Henrik Zetterberg

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bursting onto the scene as a rookie in the 2002–03 NHL season, Zetterberg finished second overall in votes for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the League's top rookie. Along with winning the Stanley Cup in 2008, Zetterberg won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. He won gold medals in the 2006 Ice Hockey World Championships and 2006 Winter Olympics, as part of the first team to ever win both tournaments in the same year, also making him a member of the Triple Gold Club.

In Their Own Story

In Game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zetterberg scored the winning goal and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy by commissioner Gary Bettman. That postseason, he tied teammate Johan Franzén with 13 playoff goals, a Red Wings record for most in a single series. His career also featured dramatic individual moments: on 17 February 2007, against the Phoenix Coyotes, he recorded his first hat-trick—all power-play goals—plus an assist on an empty-netter by Jason Williams in a four-point game. Earlier that season, Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky declared him 'probably the most underrated player in the league' after Zetterberg scored his 100th career goal. Despite chronic back issues that required surgery before the 2014 Olympics and forced an early retirement announcement on 14 September 2018, he reached milestones like his 300th goal on 6 November 2015 against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Reader's Guide

Zetterberg was selected by the Detroit Red Wings 210th overall in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL entry draft. He played for Timrå IK of the Swedish Elitserien for the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons, then signed his entry-level contract on 16 May 2002. He made his NHL debut against the San Jose Sharks on 10 October 2002. In his rookie season, he played 79 games, scoring 22 goals and 22 assists for 44 points, leading all first-year players. He finished as runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy behind St. Louis Blues defenceman Barret Jackman. In his second season, he missed 21 games due to a broken leg suffered on 5 November 2003. During the 2004–05 lockout, he returned to Timrå IK and led the Elitserien in scoring with 50 points in 50 games. In 2005–06, he tallied 39 goals and 46 assists for 85 points, second in team-scoring to Pavel Datsyuk. He was named an alternate captain in the absence of Steve Yzerman. In 2006–07, he scored his 100th career goal on 8 February 2007, and recorded his first career hat-trick on 17 February 2007. He finished the season with 68 points in 63 games. In 2007–08, he had a 16-game point-scoring streak, recorded career bests of 43 goals, 49 assists and 92 points in 75 games, and led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship, scoring the Cup-winning goal in game six and winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. On 28 January 2009, he agreed to a 12-year, $73 million contract extension. In 2009–10, he recorded the fourth hat trick of his career on 14 November, and sustained a separated shoulder on 17 December, missing eight games. He ended the season with 23 goals and 47 assists for 70 points in 74 games. In 2010–11, he posted 80 points in 80 games. In 2011–12, he played on the second line with Valtteri Filppula and Jiří Hudler. During the 2012–13 lockout, he signed with EV Zug in Switzerland. On 15 January 2013, he was named captain of the Red Wings. In 2013–14, he missed 13 games due to chronic back problems, then sustained another back injury during the 2014 Winter Olympics and underwent surgery, missing an estimated two months. He returned for the final two games of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. On 6 November 2015, he recorded his 300th career goal. On 9 April 2017, he played his 1,000th game for the Red Wings. During the 2017–18 season, on 24 February 2018, he recorded his 335th career goal, tying him with Ted Lindsay for fifth all

Did You Know?

• Zetterberg was selected 210th overall in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL entry draft.
• He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP in 2008.
• He is a member of the Triple Gold Club.
• He was named captain of the Red Wings on 15 January 2013.