Zetterberg Playing For His Country In Karjala Cup

By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, November 12^th, 2004

Henrik Zetterberg was among 25 Swedish players and 5 Timra Red Eagles named to Tre Kroner’s roster for the 2004 Karjala Cup Tournament played in Linkoping, Sweden, and Helsinki, Finland. The tournament is the first of three parts of the Euro Hockey Tour and is held between Novemeber 11th and 14th.  The Baltica Cup and The Sweden Hockey Games are the other two parts of the Tour. The take place in December and February. Other teams involved in the tournament are Finland, Czech Republic, and Russia.

The Swedish Elite League takes breaks in their 50 games season for the various tournaments and holidays.

Tre Kroner’s opening game was a victory, outplaying Russia the entire game but only edging them by a score of 2-1.

Zetterberg scored the game winning goal at 3:12 into  the third period when he defelected a shot by Daniel Sedin past Russian goalie maxim Sokolov who played an outstanding game, making 41 saves.

"I was lucky !  I wasn't sure if it was the puck that hit my stick. But it was something…and it was a goal!" "It was a nice win. I think we played very well overall, with speed and enthusiasm all over the rink," Zetterberg said after the game.

Zata started the game on a line with Timra teammates Jonathan Hedstrm and Niklas Nordgren, but played later with Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Zetterberg and the Sedin’s played impressively, as they did during the World Cup. The trio continues to shine as they move the puck and create offensive chances.

Game 2 is Saturday November 13th versus the Czech Republic.

Tre Kroner Roster:

Forwards:

Johan Franzen -Linkoping (Redwings Prospect)

Yared Hagos- Timra

Jonathan Hedstrom -Timra

Andreas Karlsson -HV71

Magnus Kahnberg- Frolunda

Tony Martensson -Linkoping

Niklas Nordgren -Timra

Peter Nordstrom -Farjestad

Daniel Sedin -Modo

Henrik Sedin -Modo

Alexander Steen-Modo

Mathias Tjarnqvist -HV71

Mattias Weinhandl -Modo

Henrik Zetterberg -Timra

Defenders:

Christian Backman -Frolunda

Per Hallberg -Farjestad

Niclas Havelid -Sodertalje

Magnus Johansson -Linkoping

Lars Jonsson -Timra

Anders Lilja –Mora

Thomas Rhodin- Fribourg

Henrik Tallinder -Linkoping

Dick Tarnstrom -Sodertalje

Goaltenders:

Henrik Lundqvist -Frolunda

Johan Holmqvist -Brynas

Timrå Edges HV-71 3-2, Zetterberg Adds Powerplay Goal

By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, November 6, 2004

The Timrå Red Eagles are on a roll. With a 12-3-3 record, winners of four straight and twelve out of their last thirteen matches, they seem unstoppable as other Swedish Elite League teams continue to sign locked out NHL players.

Today at Sydkraft Arena, Timrå got out to a 3-0 second period lead over HV-71, but let the Bulls slip back into the game, holding on to a 3-2 win.

Henrik Zetterberg scored once again, netting his tenth goal of the season, a powerplay tally that opened the scoring 37 seconds into the second period. The goal was scored against Detroit Redwings prospect Stefan Liv, who is struggling this year despite leading HV-71 to a SEL championship with outstanding play last season. It starts to raise doubts as to if Liv will ever join Zetterberg in Detroit.

A Redwings prospect who is improving his chances is Zetterberg’s Red Eagles teammate Christian Soderstrom. Soderstrom pitched in with an assist today, and has nine points in eighteen games.

Zetterberg has twenty points so far and trails only Peter Forsberg’s 25 points for the league lead.

NHLers a Big Part of Timrå’s Success

By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, November 4, 2004

A lot of people are speaking out against NHL players, locked out by their league, going or returning to Europe to play in professional hockey leagues. They say it takes jobs away from marginal players who get bumped off of rosters and onto lower tier teams. That may be true, but as a hockey fan in places like Sweden, you are a lot happier getting to watch players like Peter Forsberg and Henrik Zetterberg.

One team that has reaped the benefits of signing locked out NHLers is the Timrå Red Eagles. The team finished sixth in the Swedish Elite League last season with a 21-20-9 record. But this season, signing players like hometown hero Zetterberg, Finnish goaltender Mika Kiprusoff of the Western Conference Champion Calgary Flames, Fredrik Modin of the Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning and veteran defenseman Aki Berg of the Toronto Maple Leafs has created great chemistry and tremendously improved the club. Timrå is in second place in the league after seventeen games with an 11-3-3 record. Frölunda is only a game better.

Obviously the goaltending of Kiprusoff, who has a .930 save percentage and a 1.68 goals against average, is a solid base to a strong team. But for leadership, work effort, and putting fans in the seats the Red Eagles look to Zetterberg, who is second in the league in scoring behind Swedish legend Forsberg.

Zåta, as he is refered to back home, had yet another goal and assist in tonights 4-0 win over Djurgårdens in Stockholm’s Globe Arena. His ninth goal of the season came 6:43 into the third period and gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. He had assisted on the games opening goal at 11.22 of the first period when Niklas Nordgren scored on the powerplay. Zetterberg now has nineteen points in seventeen games this year. He is a plus/minus +12 after this evening’s strong +2 match.

The Timrå organization is where Henrik grew up and developed into one of the best players in the country. Zetterberg played with Timrå in Sweden’s 2nd tier league from 1997-2000, leadig the team with 36 goals and 29 assists in 95 games. In 1999-2000, as just a nineteen year old,  Zetterberg scored 16 goals and 24 points in 31 regular season games, helping his club into the Allsvensken playoffs. Once there, in the spotlight he shined, scoring fourteen goals and ten assists in 21 games, lifting the club from Sweden’s second tier league to the Eliteserien in 2000-2001.

Henrik continued to shine for two more seasons in the SEL, tallying 25 goals and 53 assists in 95 more games from 2000-2002. In 2000-2001 he was named the SEL Rookie of the Year. In 2001-2002 he was awarded the “Guldpucken” (Gold Puck) as Sweden’s Best Hockey Player. In Timrå,  Zäta had become a hockey god. In 2002, the Red Eagles retired his #20 as he headed to play in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to this years lockout, Zetterberg played 140 games in two seasons for Detroit. He lead all Rookies in points with 22 goals and 22 assists, and was runner up for the Calder Trophy in 2002-2003. He has amassed 37 goals and 50 assists in 140 NHL games.

Niklas Nordgren, a Carolina Hurricanes draftee in his fourth season with Timrå, is tied for the team lead in goals with nine and second in total points with sixteen.

Fredrik Modin joined the club after five games were already played, but has jumped into the lineup and had great chemistry with Zåta. Modin has nine points in twelve games.  Modin also previously starred in the Timrå organization, playing in the second tier for three seasons from 1991-1994.

Is it unfair for these hometown heroes to return and give their loyal fans what they normally do not get to witness? I am sure if you ask folks in Timrå, they would say no. They are finally getting what they deserve and they are eyeing and Elite Series title.