that they got the two points badly needed. Zetterberg went up the
middle, isolated his backhand, slid over and scored. Zetterberg said
it's the third time he has scored such a goal.
"I
probably have to figure out another move next time," he said. "I
don't think it will work anymore."
Red
Wings extend hex against Avs
Associated Press,
Dailycamera.com, January 10, 2007
Detroit winger Henrik
Zetterberg has moves that put him in some good
company.
The 26-year-old used
them against the Colorado Avalanche, scoring twice in regulation and
adding the winning shot in the shootout to lift the Red Wings to a
4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
"The way he holds onto
the puck to the last instance and then gently sliding it across the
goal line," Colorado winger Milan Hejduk said.
"That is Peter Forsberg."
Zetterberg and Pavel
Datsyuk scored in the shootout and had a goal each in regulation to
help Detroit end a three-game losing
streak.
"That's a nice move
that Zetterberg did on the shootout goal that Kent Nilsson was the
first to do in the World Championships in 1989," Detroit
defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "People remember Forsberg doing it
for the gold medal."
Zetterberg didn't mind
the comparison with Colorado's
long-time standout and fellow Swede, who is now with Philadelphia.
"Forsberg did it in
the Olympics and I think a lot of guys do it now," Zetterberg said.
"When it works, it's nice, but if the goalie just stays in there,
then you look kind of foolish."
Now it’s Official. Zetterberg Gets 200th Career
Point,
Sets Career High
Point
Streak
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, January 4, 2007
This time it counts!
Henrik Zetterberg got his 200th career point (again),
assisting on a 1st period power-play goal by Tomas
Holmstrom tonight in a 9-3 loss in San Jose. He is now tied with Dave
Barr for 55th on the .
The point extends
Zetterberg’s career-best point streak to 8 games in a row, breaking
his 7 game streak from November 17th to December
1st 2005. Henrik has 9 points in the last 8 games, dating
back to December 20th against Columbus, and
has 13 points in the last 15 games.
Zetterberg was
initially credited with an assist in Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory
over the Anaheim Ducks, on what appeared to be a Mathieu Schneider
goal from the blue line. Originally it was scored that way, giving
Henrik his 199th career point. Zetterberg later scored
the game-winning goal, on Steve Yzerman’s jersey retirement night at
Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, which was thought to be
his milestone 200th point. A day after the game, NHL
Officials reviewed the play and credited Tomas Holmstrom with the
first goal, after it was determined that he had tipped Schneider’s
shot while standing in front of the crease. The new ruling erased
Zetterberg’s assist and taking away his first point of the night,
bringing his career total back to 199.
Nearly half-way
through the season, Henrik currently has 16 goals and 12 assists,
and is on pace for 33 goals and 25 assists in 82 games this season.
Zetterberg Extends Point Streak to Seven Games,
Gets Game-winner on Steve Yzerman’s Big
Night
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, January 2, 2007
On the night Steve
Yzerman’s #19 was lifted to the rafters in a pre-game ceremony at
Joe Louis Arena, Henrik Zetterberg payed tribute to “the Captain” by
scoring the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim
Ducks, currently the NHL’s best team.
The game-winner came
at 16:51 of the second period, when linemate Tomas Holmstrom drew
two Anaheim defensemen to the corner
and made a fantastic spinning back-handed pass to Henrik, who was
all alone in front of the crease. All he had to do was put his stick
on the ice and knock the puck low past Duck’s goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
The point
in tonight’s match gives Zetterberg at least one point in each of
his last seven games, tying his career-high points streak from Nov
17th- December 1st 2005.
The game-winner on
this special night makes this #7 on Zetterberg's top ten career
games list.
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