Zetterberg 'hasn't proved
anything'
By George Malik,
Mlive.com, September 15, 2006
Henrik Zetterberg
knows that he's well-respected in Detroit, but steady stream of fan
and press praises go in one ear and out the
other:
September 15, Windsor Star
(subscriber-only): "I don't think I've proved anything in
the playoffs yet," said Zetterberg, who had six goals in the series
against Edmonton.
"You have to win.
That's why we are here.
"I still have a very important piece
(Stanley Cup) to fill. Of course, it was nice to win the Olympics
and world championship, that's big in Sweden, but this is my
job. I play for the Red Wings and I want to win this
year."
He was flattered
by the suggestions that he's a captain in the
making:
"When you hear stuff
like that it's fun," said Zetterberg, who reports no problems with
the tendonitis in his wrist. "It's nice to be considered a big part
of this team. I'll be ready."
Zetterberg Might Have to Wing
it
By Helene St. James, Free
Press, September 9, 2006
Henrik Zetterberg
spent much of last season as coach Mike Babcock's answer to a
slumping winger. It was an ideal situation for both
men.
Zetterberg grew up
playing center and thrives in that position. It is the one he would
prefer to play this season.
"I think I played
better last year as a center than I did as a wing," he said Friday
after an informal workout at Troy Sports Center with a dozen fellow Red
Wings. "I think I'm more comfortable playing center. So if I had to
choose, I would play center."
There's just one
problem: The Wings bulge in the middle. They've got three gifted
centers in Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Robert Lang, and while that
creates an enviable depth chart, it also creates a mathematical
challenge.
All three are players
who should average between 17 and 19 minutes a game, but that would
mean one would be playing with mostly defensive wingers. Last
season, Babcock resorted to a variety of solutions: Playing Lang
with Steve Yzerman and Kris Draper, playing Lang on the wing,
playing Zetterberg on the wing.
With camp less than a
week away, Babcock is once again pondering what to do with
Zetterberg, Lang and Datsyuk.
"That's a real good
question, and I've asked myself that all summer long," Babcock said.
"I'll figure it out in training camp."
Babcock said he would
spread Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Lang across three groups and let them
go head to head. Ditto for the three auditioning to center the
defensive lines: Kris Draper, Valtteri Filppula and Greg
Johnson.
"As exhibition goes
on, we'll try a number of things," Babcock said. "I had no plans to
play 'Z' at center last year, but then he played so well, I couldn't
move him. But anytime you don't have the success you expect, you
evaluate everything."
There's a limit to
what Babcock can do, because it was clear last season that Lang
really is not a winger, and neither is Datsyuk. Zetterberg is the
only one with the versatility to play wing, but at the same time,
he's much more at home in the middle.
"I think you get more
into the game," he said. "You get to have the puck more. You skate a
little bit more. But sometimes you have to play wing, and I'm not
complaining to do that, either."
Playing Zetterberg
with Datsyuk has worked well, and probably would again. But
Zetterberg was so good at center last season that Babcock came to
rely on him as a way to get any slumping winger jump-started; it
worked exceedingly well with Mikael Samuelsson, for
example.
Zetterberg Healthy, Excited for
Camp
By Ted Kulfan, Detroit News,
September 7, 2006
TROY -- His buddies in
Sweden are practicing and
are days away from the start of their season and Henrik Zetterberg
is the one filled with anticipation.
It's hockey season, or
soon will be, and Zetterberg can't wait.
"I'm really excited
every time this time of year," Zetterberg said after a workout
Wednesday. "You always want to get back and get
started."
What's exciting
Zetterberg is the fact he might finally be over a troublesome left
wrist injury that's been nagging him the last three
seasons.
Zetterberg had his
left wrist checked by Wings doctors this summer. He received a
cortisone shot and was told to rest. Since returning to the ice a
few weeks ago, his wrist has improved.
"The wrist hasn't felt
this good in a long time," said Zetterberg, who shot the puck well
Wednesday. "It feels even better than it did
before."
Zetterberg said the
injury has been bothering him since the playoff series against
Calgary in
2004.
Zetterberg said he
missed one tournament in Sweden during the lockout
because of discomfort in the wrist.
"I just hope it stays
like it is right now," Zetterberg said. "It feels a lot better.
Since the first practice (in mid-August) I don't feel anything, so
the doctor did a good job."
That's great news for
Wings fans, who watched Zetterberg emerge as a star last
season.
He had 39 goals and 46
assists (85 points) in 77 games, and added six goals in the
playoffs.
Some preseason
analysts have pegged Zetterberg as a potential Hart Trophy (most
valuable player) candidate.
"I'm just going to try
and play like last year and see how far it goes," Zetterberg
said.
Although Nicklas
Lidstrom likely will replace Steve Yzerman as the Wings' captain,
Zetterberg has also been mentioned.
"Just to be mentioned
around that kind of thing is special," Zetterberg said. "Nick is a
natural pick. He's been a great leader for us for a long time. Just
to be mentioned as a possibility is an honor."
Wings' Zetterberg is Now a Man of
the Cloth
By Helen St. James, Free
Press, September 6, 2006
Now
we know what Henrik Zetterberg did this
summer.
When he wasn't
avoiding wrist surgery and tornadoes while Jet Skiing, he was
working on the House of Zetterberg.
That's right: Dominik
Hasek isn't the only designing man among the Red
Wings.
According to a Tuesday
article in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Zetterberg is about to launch
his very own clothing line. It's called "Zatacollection", after
Zetterberg's Swedish nickname, and features T-shirts, sweatshirts
and caps. Zetterberg designs the clothes with the help of a company
based in Sundsvall, Sweden.
Hasek, of course, is
an old hat at this game: He's had his Dominator sportswear line
since 1998.
Zetterberg, 25, won't
make any money on the line its first three years, because he's
donating the profits to the sports club in his hometown of
Njurunda.
Zatacollection is set
to debut in October, but an early test collection sold well,
Zetterberg told the Swedish paper.
Zetterberg Says Wrist Has
Improved
