Henrik Zetterberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henrik Zetterberg |
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Zetterberg with the Detroit Red Wings in February 2012
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| Born | 9 October 1980 Sundsvall, Sweden |
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| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb; 13 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Timrå IK Detroit Red Wings EV Zug |
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| National team |  Sweden |
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| NHL Draft | 210th overall, 1999 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1997–2018 | ||
| Website | Henrikzetterberg.com | ||
Henrik Zetterberg (born October 9, 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. He was a forward who played his whole NHL career, from 2002 to 2018, with the Detroit Red Wings.
Zetterberg quickly became a star when he joined the NHL in the 2002–03 NHL season. He finished second in votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the league's best rookie. In 2008, he helped the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. Henrik also won gold medals at the 2006 Ice Hockey World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics. His team was the first to win both tournaments in the same year. This made him a member of the special Triple Gold Club.
Henrik Zetterberg's Hockey Journey
Starting His Career in Sweden
Henrik Zetterberg began playing hockey in youth leagues for the Njurunda Sports Club in Sweden. Another famous player, Fredrik Modin, also started there. In 2008, the club even renamed their arena to Modin & Zetterberg Hall to honor them. When Henrik was 15, he moved to play for Timrå IK.
The Detroit Red Wings noticed Zetterberg during a tournament in Finland. Their scout, Håkan Andersson, was looking at another player, but the Red Wings' Assistant General Manager, Jim Nill, kept noticing "this little Zetterberg guy who always seemed to have the puck."
The Detroit Red Wings picked Zetterberg 210th overall in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. After playing for Timrå IK in Sweden's top league (Elitserien) for two more seasons, Zetterberg signed his first NHL contract on May 16, 2002. He then came to Detroit to start his rookie season in the NHL in 2002–03.
Playing for the Detroit Red Wings
Early Years and Becoming a Star (2002–2006)
Zetterberg played his first NHL game on October 10, 2002, against the San Jose Sharks. In his first season, he played 79 games, scoring 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points. This made him the top-scoring rookie that year. He was the runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which goes to the best rookie.
In his second season, Zetterberg almost matched his rookie stats. However, he missed 21 games because of a broken leg. This injury happened early in the season on November 5, 2003. The next season, the NHL had a lockout, so Zetterberg went back to Sweden. He played for Timrå IK again in 2004–05 and led the Swedish league in scoring with 50 points.
When the NHL started again in 2005–06, Zetterberg became a true NHL star. He was also named an alternate captain for the team. He had his second-best season, scoring 39 goals and 85 points. He was second in team scoring only to Pavel Datsyuk. Zetterberg played on a special line with other Swedish players like Tomas Holmström, Mikael Samuelsson, Nicklas Lidström, and Niklas Kronwall. This group was called the "Swedish Five." All five of these players also played together at the 2006 Winter Olympics, helping Sweden win a gold medal.
Winning the Stanley Cup and Playoff MVP (2006–2012)
After Steve Yzerman retired, many thought Zetterberg might become the Red Wings' captain. But Nicklas Lidström was chosen instead, and Zetterberg remained an alternate captain. In the 2006–07 season, Zetterberg was picked for the 2007 NHL All-Star Game. However, he had to miss it because of a wrist injury. Later that year, on February 8, 2007, Zetterberg scored his 100th career goal. Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said Zetterberg was "probably the most underrated player in the league." A few days later, Zetterberg scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game). He finished the season with 68 points, even though he missed games due to injury.
The 2007–08 season started great for Zetterberg. He scored points in 16 games in a row, breaking a team record. He was voted to start for the Western Conference in the 2008 NHL All-Star Game. But again, he couldn't play because of back problems. Even with injuries, Zetterberg had his best season ever. He scored 43 goals, 49 assists, and 92 points in 75 games.
In the playoffs, he added 27 points in 22 games. This led the Red Wings to win the 2008 Stanley Cup, their 11th championship! In the final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zetterberg scored the winning goal. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. His 13 playoff goals tied a Red Wings record for most in one postseason.
In 2009, Zetterberg signed a huge 12-year, $73 million contract extension with the Red Wings. This was the longest and biggest contract in the team's history. He helped the Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup Finals again in 2009, but they lost to the Penguins in Game 7.
Zetterberg had a slow start to the 2009–10 season, but he quickly improved. On November 14, he scored his fourth career hat-trick against the Anaheim Ducks. He scored seven goals in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, where Detroit lost in the second round.
In the 2010–11 season, Zetterberg scored 80 points in 80 games. However, the Red Wings were again eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. In the 2011–12 season, Zetterberg played on a line with Valtteri Filppula and Jiří Hudler. Both of his teammates had their best seasons playing with him. The Red Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs that year.
Captaincy and Final Years (2012–2018)
During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Zetterberg played for EV Zug in Switzerland.
On January 15, 2013, Zetterberg was named the captain of the Red Wings. He took over from Nicklas Lidström, who had retired. Even though he missed 13 games with back problems, he still scored over 40 points in the first part of the 2013–14 season. But he got another back injury during the 2014 Winter Olympics and needed surgery. This made him miss about two months of the season. Zetterberg returned for the last two games of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, but the Red Wings were eliminated. He decided not to play for Sweden in the 2014 World Championship to recover from his back injury.
On November 6, 2015, Zetterberg scored his 300th career goal. He became only the seventh Swedish player to reach 300 goals. He was also the fifth player in Red Wings history to have 300 goals and 800 points.
On April 9, 2017, he played his 1,000th game for the Red Wings. This game was also the last one ever played at the Joe Louis Arena, the Red Wings' old home.
During the 2017–18 season, Zetterberg reached more milestones. On February 24, 2018, he scored his 335th career goal, tying him with Ted Lindsay for fifth all-time in Red Wings goals. On March 29, 2018, he got his 954th career point, tying him with Sergei Fedorov for fifth all-time in Red Wings points.
On September 14, 2018, the Red Wings announced that Zetterberg could not continue his NHL career. This was due to a long-term back problem. He officially retired when his contract ended in 2021.
Playing for Sweden
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Zetterberg was a regular player for the Swedish national team, "Tre Kronor," starting in 2001. He won many medals at the IIHF World Championships. He was one of only three non-NHL players chosen for the Swedish team at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Zetterberg won a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Then, he won another gold medal at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga. Sweden made history by becoming the first team to win both the Olympic gold and the World Championship in the same year.
When he won the 2008 Stanley Cup, Zetterberg became a member of the Triple Gold Club. This special club is for hockey players who have won an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup. Zetterberg is one of only 29 members. He, along with teammates Niklas Kronwall and Mikael Samuelsson, achieved this feat faster than anyone else, in just over two years.
Zetterberg was named captain of Team Sweden for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, his ongoing back problems forced him to leave the Olympics after only one game. Teammate Niklas Kronwall became captain for the rest of the tournament.
Zetterberg was also named captain for Team Sweden at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. But on September 1, he had to withdraw from the tournament because of a knee injury.
About Henrik Zetterberg
Zetterberg has a few nicknames. His Swedish teammates call him "Zäta" (pronounced "Zaeta"), which means "Z" in Swedish. His Red Wings teammates often call him "Hank," which is a shorter, English version of Henrik.
In 2008, he got engaged to Emma Andersson, a Swedish model and TV host. They got married on July 23, 2010, in Mölle, Sweden. On August 20, 2015, they had their first child, a son named Love (pronounced Loo-VEY).
When Zetterberg was 17, he served several months in the Swedish Army. This was rare for NHL players, as Sweden had a policy where young men had to join the military.
Awards and Achievements
In Sweden
- SHL Rookie of the Year: 2001 (Best new player in the Swedish league)
- All-Star team: 2002, 2005
- Guldpucken: 2002 (Award for the best Swedish ice hockey player)
- IIHF Hall of Fame: 2023 (Recognized for his great international career)
In the NHL
- NHL All-Rookie Team: 2003 (Named one of the best first-year players)
- All-Star Game: 2007, 2008* (Chosen to play in the league's big exhibition game)
- Second All-Star team: 2008 (Named one of the best players in the league)
- Conn Smythe Trophy: 2008 (Most Valuable Player in the playoffs)
- Stanley Cup champion: 2008 (Won the NHL championship)
- NHL Foundation Player Award: 2013 (Recognizes community service)
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy: 2015 (Recognizes leadership and humanitarian contributions)
- Could not play in the 2008 All-Star Game because of injury.
Other Honors
- Named "Detroit Red Wings Rookie of the Year" in 2003.
- Awarded the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 2003 (voted on by NHL players).
- Named "The Hockey News Player of the Month" for October 2007.
- Won the Viking Award in 2007 and 2008 (given to the "Best Swede" playing in North America).
- Named the first recipient of the 'TSN NHL Player of the Year' in 2008.
- Became a member of the Triple Gold Club in 2008.
- Inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Records
- Holds a Red Wings record for having at least one point in 17 games in a row to start a season.
- Holds the Red Wings franchise record for goals (13 – tied with Johan Franzén) and points (27) in a single playoff season.
- Holds the NHL record for most shots on goal in a single postseason with 116 in 2007–08.
