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Meet The Talented Mr. Zetterberg - February 7, 2006 - Vol. 59, Issue 20 - Mike Brophy
DETROIT—Henrik Zetterberg knew the big test was coming, so he wasn’t surprised or startled when Darren McCarty took a run at him during his first scrimmage with the Detroit Red Wings. And he wasn’t particularly alarmed when McCarty ran him again…and again…and again.
The new kid arrived in Hockeytown with a mighty reputation and the reigning Stanley Cup champion Red Wings – McCarty in particular – wanted to test his mettle. The kid, 21 at the time, passed the test. Talk about an initiation into the NHL.
“He’s an unbelievable player,” says Red Wings veteran Brendan Shanahan.
“I remember when he first arrived here for training camp, they weren’t sure how he would handle the physicality of the NHL, so Darren ran him a few times in our pre-season camp. It didn’t change the way he played. I remember Mac saying to me, ‘Not only is this kid tough, he’s pretty solid.’ I think he knocked the wind out of Mac.”
Considered by many to be the best player not in the NHL the season before he joined the Wings, Zetterberg might now be aptly described as the best player in the NHL that nobody knows. A shy, laid-back individual, Zetterberg has quietly become Detroit’s most dominant player. But if you don’t follow the Wings – or better yet, play on a line with him, you probably wouldn’t know him to pass him on the street.
Sitting in a cozy lunch room next to the team’s dressing room, the walls adorned with action shots of Detroit stars from the past, the humble Zetterberg says he was aware he’d be tested by his new teammates when he arrived in 2002.
They wanted to know, did he have the jam to play with the big boys? Or would he wilt when the going got tough?
“In the first couple of red-and-white games, (McCarty) took a few runs at me,” recalls Zetterberg, his Bon Jovi-like locks strategically tussled to make him look more like a rock star than a professional athlete. “I heard before I came over here that it was going to be tough, so I was prepared. I didn’t hit him back or slash him; I just kept playing."
“After camp, (McCarty) came to me and told me he was instructed to hit me. He told me he was impressed with how I handled it.”
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At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Zetterberg is not an imposing physical specimen. Standing next to him you can’t help but wonder how he survives in the NHL’s trenches. The answer is easy: speed and finesse. When he straps on his skates and takes control of the puck, he’s a force, able to make jaw-dropping moves while flying at full speed.
Zetterberg’s game is based on skill and determination and he simply refuses to be outworked.
As they are in most parts of Canada, winters in Njurunda are long and cold, but that served the young hockey-loving Zetterberg well. By the time he was four, he was playing regularly every Saturday and hockey was a passion. When he wasn’t on the ice, Zetterberg loved to watch his father play hockey. Goran was an amateur player who shared his son’s love of the game.
“My dad wasn’t a great skater, but he was a very smart player,” Zetterberg says. “I learned a lot about the game from him.”
By the time he hit his teens, Zetterberg was playing regularly on three teams – with boys his own age, a year older and two years older. He was one of the smallest players and, looking back, he figures that played a huge role in his developing skill and toughness. “I had to find a way to manage to play my game without being hit,” he says.
Zetterberg recalls fondly the four or five tournaments he would play each season. Since his dad owned an appliance store, he could take time off to attend games. Teams often lodged at a local school where the parents and kids would sleep under one roof in the gym.
Though the Wings chose him in the 1999 draft – a bargain at 210th overall – there was no need to rush him over to North America. The Wings were one of the NHL’s best and deepest teams, so it was decided he would be better served playing in Timra, where he toiled three seasons – two in the Swedish Elite League – before finally coming to Detroit.
“They let me stay in Europe a year or two longer than some other NHL organizations might have,” he says. “They didn’t need me in Detroit. They had a great team.”
At the same time, he cracked the Swedish Olympic team in 2002 and was in Salt Lake City when the Swedes shocked Canada 5-2 in the opening game, but left the tournament disgraced after losing to Belarus in the quarterfinals.
“It was quite an experience for me,” says Zetterberg, as he sips from a water bottle to quench his thirst after a typical up-tempo practice. “My first faceoff was against Eric Lindros. It was kind of scary to see that big body coming toward me to take the draw. After the Olympics, I realized I could play in the NHL.”
Zetterberg has taken his lumps along the way, but he’s proven to be a competitor at every turn. He greatly impressed with a 22-goal, 44-point rookie campaign, then slipped, scoring 15 goals and 43 points in 61 games as a sophomore.
Last season, during the NHL lockout, Zetterberg returned to Timra. He scored 50 points in 50 games, added six goals in seven playoff games and got set for a starring role with the Wings this season.
The Wings are in a team in transition. Elder statesmen such as captain Yzerman, Shanahan and defenseman Chris Chelios are still producing, but youngsters Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Jason Williams have taken a more dominant role.
Many wondered if the Wings could adapt to the NHL because they have so many older – and not as quick – players, but that hasn’t been an issue.
“Hank and Pavel are two of the top forwards in the league,” Yzerman says. “They are in their mid-20s, play good all-around games and have an excellent work ethic, both of them. They have become, not so much vocally, but the way they play along with Nick (Lidstrom), they are the leaders of the team. They are our three best players. It’s their team. They are our top players.”
Detroit coach Mike Babcock makes no bones about the contribution Zetterberg is making.
“He has been our best player,” Babcock says. “He is a complete player who works hard in practice and works hard in games. He understands the importance and significance of playing both ends of the ice, yet he is creative and forceful when he has the puck.”
Prior to hurting his hip during a 4-3 win over the Rangers Jan. 14, Zetterberg was in a heated battle with Datsyuk for the team scoring lead. Zetterberg had an assist against the Rangers, giving him eight points in four outings.
After a pleasant month-long run at center, where he had nine goals and 17 points in 15 games while Robert Lang was out with an injury, Zetterberg was put back on left wing with Datsyuk at center and Shanahan on right wing. The trio clicked right away, though Zetterberg admits he’d prefer to play in the middle.
“Let me put it like this, after my career is over, hopefully I can look back and say I played center most of my career,” he says with a grin. “You don’t have to work as hard in your own end, but also you don’t get the puck that often in your own end.”
It’s hard to say how the Wings’ season will unfold. They are one of the league’s hardest-working teams in practice, they are well-coached and have a wonderful blend of veteran leadership and youthful enthusiasm.
They also play in the NHL’s weakest division and benefit greatly from playing Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus. Through Jan. 24, they had a combined record of 13-1-0 against those three teams. Regardless, the Wings have a rosy future and Zetterberg is the real deal.
“What’s not to like about him,” Schneider says. “He’s an explosive player who plays the game with passion. He’s a perfect Red Wing.”
Fans think so, too. Sales of Wings jerseys with ‘Zetterberg’ on the back rank third behind only Yzerman and Shanahan.
And the way things are going, it won’t be long before he’s No. 1.
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