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ZETTERBERGFAN'S
2008-09 SEASON
PREDICTIONS
By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, October 4th,
2008
Last
year, Henrik Zetterberg had four goals and three assists and was a
(plus/minus) +8 in four pre-season games and, as predicted, went on
to have a career year, leading the Detroit Red Wings in their bid to
win the Stanley Cup.
After
another outstanding pre-season this year, with four goals, four
assists, and a +7 in four exhibition matches, expect Hank to have
another MVP-type season.
There
are no reports of Zetterberg having any problems with his lower back
or wrist tendonitis, which have both been chronic problems for the
past couple of years. It looks like Henrik is indeed healthy going
into the regular season. If he can stay injury-free he should
compete with newly acquired free-agent Marian Hossa (from the
Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins) for team-leading
goal-scorer this season.
I expect
Zetterberg to play over 75 games again this year, missing a few
games with minor ailments. With that many games played, he should be
able to match or surpass his numbers from a year ago, in which he
scored a career high 43 goals. He has already stated to the Swedish
media that he would like to aim for Hakan Loobs mark of 50 goals,
the most ever by a Swede. It seems that whenever Hank sets his mind
to do something, he accomplishes it. With that being said, don’t be
surprised if he once again leads Detroit in scoring. If Zetterberg
gets 48 this year, he will reach the 200 career goals mark. The last
Red Wing to score 50 goals in a season was Sergei Fedorov, who had
56 in 1993-94.
Z could
very well match his career-high 49 assists from last season, even
with new lnemates Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler. I would say it’s
more likely that he will get 45 to 47 helpers this year. He will
surpass the 200 career assists milestone with his
20th assist this upcoming season.
I was
pretty accurate with last years predictions so I am going to put
myself out there again this time around and say Hank racks up 50
goals and 46 assists, just missing a 100 point season, but
surpassing last seasons career-high of 92.
If
Zetterberg plays only 45 games this season he will get to 400 for
his career. He should finish closer to 430.
With 68
points Henrik will have 400 in his 6th season. He needs
just 35 career points to pass Marcel Dionne (366) for
20th on Detroit’s all-time scoring list. Z
will likely finish 17th on that list at the end of this
season, passing Slava Kozlov’s 415 points as a Red
Wing.
A year
ago I said, “with the decline of the Nashville Predators and a
weaker central division, I expect Detroit to win at least 55 games,
five better than last season. The Wings will win the President’s
Trophy with around 123 points. I say the beat the Roberto Luongo and
the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to become the Western
Conference Champions. Detroit defeats
Ottawa in the Stanley Cup finals in
six.”
Well, I
was close. The Wings won 54 regular season matches in an improved
Central Division, won the President’s Trophy, and won the Stanley
Cup in six games. I was just way off on who they would meet along
the way. This time I say, 58 regular season wins, 124 points,
Presidents Trophy, defeat the San Jose Sharks in the Conference
Finals, and go on to defeat the Montreal Canadians in six games to
win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Z’s Line
Shows Chemistry in Win over Leafs.
By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, October 4,
2008
In last nights 5-3 win
over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Center Henrik Zetterberg and wingers
Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler looked like they have developed some
chemistry and will make a great second scoring line for the Detroit
Red Wings this season, as long as Head Coach Mike Babcock leaves the
lines the way they are this pre-season.
The line had eight
total points and were a combined +6 (plus/minus) controlling the
play when they were on the ice. Franzen was first-star-of-the-game
with two goals and an assist on Zetterberg’s third period goal.
Zetterberg was third-star with the goal and an assist on Franzen’s
game-winner later in the third. Hudler had three assists on the
night.
Henrik scored his goal
just 1:53 into the third, on the power-play, when he brought the
puck down center-ice on a rush and carried it across the blue line
with all four Toronto penalty-killers back.
Zetterberg dished the puck to Franzen and then skated past three
defenders, taking the return pass from his winger and lifting a
back-hander over the glove of Leaf’s goaltender Vesa Toskala. The
goal gave the Wings a 3-2 lead.
Toronto’s Head
Coach Ron Wilson had this to say after the loss.
“Their best player
works hard and our best players work. And if you can’t get inspired
watching a guy like Zetterberg for-check, back-check, and play hard,
and you’re sitting back thinking, “Ah jeez, I don’t want to do that.
That’s a lot of hard work.” Then, we’re not going to win very many
games!”
With the two-point
effort, Z now has four goals, four assists, and is a +7 in four
pre-season games. His eight total points tie him for fourth amongst
NHL leaders.
So far, Detroit is
4-0-0 in exhibition games that the Zetterberg-Franzen-Hudler line
plays in.
Even
without Pavel, Henrik is Dominant!
By Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, October 1,
2008
Detroit Red Wings head
coach Mike Babcock has attempted to break up the “Eurotwins”,
Russian Pavel Datsyuk and Swede Henrik Zetterberg, at the beginning
of every season, in an effort to produce two scoring solid lines. It
hasn’t completely worked out to date. The dynamic duo has always
been re-united to create the on-ice magic that happens when the two
are on the same line. But, with the addition of another star
European, Czech Marian Hossa, this could be the year that the coach
can keep Z and Pavel split.
This pre-season,
Babcock has partnered Zetterberg with a new set of Euro linemates:
Johan Franzen and Jiri Hudler. So far, the trio has been the best
line the Wings have put out on the ice.
Zetterberg in
particular has been leading the way, playing with the dominance he
displayed in last season’s play-offs, in route to winning the
Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe award.
Tonight, Hank had
another multi-point effort, in his third exhibition game, scoring
the game-winning goal and adding assists on both of fellow Swede,
Mikael Samuelsson’s power-play tally’s in this evening’s 4-1 win on
the road against the Atlanta Thrashers.
Zetterberg scored his
go-ahead, and eventually game-winning, goal at 14:41 of the
1st period. It was unassisted and scored at
even-strength, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead.
All three of
Zetterberg’s assists this pre-season have come on goals by
Samuelsson with the man-advantage. Future Hall-of-Fame defenseman
and Wing’s Swedish Captain Niklas Lidstrom also assisted on
Samuelsson’s 1st and 2nd period power-play
goals.
The three points
tonight give Henrik a team-leading three goals and three assists for
six total points in three exhibition games.
The Red Wings are now
3-0-0 in pre-season matches that the Zetterberg-Franzen-Hudler line
has appeared in. They are 0-1-2 in the rest of the
games.
Zetterberg Wants 50
Goals;
Sky's the Limit for Detroit's
Confident, Slick
Swede
By Dave Waddell, Canwest News Service, October 01,
2008
Numbers don't mean
much to Henrik Zetterberg, but history does.
After joining teammate
Nicklas Lidstrom as the only European to win the Conn Smythe Trophy
last spring as the MVP of the playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings' star
has his sights set on becoming only the second Swede to hit the
50-goal plateau in the NHL.
Former Calgary Flames
sniper Hakan Loob scored 50 goals in 1987-88.
"Fifty would be a nice
number to reach," said Zetterberg, who had 43 goals and 92 points in
75 games last season. "Only one other Swede that has done
that.
"If it comes this year
or [in] years to come, I don't know. We have a real deep team this
year and a lot of players are going to have a lot of ice time. It'll
be interesting to see how it goes."
After using the
international stage of the playoffs to make a strong case for the
title of the game's best two-way player, Zetterberg feels he still
has much more to accomplish.
"Ultimately what you
want is to have as few as games as you can when you're not so good,"
said Zetterberg, who led the playoffs in scoring with 13 goals and
27 points in 22 games. "You want your lowest level as high as
possible. If you have that, you know you will play
good.
"I always want to play
good."
Wings coach Mike
Babcock believes Zetterberg can be a significantly better
player.
"I think he's going to
be better player," Babcock said. "The reason he's going to be better
is he's confident.
"He knows he's one of
the best players in the world. He knows if things don't go right,
you just keep on doing what you do."
Zetterberg, who turns
28 on opening night, October 9th, versus Toronto, has
already proved he belongs in any discussion of the game's elite with
his performance in the Stanley Cup final.
He won the
head-to-head battle with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney
Crosby.
In fact, one of the
enduring images of the final was a frustrated Crosby chasing after
Zetterberg, shouting at him following Detroit's Game 4
victory.
"His leadership last
year in the playoffs was fantastic," Babcock said. "It wasn't what
he said, it was what he did.
"Those are the things
you learn over time, that you get confidence from and learn what it
takes [to win]."
Often referred to as
the heir apparent to the Wings' captaincy, Zetterberg continues the
quiet leadership style established in Detroit by Steve Yzerman and
Lidstrom.
Zetterberg also shares
another trait with Yzerman.
Underneath their calm
demeanours, the two are among the most competitive individuals
you'll meet regardless of the competition.
"If you do something,
you want to do it good," Zetterberg said. "You don't want to do it
just half decent.
"You want to do the
best you can at your job."
This season,
Zetterberg will once again be split up from fellow star forward
Pavel Datsyuk.
However, unlike past
years, Zetterberg actually thinks Babcock might succeed in keeping
them separated for the majority of the time.
"This is the first
year we really can [be split up]," Zetterberg
said.
"We have the material
to split us up. We have good wingers and both me and Pav want to
play centre. We'll try again this year and see how long it lasts.
The good thing is if it doesn't work we still have a lot of options.
We have more than last year.
"It doesn't matter who
you play with as long as it works."
With Datsyuk, it was
often difficult to tell who was really playing centre with the duo
dipsy-doodling all over the ice.
Now paired with Johan
Franzen and Jiri Hudler, Zetterberg said he'll play a more
traditional centre's role.
"When you play with
Pavel, you have to be ready all the time," Zetterberg
said.
Zetterberg Wears Well-worn Shoulder
Pads
By Dave Waddell, Windsor Star, September 30,
2008
Despite signing a
multi-million dollar deal to continue wearing Easton
equipment this summer, Henrik Zetterberg still clings to a few old
pieces of gear from a variety of different manufacturers underneath
his uniform.
"All my visible
equipment is Easton, but I have a pair of
shoulder pads I still use from when I was about 15," Zetterberg
said. "They're just broken in and
comfortable."
Zetterberg was
wandering around the dressing room after practice Monday breaking in
a new pair of Easton
skates.
He always has two
pairs of skates broken in available and he alternates wearing them
from game to game.
Zetterberg said he
goes through about 10 pairs a season
Special
Season
By Dave Waddell, Windsor Star, September 29th,
2008
Having scored in both
pre-season games he's played in and looking like he's in mid-season
form already, Henrik Zetterberg doesn't appear to be a player
struggling to find motivation.
"I'm excited because
you have a chance to go back-to-back," Zetterberg
said.
"Ever since I come to
Detroit we've had a good team and
we had a chance to win. But this time it's a chance to go
back-to-back and you won't get many of those in your
career."
Zetterberg Back at it with Another
Goal and an Assist
By
Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, September 28th,
2008
Henrik Zetterberg is showing he is still the team
leader with another goal, plus an assist, in tonight’s 4-0 shutout
over the Atlanta Thrashers in an exhibition match at the Joe Louis
Arena.
Z’s goal came 11:57 into the 2nd period
on a two-on-one breakaway with Jiri Hudler, when he wristed a shot
past Thrasher’s netminder Karri Lehtonen. The tally gave the Red
Wings a commanding 3-0 lead, and was Henrik’s second goal in as many
games played this pre-season.
Detroit has a 2-0-0 record in games that Zetterberg
(thier 2008 Playoffs MVP) has played in, and are 0-1-1 when he is
not in the line-up.
Zetterberg had also assisted on fellow Swede Mikael
Samuelsson’s power-play goal earlier in the 2nd period.
Hank Nets a Short-Handed Gem in Wings First
Pre-season Win.
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, September 26, 2008
Conn Smythe winner
Henrik Zetterberg was the first star of the game in the Detroit Red
Wings 4-3 pre-season victory over the Boston Bruins last night. It
was his first game of the exhibition season but he picked up right
where he left off in the Stanley Cup Finals.
While the Wings were
shorthanded, Zetterberg made an outstanding play after stealing a
poor pass from former Detroit defenseman Aaron Ward. From
the left side, Henrik broke in alone on Bruins goalie Tim Thomas,
who initially stopped Zetterberg’s back-handed shot. Hank was able
to spin around and knock in the rebound.
The unassisted
shorthanded tally put the Wings up 3-2 at 11:47 of the third
period. The Bruins scored less
than a minute later, but Detroit was able to come back and
get their first win on a goal by Brad Stuart.
"It takes some time
before you get your timing. I think we got better and better the
longer the game went," said Zetterberg.
Swedish Wings Psyched to Meet the
King
By Helene St. James, Free Press, September 26,
2008
After skating seven
straight days the Wings get Saturday off, which is especially
convenient for the Swedish contingent.
Nicklas Lidstrom,
Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom,
Johan Franzen and Mikael Samuelsson are to meet up with their
country’s king, Carl XVI Gustaf, Saturday at the General Motors
proving grounds in Milford. The king is in Michigan for a ceremony to open a project that
will produce energy from waste removed from Flint’s
wastewater treatment plant. A renown car enthusiast, GM’s facility
was a natural stopover – as was meeting up with so many
countrymen.
“We’re going to go to
the track and have a little meet and greet with the king,” said
Zetterberg, who has met his highness before at the Olympics. “I know
he likes cars, so I don’t think it’s that big a surprise we’re
meeting him on a track.”
Unlike in England, where the queen or king can
bestow knighthoods and such on his or her subjects, Sweden has no such pomp.
If there were such a tradition, the Wings have little doubt they’d
already be calling their superstar defenseman Sir Nick.
“No
knighthoods in Sweden, but I think Nick
would be the closest we’d have to that,” Zetterberg said.
Red Wings Playoff MVP Henrik Zetterberg
Enjoyed Tending to the Stanley Cup So Much that he Doesn't Want to
Let it Go.
By Neil Koepke, Lansing
State
Journal.com, September 21, 2008
From the time he first
joined the Detroit Red Wings in 2002, Henrik Zetterberg's goals as a
National Hockey League player were quite simple: w Develop into the
best player he could be at both ends of the ice. w Help the Red
Wings win the Stanley Cup. w It took some time, a lot of hard work
and dealing with a few disappointing moments, but three months ago
he realized his boyhood dream of getting his name on the Stanley
Cup.
Along the way, the
5-foot-11, 195-pound left wing from Njurunda, Sweden, has become a
world-class player, one who is tremendously skilled with the puck in
setting up and scoring goals and is equally adept at preventing
goals with outstanding defensive skills.
The Hockey News ranks
Zetterberg as the third best player in the world, only behind No. 1
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and No. 2 Alexander
Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
Zetterberg's teammate
and good friend, center Pavel Datsyuk, is ranked No.
4.
Henrik Zetterberg, NHL
superstar?
His teammates totally
agree, but Zetterberg would rather talk about being part of a team
and trying to win another Stanley Cup than his place among the
game's greats.
"I don't think about
that at all,'' Zetterberg said earlier this week, when he and three
other Red Wings stopped in Lansing to meet with members of the
National Guard at the National Guard Headquarters near the
airport.
"It's nice to do
something that people appreciate but you can't think about it that
much. You just go out and play the best you can. It's all about
winning.''
That's what his
teammates, coaches and Wings fans love about Zetterberg - his
willingness to do anything to help the team have success. It was
very much on display in last season's Stanley Cup Finals when he was
matched up against Crosby, and
consistently denied the Penguins' star forward quality scoring
chances.
"What makes him so
great is he's a two-way player. He's great offensively and just as
great defensively,'' Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson
said.
"He's one of the
hardest working guys on the team. He doesn't take things for
granted. He really enjoys the game and has fun, but that's our whole
team. You need that.''
In last year's
playoffs, Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable
player. He had 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points, which followed
a brilliant regular season in which he scored 43 goals and had 49
assists for 92 points, all career
highs.
"Henrik is never
satisfied with being OK. He wants to be perfect,'' Wings defenseman
Niklas Kronwall said. "But he's a very laid-back guy. If you met him
at a mall and just started talking, you would never think he's one
of the top players in the league.
"That's a credit to
him and to this organization. I think it started with Steve Yzerman,
who was so humble and one of the nicest guys you'd want to meet.
Guys look up to players like that.''
The Red Wings have
certainly done a lot of winning during the regular season in
Zetterberg's five seasons, and he's piled up a lot of points,
especially in the last three years: 85, 68 and
92.
Over the past five
seasons, the Red Wings have dominated the regular season with 250
wins, 97 losses and 49 ties or9 overtime or shootout losses.
Detroit has finished first in the
Central Division in each of Zetterberg's five seasons, and has had
the most points overall in four of those seasons. The Red Wings tied
for the lead with Buffalo in the other
season.
"This is what I love
to do and I'm just happy to be able to do it in an organization like
the Red Wings,'' Zetterberg said. "Hopefully, I can stay here many,
many years.''
And win more Stanley
Cups.
"It was amazing to win
it and I'd love to do it again. It's been my goal for many years to
win and we finally achieved it,'' he said. "To (take) the Cup to
Sweden and see the
reaction of my friends and family was
amazing.''
Hometown
hero
Zetterberg had the
Stanley Cup for a day and a half and shared some special moments
with family, friends and thousands of hockey fans, young and
old.
According to the
Hockey Hall of Fame's Stanley Cup Journal, Zetterberg and his
fiancee, Swedish singer- actress Emma Andersson, hosted a party at
their summer home in Sundsvall, north
of Stockholm, on Aug. 2, one that
lasted until 5 a.m.
The next morning, the
Cup served as a baptismal font for his nephew, Victor. Then it was
off to Zetterberg's boyhood rink in Njurunda and a reception for
3,000 fans.
After taking the Cup
to the house where he grew up, Zetterberg moved on to Timra and the
rink he played on as a teenager. A crowd of 4,000 gathered to
celebrate Zetterberg's success
"Just to see how
everyone enjoyed seeing the Stanley Cup was so great,'' he said.
"With so many (seven) Swedes on the team, the Red Wings are big in
Sweden.
Next summer,
Zetterberg is up for more parties.
"This is my first Cup,
so I really don't know what it's like to defend it. It will be tough
to do it again, but the good thing is we know what it takes,'' he
said.
"You have to be
healthy, you have to have some luck and you have to play
well.''
Zetterberg is thrilled
with the addition of superstar forward Marian Hossa, who signed a
one-year contract after helping the Penguins get to the finals last
season.
"He's a world-class
player and will fit on this team very well,'' Zetterberg
said.
Zetterberg's the Complete Package, Just
Hitting Prime
By Wes Goldstein, Sportsline.com, Sep.
19, 2008
If you didn't realize
how good Henrik Zetterberg is, don't feel bad. The best and the
brightest minds in hockey weren't sure at first either, drafting 209
players before the Detroit Red Wings decided to gamble a
seventh-round pick on him in 1999.
Talk about stepping it
up.
Zetterberg broke in
three years later on a team with had nine future Hall of Famers in
the lineup and still managed to stand out enough to finish second in
the Rookie of the Year voting. And his game has gotten better every
year since, hitting a high last season when he picked up 92 points
in 75 games when he also was a finalist for the Selke Trophy as the
NHL's best defensive forward.
Can we say all-around
game?
Go ahead. It's fair
and it's accurate and it's the best there is right now in the NHL.
Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby both have tremendous individual
skills and make those around them better, but neither does
everything as well -- at least not yet -- as Zetterberg. What's
more, the Red Wings center will be only 28 years old when the new
season begins and really just entering his prime.
Now that's a scary
thought for anyone outside of Detroit.
Folks there know what
they have, and the rest of the world might if the NHL's marketing
machine gave him some of the muscle Crosby and Ovechkin have gotten
since the lockout. The dynamic duo has definitely become the new
faces of the game -- hockey's version of Magic and Bird -- and
neither has hurt their cause by winning both a scoring title and MVP
award in their first three seasons.
That's something
Zetterberg can't say. But he can say he was the playoff MVP last
spring, which meant he was the standout for a Red Wings team that
ran to the Stanley Cup with machine-like efficiency and many believe
can do it again this time around. And that makes him our choice as
the top player in the NHL right now.
2. Alexander Ovechkin,
LW:
No one in the league can bring fans out of their seats like
Ovechkin, who won the scoring title and MVP award last season as he
carried the Washington Capitals on his back down the stretch to the
playoffs.
3. Sidney Crosby,
C: A
high-ankle sprain cut into season in a big way and kept him from
defending his scoring title, but Crosby was a point-producing machine when he
was in the lineup, especially in the playoffs.
4. Nicklas Lidstrom,
D: With six Norris
Trophies in the last seven seasons (and three runners-up in the
previous four), Lidstrom has dominated this critical position unlike
anyone since Bobby Orr.
5. Vincent Lecavalier,
C:
His numbers dipped a little last season, but nowhere near what they
could have considering how little support he had around him. The new
captain of the Lightning also got what amounted to a contract for
life -- for good reason.
Henrik’s Best Summer
Ever
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, September 14, 2008
Since winning the Conn
Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs for the Stanley Cup
Champion Detroit Red Wings, it has been a great summer for 27 year
old Swedish superstar Henrik Zetterberg.
It was a summer kicked
off by raising trophies above his head. Then, there was a victory
parade. Then, there was lots of partying in Detroit and back home in his native
Sweden. There were also
many new honors to come for the hockey hero.
It was a summer that
included Henrik’s game-used gloves as well as the Cup-winning goal
puck from Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals scored by the MVP being
displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
That’s quite an honor.
Then, in early July,
Easton Hockey announced the launch of www.eastonhockey.com/hank, a site dedicated to the
Red Wings left winger. The five-year endorsement deal is for 1.89
million dollars. Not a bad payoff for being one of the top players
in the National Hockey League.
But, Zetterberg’s most
memorable days of the off-season were August 2nd and 3rd,
two wonderful days spent in Sweden with Lord
Stanley’s Cup. Henrik got the cup in Sundsvall at around 4:30 in the
afternoon after Red Wing’s European scout Hakan Andersson spent a
day with it.
On the first rainy
evening, Zetterberg had a private party at his fantastic seaside
home in northern Sweden near Alnö, Sundsvall, not
too far from his hometown Njurunda. Over one-hundred friends and
family members dined and partied all night long, drinking and
singing, safe from the rain under big white canopies.
Early the next day,
Henrik’s nephew Viktor, was baptized using the Stanley Cup at
Zetterberg’s home. Shortly after the ceremony, Zata (as he is known
in Sweden) took the trophy
to the Njurunda Ice Hall, where he grew up playing hockey.
"I have looked forward
to this day," said Njurunda’s own. "It is fantastic to see so many
come here!”
About 3000 people from
his hometown gathered to see their hero return including the Mayor,
Timra IK and Njurunda SK’s club presidents, and Henrik’s
childhood coach, Peder Groening.
"He was a coach's
dream. He had everything, both on and off the ice” said
Groening.
Zetterberg graciously
signed autographs and posed for pictures with all of the fans.
Njurunda SK's chairman Jane
Bredberg added,"It is not possible to understand how valuable it is
with a role model like Henrik. He means so much for the children of
the association, and it puts Njurunda on the
map.
"I have great memories
from my time in Njurunda. In particular, when we took the bike or
the kick-sled here in the rink in the evenings and weekends together
with friends. And then of course, that kept going in Timrå," said
Zetterberg.
Next, Hank took the
Cup for a brief stop at his childhood home, reflecting on his youth.
Then, he continued on to EON Arena in Timra. This is where
Zetterberg once starred, playing for the Red Eagles of the Swedish
Elite League from 1997 to 2002. His #20 is retired and he is revered
as a hockey god in this place.
Once again, the Timra
fans went nuts for Zata as he took the ice.
"I have looked forward
to this day a long time, to come here and show the trophy. It feels
really, really cool," said Zetterberg.
After spending the day
with the local fans, Hank took the Cup home for a quiet evening with
his girlfriend of two years, (Swedish singer, actress, and model)
Emma Andersson, the one time winner of the Swedish version of
“Survivor”, who he recently announced that he is engaged to.
"It is true that we
are engaged and we are pleased and happy for this,” exclaimed the
lucky man. Henrik didn’t give too much information about the
celebrity couple’s wedding date but did reveal that “it will be in
Europe
somewhere.”
When asked about his
private time with the Cup, Henrik replied with a grin, “Things
happened a little, but there is nothing to address here and
now.”
Another huge honor was
bestowed upon Zetterberg not long after his time with the Stanley
Cup. Njurunda Ice Hall was renamed Modin & Zetterberg Hall after
the two Stanley Cup Champions from the small village. Fredrik Modin
of the Columbus Blue also grew up and played in the area, and won
the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The two were teammates
in Timra during the 2004-05 NHL lock-out. The Swedish Stars sweaters
were raised to the rafters in the arena now bearing their
names.
Henrik spent much of
the rest of his summer at a summer home in Southern Sweden outside of Vadodara near
Ängelholm.
Zetterberg usually trains in the off-season with
Timra, his former Swedish team. But, due to spending the later part
of the summer in Angelholm, Henrik trained with Rogle, the closest
Swedish Elite League club.
Since returning to
Detroit from Sweden on August 28th,
Hank has been on the ice with Red Wings teammates in unofficial
practices at the Joe Louis Arena. He is now focusing on the year
ahead and the last season of his current
contract.
Zetterberg, who is set
to become UFA on July 1st, after the 2008-09 season, has stated that
he would like to sign a long-term deal with the Red Wings saying,
"It's many months before the open market starts; hopefully, we can
get something done before. I love it here. This has become a home
for me. I would like to be here for a long, long time."
It seems marriage
isn’t the only long-term commitment Henrik is looking forward to.
However, talks between General Manager Ken Holland and Zetterberg’s
primary agent Marc Levine are just in the initial stages.
Zetterberg knows by
staying in Detroit, he likely won’t get paid
what he could get from another team as an unrestricted free-agent.
And while it certainly sounds like he won’t try to break the team,
Henrik gave the Red Wings a big discount on his last contract, and
now entering the prime of his career, may not settle for such a low
offer this time around.
He is currently making
2.9 million this year. Per most reports and speculation, Zetterberg
is likely to get around 7.2 to 7.5 million a year for 5-7 years. A
contract like that would keep him in Detroit until he is 33 to 35 years
old. He would have 11 to 13 seasons with the club when it
expires.
Henrik realizes that
it is going to be hard for the Wings to keep him as well as
potential UFA’s Johan Franzen and Marian
Hossa, in addition to highly skilled and highly paid teammates Pavel
Datsyuk and Niklas Lidstrom.
"A lot of good players
are under the same roof. I think it would be tough for Kenny. It's
not easy like it was before the cap. We've got to find a way it can
work for both of us."
The Red Wings
confirmed that signing Zetterberg is a top priority for the
organization, but it doesn’t sound like they are going to offer him
what he is “worth” somewhere else.
"Our organization is
about winning. Winning means sacrifice. Sacrifice some stats, some
ice time, doing a contract where you're not always on the upper end
of where you should be. I'm selling a program. Players know what I'm
selling. In the end, success is about the team,” said Holland.
Negotiations are
likely to take a few months, but it sounds like both sides feel an
agreement can be reached soon. By “soon” I would expect it to get
done before December. Holland has said, “It could take
months and months and it could take days and
days."
"They're talking a
little bit. It's easier when you're back here in town and everything
gets rolling again. It's nothing that's really bothering me. I try
not to think about it that much,” says Zetterberg.
So, after a very
eventful summer, it is time to look ahead to this upcoming season.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have only gotten better with the
unexpected signing of unrestricted free-agent Marian Hossa. Signed
away from the Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Hossa
will give the Wings tremendous scoring depth and a renewed desire to
win, greatly increasing their chances of repeating this season.
How does this major
move affect Zetterberg’s season? Well, Head Coach Mike Babcock has
already announced that he plans on using Hossa in Zetterberg’s place
on the top scoring line with Datysuk and Tomas Holmstrom. This moves
Hank down to the second line with Franzen and Jiri Hudler.
It is well known that
Zetterberg and Datsyuk are close friends and have great one-ice
chemistry. They have always been magical when they are paired
together. Babcock has tried to split them up before in an attempt to
create two scoring lines, but it has never lasted. But then, the
team has not had this kind of scoring depth in many years.
The addition of Hossa
should make the team much more potent offensively, but could
possibly cause a slight dip in Zetterberg’s numbers this year.
Henrik told Swedish newspapers a few weeks ago that he would like to
score 50 goals and reach 100 points this season, surpassing his
previous highs of 43 goals and 92 points from last year. It’s no
doubt that he could pull it off. His numbers have increased every
season and this is a contract year. But Hossa is inevitably going to
reduce Zetterberg’s playing time. Hank is going to have to do more
in less time and without his Eurotwin Pavel, at least for the start
of the season.
Personally, I prefer
to see Zetterberg and Datsyuk together with Holmstrom with Franzen
centering Hossa and Hudler. It’s probable that the lines will change
up several times throughout the season. Either way, look for Henrik
to have another great season, further establishing himself as one of
the top five players in the world.
Life is good for Mr.
Zetterberg. His best summer ever ends on September 19th,
when training camp begins.
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: CONN SMYTHE WINNER AND
STANLEY CUP
CHAMPION!!!
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