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NHL Conference Call with Henrik
Zetterberg
By Alanah,
Kuklaskorner.com, May 6, 2008
Today, the NHL hosted
a NHL conference call making Detroit Red Wings center Henrik
Zetterberg available for questions. In ten post-season games
Henrik has recorded seven goals and six assists for 13 points,
scored two game-winners and leads the league with a plus 10
plus/minus rating.
Transcript from the
Q&A is below.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about the
chemistry between you and Datsyuk specifically, but also with Homer
as well. A lot of good players have difficulty playing with each
other, but you have had a chemistry almost from the beginning. Talk
about what each of you does that sort of makes this line work very
well.
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: I think ever since
the start, we enjoying playing with each other. You know, from our
first year, I played with Pavel and Brett Hull basically the whole
year. Ever since from then, I’ve been playing with Pavel most of my
games here. It’s been working great. We like to play the same style
of hockey.
I think Homer, you
know, it’s a real great mix for us because he creates a lot of room
for us and gives us that extra second to make the right play. And
also he’s always in front of the goalie to screen the goalie for us.
Both me and Pavel doesn’t have the greatest shot, but it makes it
easier when Homer is in front.
Q. Can you talk a little bit,
too, about the fact that both you and Pavel are Selke finalists. You
generally don’t see the top offensive players also among the top
defensive players. Is that something that comes naturally to you or
has that come along as you’ve gotten in the NHL?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: I think
it’s always been part of my game. Growing up as a centerman in
Sweden, that’s a big part
of your game, and you take a lot of pride in it. I think it’s been
like that ever since I started playing hockey. I just enjoying
playing, you know, defensive hockey, too.
Q. Could you talk
about Johan Franzen, the playoffs that he’s having.
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: He’s been really
important for us. He’s been playing great. I think it all started
when Holmstrom went down in the regular season. He started to score
a lot of goals. He’s just been keep going, you know, now in the
playoffs. He’s a big body, but he’s really skilled, too. He’s always
making the right play right now. He’s got a lot of confidence. It’s
great to see the puck go in for him.
Q. Are you happy to
have the six days to recuperate until the Conference Finals? What is
your feeling? Do you feel it’s too long of a layoff?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: I think
it’s perfect. We had a few days off. We didn’t have to see each
other, you know, for a few days. You know, we spent a lot of time
with the family, could rest and recoup your body. Now we’ve had some
good practices here and we’re ready to go on Thursday.
Q.
What kind of pressure is off of you with a guy like Johan Franzen
picking up some scoring slack? Does that relieve pressure on
you?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: I think in the playoffs you need to spread around
the scoring a little bit and you need to have especially secondary
scoring. The line with Franzen, Filppula and Samuelsson has really
been good for us. They’ve been really good in power-play and
five-on-five. So if you want to go deep in the playoffs, you have to
have a good depth, and we have been having that so far, and
hopefully we’ll continue doing that.
Q. Speaking of
that, looks like Coach Babcock could put all four lines out at any
time he feels comfortable. What do you think of
that?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: That’s true. As I said,
we’ve got good depth in our team. All of our lines can play against
basically anyone, so it makes it a lot easier for coach to make his
decision.
Q. Just wanted to get your thoughts. I know you
kind of have a rock star persona back in Sweden, but do you think
you get the recognition you deserve over here?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: Yeah. I
think, you know, it’s—I mean, I’m playing hockey, and that’s my job.
I like doing that here. It’s a great town to do that. I think I get
the recognition that I deserve.
Q. How about being a
seventh-round draft pick? Do you ever find yourself wondering what
took so long for somebody to come along and select
you?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: No, I’m not the
biggest guy now. But I was even smaller the time on my draft year.
So it wasn’t that. You know, I was happy that I got drafted. I
didn’t speak to a lot of teams. I think it was the Red Wings and
maybe one other team that showed interest. I was really surprised
and happy when Joakim Andersson called me and told me that I was
drafted.
Q. Can you pinpoint what has made the Red Wings so
strong throughout the playoffs? How does this team handle the heavy
favorite label going into the series with Dallas?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: I would
say it all started last year. We had a really good playoff run last
year, and we kept the core guys. We made some great additions for
this year. We’ve been playing great all the way from the start. You
know, we just kept going here in the playoffs. I think the depth,
you know, is a key part for the success with all the four lines.
We’re playing good. But to keep doing that, we have to make the
right decisions out there and play smart. Dallas is a
good team. If we’re not playing at our best, we will not win the
series.
Q. Do you in the dressing room think because of how
consistent your team has been the past several years if you are
constantly underappreciated in terms of prognosticating, picking
different teams coming into the playoffs? Do you think your team
wasn’t given quite the right look coming into this year’s
playoffs?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: I don’t think we pay
that much attention of what other media says or what, you know, the
experts are saying. We know we have a good team and we know we got,
you know, a good chance of going deep. You know, we’ve been showing
that the first two rounds, that we’re a good hockey club. We just
have to keep going here next round and, you know, keep playing good
hockey. If we do that, we gonna succeed.
Q. There’s a lot of
teams in this playoffs that have been trying to go with young
goalies, rookie goalies. Some have done well; others have been
eliminated. From your standpoint, how nice is it to know you have
two solid, experienced, winning goaltenders you can turn to at any
time for a big save as the case may be?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: It’s
really nice to have that experience in the goaltending. We know that
they have been around. They both have won before, will not get
rattled in tough situations. You know, it makes it a lot easier for
us knowing that we have a good goalie. It makes it easier for us to
play good hockey when we know that Ossi and Dom are playing really
good back there.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about the
changes you might have seen in Coach Babcock since you first started
to play for him. Is he a different guy? If he is, in what
way?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: You know what, I
think he’s trusting us a little bit more this year than last year. I
think he knows what kind of players we are and how we can play
hockey. You know, he’s really intense. He really wants to win. And I
think the coaching staff is really well-prepared. To have that as a
player, it makes it a lot easier for us to get ready for games.
Q. I don’t want to suggest he’s gone soft, but is he maybe
less hard on you guys now than in the past or is that sort of level
of intensity always constant?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: Well,
it’s pretty constant. He’s tough on us. You know, maybe when we’re
playing good, he knows that we can play good. But if we’re playing
bad, he really lets us know. It’s been some tough skating this year
in the practices when we’ve been playing bad. And, you know, the
expectation’s really high here. I think that’s the way it’s supposed
to be. We got a good team. And I think Babcock is a good fit for our
club.
Q. At this point last year you were in the Conference
Finals, too. It seemed to me your defense was decimated by injuries.
Without wanting to jinx you on that front, are you better prepared
health-wise and rest-wise going forward this year compared to all
those key bodies you had missing at this time last year?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: Well,
last year we lost Kronwall and Schneider, two of the top three. And
it’s tough to have success then. So far it’s been good. You know, so
knock on wood here, but you have to be healthy. You know, that’s a
big part of it. If you want to go deep, you got to have luck and you
got to be healthy.
It’s halfway point
here, and so far it’s been good.
Q. What concerns you most
about the Dallas Stars’ lineup?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: Well,
you know, they made some good additions in their trading deadline.
Richard’s line has been really good for them in the playoffs. They
have real good depth also. So now Zubov is back, too. He looks
healthy and is playing good. They got a good team. As I said before,
we have to play at our best to have a chance to win.
Q. A
lot of people are talking about the Eastern Conference final as a
lot of bad blood between the Flyers and Penguins. Do you see that
sort of thing coming out of this series with the
Stars?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: You know, we haven’t
played them in a while in playoffs. So it’s going to be fun for us
to play, you know, another club. It’s going to be fun for the fans I
think to see a different team coming in and play some playoff
hockey. But for sure it’s going to be tough and there’s going to be
some bad blood before this is over.
Q. Henrik, obviously the
Dallas Stars have had a tremendous run, but nonetheless had someone
told you before the playoffs that the Red Wings could have a route
towards the Cup final that would include not facing Anaheim or San Jose, would you have taken
that?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: You know, of course you thought if you were going
all the way to the finals, you would see at least one of those
teams. But, you know, it’s been a different look this year in the
playoffs. We’ve been playing some teams we haven’t done in a while.
It’s been fun for us. It’s been fun for the fans.
Q. You
talked a little bit about expectations before. What is it like in
this time of year in Detroit? What are the expectations
for you and what do you sense from the outside media and the
fans?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: You know, we’re going
for the Cup. You know, that’s the same as every year. If you don’t
go all the way, we will not be happy. That’s the expectations that
are in this town. As a player, you know that and you like it. You
rather have that than, you know, the fans are happy just to make the
playoffs.
Q. In the Nashville series it seemed like
when you got a lead, you went back into a shell trying not to be
scored on, and that didn’t work. How did you change things up in the
second round against Colorado in that sense?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: We had
to, you know, stay a little composure, you know. Especially when we
got scored on, we got a little rattled in the Nashville
series. They came back and scored another one every game basically
against us. We had to play 60-minute games. I think we started doing
that when we played against the Avalanche. You have to do that. If
you let off a little bit, you know, the other teams will take
advantage of it. So you have to play good and you have to make the
bad periods in your game as short as possible.
Q. You have
an ex linemate on the Dallas side now in the front
office. Do you keep in touch with him? Have you talked about the
series at all with Brett Hull?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: No, I haven’t seen
him yet. I haven’t said anything to him. It would be for sure fun to
have a chat with him when I see him.
Q. In terms of matching
up with Dallas, you obviously have four lines that can come on the
ice any time and score goals, but you also, like was mentioned
before, yourself and Pavel being Selke candidates, can shut down
when that’s needed. How nice is it to know that any four of your
lines can really match up with any four of theirs?
HENRIK ZETTERBERG: I think
it makes it a lot easier for the coaching staff to coach a game. But
I think also Dallas had the same—basically the
same setup. They have four good lines that can play against anyone.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the matchups, how a big part
of game it will be or if we’re basically we’re just going to floor
all lines.
Q. Are you looking forward to taking advantage of
the fact they’re coming off a hard, long-fought series they played
over two games in Game 6? Are you looking forward of taking
advantage of the fact they may be tired coming into Game
1?
HENRIK
ZETTERBERG: I think they still
have a few days here they can recoup and get their energy back. They
are professional athletes. They’re well-trained. So, you know, this
is what we do. I don’t think that will affect them that much.
Henrik
has Career Best Playoff Game as Wings Sweep
Avalanche
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, May 1st, 2008
Henrik
Zetterberg had a career best two goals and two assists for four
points with a +3 (plus/minus)
in his 50th career post-season game, as the Detroit Red
Wings destroyed the Colorado Avalanche 8-2 in route to a four-game
second round sweep of their former rivals.
Zetterberg’s first
point of the game was an assist on Tomas Holmstrom’s even-strength
goal at 18:34 of 1st period. The two Wings rushed down
ice on a 2-on-1 odd-man break. Henrik, on the left wing, passed the
puck to Holmstrom who put the it away, giving Detroit a 2-1
lead.
The first of
Zetterberg’s two goals came on the power-play 2:15 into the
2nd period. From above the right face-off circle, Hank
blasted a one-timer past Av’s goalie Peter Budaj, off the goal-post,
and into the net, off of a pass from future Hall-of-Fame defenseman
Niklas Lidstrom.
Henrik’s second tally
came just 2:30 later, and it was a spectacular highlight-reel goal.
Speeding into the slot between the face-off circles, Zetterberg took
a drop-pass from linemate Pavel Datsyuk and fired it at Budaj while
being hit by Colorado defenseman Adam Foote.
The net-minder made the initial save, but when Zetterberg was
spinning around as he was upended by Foote, the star forward found
the rebound with his peripheral vision, and roofed a no-look
back-handed shot into the net as he fell to the ice. "I
took a shot, I saw the rebound come out, I kind of lost my balance,"
Zetterberg said. "I turned around and hoped for the best and I had a
pretty good whack on it. I didn't see it go
in."
That made the game
5-1, Detroit.
Later, still in the
second period, Henrik had an opportunity to record his first-ever
playoff hat trick as carried the puck into the Av’s zone on yet
another 2-on-1, this time with fellow Swede Johan Franzen.
Zetterberg took the puck to the net drawing the defender and the
goalie, but instead of pulling the trigger, he faked a shot and
unselfishly dished the puck to Franzen, who was crashing the net on
the open left side. That goal put the Wings up 6-1.
Franzen had his second
hat trick in three games and had a NHL record nine total goals in
the four-game series.
"I
saw the Mule was coming there and he was close to the record, so you
want to be part of that," Zetterberg said. "I went with the odds,
too, he's pretty hot, so I tried to get the puck to him. It's not
often you see a player score like this."
The four points in
tonight’s series clinching victory gave Zetterberg five goals and
four assists, totaling nine points in four games this round. He was
a +6 in the series sweep.
Henrik now has 22
career playoff goals and 16 assists. His 38 career post-season
points moved him into the
“It was an all-world
goal”
www.cbc.ca, April 30, 2008
It should be played on
a loop at hockey camps all this summer. Any two hockey players out
there who want to be in the NHL some day should get the tape of the
Detroit Red Wings' fourth goal in Game 3 on Monday against
the Colorado Avalanche.
They should put the
tape in the machine, watch and learn. What happened on the tape won
the Red Wings another game against the Avs, putting them up 3-0 in the Western Conference
semifinals.
It was a highly unique
goal, scored by Red Wings sensation Henrik Zetterberg. On the power
play, Zetterberg started off near the blue line and fed a pass to
Pavel Datsyuk along the boards. Zetterberg moved behind the net and
accepted another pass from Datsyuk, then quickly gave it
back.
Then, Zetterberg moved
to the other side of the net and accepted another, longer pass from
Datsyuk in the left corner.
This time, Zetterberg
passed the puck into the net behind Jose Theodore. 4-2 Wings at that
point, and Detroit holds on to take the game
4-3.
"It was an all-world
goal," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville
admitted.
Wings One Away from Sweep after Picking Up Road
Win
By Helene St. James, Free
Press, April 30, 2008
Pavel Datsyuk and
Henrik Zetterberg teamed up to bring the Red Wings within a victory
of a second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals.
Datsyuk scored twice
and Zetterberg once and the two combined for five points to lift the
Wings over the Avs, 4-3 Tuesday night at Pepsi Center to give Detroit a 3-0
lead in the Western Conference semifinal.
“They’re so good at
finding each other,” captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. “They’re both
have good speed when they’re coming, too, so they’re backing their D
off, and even one-on-one they’re so good, too. The way they’re able
to find each other with passes, I think Pav found Hank in that
back-door play on the power play, just a tremendous pass. They’re
able to find each other all the time out there. They’re really tough
to defend when they play like that.”
The Avs, feeding off a
strong start, managed to kill off one Detroit power play, but
Zetterberg and Datsyuk struck on the second, with Datsyuk grabbing
Zetterberg’s pass even as the Avs tried to break it up and firing it
past Jose Theodore, at 12:14.
“We’ve been playing together
many games and you run a few plays during the year and sometimes it
works and it did today,” Zetterberg said.
With 1:09 left on
that juicy power play (2nd period, four minute double
minor on Peter Forsberg), Zetterberg and Datsyuk struck again;
Zetterberg passed out to Datsyuk from behind the net, then snuck
back out front and angled Datsyuk’s return pass into the far corner,
demonstrating yet again how intuitively the two stars read each
other.
“They’re elite players coming into the prime of their
careers,” Babcock said. “They have great will and determination and
that to me is what separates you from being a regular player to
being a star, is how much drive you have, and how much heart and how
much passion you have. They’re elite in that way. I thought they
were magic throughout the game but even better in the third period –
every time something went wrong, they went out and turned the game
in the right direction for us.”
Zetterberg
Leads Wings to Game 3 Win Over the
Avalanche
By Chris Turner,
Zetterbergfan.com, April 29, 2008
Game three of the
second round match up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado
Avalanche was supposed to be about Avalanche forward Peter
Forsberg’s series debut after missing the first two games with a
sore groin. Instead of the home-team’s Swedish superstar shining, it
was one of the Wing’s super-Swedes that came up big. Henrik
Zetterberg had the game-winning power-play goal and an assist in
Detroit’s 4-3 victory in Colorado,
giving them a 3-0 series lead.
Zetterberg’s
game-winner came at 12:24 of the second period with Forsberg off the
ice with a four minute high-sticking double minor. From behind the
net, Henrik sent a pass to linemate Pavel Datsyuk along the
right-wing boards. After dishing the puck, Zetterberg slipped around
the net, left unguarded on the open side of the crease. Datsyuk
returned the puck with a crisp and precise cross-ice pass that
Henrik buried behind Av’s goalie Jose Theodore from a sharp angle.
The goal made it a 4-2 game and was Zetterberg’s third tally in
three straight games against Theodore, giving him three goals and
two assists for five points in the series. It was also Hank’s
20th career playoff goal.
Earlier in the game,
Zetterberg had assisted on a power-play goal by Datsyuk. Zetterberg
now has five goals and four assists for nine total points and is a
+7 (plus/minus) in nine games this post-season.
Henrik’s twenty career
playoff goals and fourteen total assists place him one point shy of
tying Doug Brown for 25th place on the Red Wings all-time
playoff scoring leaders list.
Zetterberg, Datsyuk earn Selke Trophy
nods, but who has a better shot?
By Helene
St. James, Free Press, April 26,
2008
That comfort stems
from how strongly Datsyuk and Zetterberg play in their own end, a
skill that now has achieved wide-spread recognition: The two, along
with New
Jersey's John Madden, are
finalists for the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive
forward, the NHL announced Friday. The winner will be announced June
12.
Teammates wouldn't
declare one better than the other.
"Pick a night," said
Kris Draper, who
took the trophy home in 2004. "With what they do at both ends of the
rink is, to me, something so impressive. I think that's something
that we're fortunate that our best players are our best players
night in and night out. That's what makes us such a good hockey
club. They almost will this team to victory with the way they
play."
Datsyuk and Zetterberg
combined on a dazzling goal in Game 1 to help the Wings take a 1-0
lead into today's Western Conference semifinal game against
Colorado. Datsyuk didn't practice
Friday because he said he was still recovering from illness; Tomas
Holmstrom also didn't practice. Coach Mike Babcock said there were
no injuries and the only lineup change would be putting Brad Stuart
in for Andreas Lilja.
Zetterberg has been
known as a defensive player since he entered the NHL, but Datsyuk
always has drawn more notice for his offensive prowess -- until this
season. Though Datsyuk's 66 assists (second in the NHL only to
Sharks forward Joe Thornton's 67) speak to his skill in the
offensive zone, his NHL-best 144 takeaways trumped the runner-up by
58. Datsyuk also topped the NHL with a plus-41
rating.
"It's a little bit
more easy to concentrate on defense when you play with defense like
we have," Datsyuk said. "But this year, I think I have good season
playing left wing. It's good to be nominated. I'm
happy."
Datsyuk credited hard
work and lessons learned from hockey savants like former Wing Igor
Larionov for his success. He also laughingly explained he likes
being Zetterberg's left winger because it means less back-checking
-- something Zetterberg confirmed.
"That's my middle
name, back check," Zetterberg said. "Every time the other guy has to
back check a little more, he always mentions that to the other
guy."
It's easy for
Zetterberg to understand why Datsyuk led the league in
takeaways.
"I think he's good on
his skates, is strong and has good balance," Zetterberg said. "He
waits (until) the right second all the time, too. I think players
don't realize that he is that close to them. He's really
sneaky."
The versatility of the
two stars is why they log the most minutes among the
forwards.
"I like it when your
best players are great defensively because you can play them against
anyone," Babcock said. "When you're hiding your best players
offensively because you're scared of them in defensive situations,
they don't get to play the minutes that they
should."
Babcock said he
"wouldn't vote for either one of them myself, because I'd be scared
to. I couldn't pick that."
Zetterberg said "it's
going to be fun to see how it will all end up" but also said he's
rooting for Datsyuk.
Wings' Datsyuk, Zetterberg recognized
for defense
By Ansar Khan, Mlive.com,
April 26, 2008
Mike Babcock is
relieved that writers, not coaches, vote for the Selke Trophy. It
spared the Detroit Red Wings coach the quandary of having to choose
between Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.
"I wouldn't vote
for either one of them myself because I'd be scared to, I couldn't
pick,'' Babcock said. "They're both real good
players.''
Their offensive
wizardry gets them on highlight shows. Now, Datsyuk and Zetterberg
are finally getting some league-wide acknowledgment for their play
without the puck. For the first time in their careers, both were
named finalists Friday for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top
defensive forward.
"It's a lot of demand
on them, to come back and play defense, but they're in such good
shape and they're such great skaters, they manage to find a way to
do it offensively and defensively,'' teammate Chris Chelios said.
"It was just a matter of time before they got the
recognition.''
The Colorado Avalanche
is facing, in this second-round playoff series, the same dilemma all
Detroit opponents deal with:
Datsyuk and Zetterberg's defensive abilities allow Babcock to match
their line against the other team's top line without any worries.
With Peter Forsberg (groin) highly questionable for Game 2 today at
Joe Louis Arena, and Wojtek Wolski (upper body) likely out for the
series, Colorado's new top line of Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny and
Milan Hejduk will be seeing a lot of Zetterberg and Datsyuk, whose
club leads 1-0.
"The most underrated part of the game is how
people play away from the puck,'' Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote
said. "They'll come back on the back-check hard, they'll strip guys,
that's a strength of theirs.''
There is no better
puck thief in the league than the sneaky quick Datsyuk, whose 144
takeaways were 58 more than Dallas' Mike Modano, who was second
in the NHL.
"I don't have
explanation, I think it's just hard work,'' Datsyuk
said.
"He's so good at
reading when to strip the player from the puck, not letting the
player know he's there,'' Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said.
"Some players will slash or try to get the puck before they have the
chance to get it, but he'll wait until he knows he can lift the
stick and get the puck. He's so quick with his
hands.''
Zetterberg was already a strong defensive player
when he entered the league in 2002-03. It took Datsyuk a few years
to develop that part of his game. He credited Igor Larionov's
tutelage, and Lidstrom's leadership. And just being stronger
physically.
"It's more confidence, more experience, more
learn from Nick every time in practice,'' Datsyuk said. "Never stop,
never give up, just lots of hard work. If you play more offense you
don't have to play (as much) defense.''
Kris Draper is a
workout addict. But he said nobody can compare to
Datsyuk.
"He's probably the only guy in this dressing room
you have to tell to back off a little bit, that's how hard he
works,'' Draper said. "His takeaways are ridiculous, how he does it
at such a high speed. Not only does he get the puck, but the next
thing you know he's going the other way. Not too many players can do
that.''
Zetterberg comes close. Many are surprised it has
taken voters this long to realize it.
"I always thought it
was fun to play good defense. I really take a lot of pride in it,''
Zetterberg said. "To be recognized as a nominee for the Selke is a
great honor.''
Playing center most of the time on the line
with Dastyuk and Tomas Holmstrom, it's Zetterberg's responsibility
to be the first player back on defense. Zetterberg was told Datsyuk
said he enjoys watching his linemate have to back-check
harder.
"I know he does. That's my middle name, Back-check,''
Zetterberg said. "He always mentions to the other guys I have to
back-check more.''
Datsyuk said he was "surprised'' to be a
Selke finalist. New
Jersey's John Madden, who won it in 2000-01,
is the other nominee. The winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards
Show in Toronto on June 12.
"It
doesn't matter who wins, I'll be happy just by nomination,'' Datsyuk
said.
Babcock echoed those sentiments.
"What makes
them special is they believe they can out-will you,'' Babcock said.
"To me, that's what the playoffs are all
about.''
Two of a kind
By Ted Kulfan, Detroit News,
April 26, 2008
Basic arithmetic
dictates it's rare any one of the 30 teams in the NHL will have
one of the three finalists named for any of the major post-season
awards. Well, the Wings have two finalists for one award.
Furthermore, they're linemates.
The last time
teammates were finalists for the award was the 1995-96
season, with Red Wings Sergei
Fedorov and Steve Yzerman . Fedorov won that year.
"Both me and Pavel
take pride in that (defensive play), and to be
recognized for it, it's a great
honor," Zetterberg said. "We're real proud of it."
Said Datsyuk, who also
has been named a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy: "It's fun. I'm happy
for both of us."
And that's just how
Wings coach Mike Babcock views
them: as a tandem.
"I couldn't pick
(between the two)," Babcock said.
It's not often an
excellent offensive player can be trusted on defense.
But Datsyuk and
Zetterberg, who led the Wings in scoring with 97 and 92 points,
respectively, are exceptions.
"You can play both of
the guys in any situation and feel good about it," said Kris Draper ,
himself a former Selke winner.
Datsyuk,
Zetterberg, Madden Named Selke
Finalists
By TSN.CA Staff, April 25,
2008
Detroit Red Wings'
forward Pavel Datsyuk has a chance to pull off
a rare double on NHL Awards when the league revealed that he, along
with teammate Henrik Zetterberg and the Devils' John Madden are the three finalists for
the Frank Selke trophy.
The award is handed
out annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects
of the game. Datsyuk was also nominated for the Lady Byng
trophy awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly
play.
This is Datsyuk's
first Selke nomination, the Russian led all NHL players in
plus-minus with a career-best +41 rating, topped all NHL forwards
with 144 takeaways, 67% more than his nearest rival (Dallas' Mike Modano, 86) and ranked first among
Red Wings forwards in blocked shots (42). The Red Wings posted the
top defensive record in the NHL with 184
goals-against.
Teammate Zetterberg
also received his first nomination for the Selke. The Swede
led Red Wings forwards in average ice time per game (22:04) and
ranked second to Datsyuk among Detroit forwards in plus-minus with
a +30 rating. Zetterberg led the Red Wings in face-offs taken
(1,210) and was second on the club to Kris Draper in face-off winning
percentage (55.0%).
This is John Madden' fourth Selke nomination;
he captured the award in 2000-01 and was runner-up in 2002-03 and
2003-04. Madden led Devils forwards in shorthanded goals
(three), average ice time per game (19:26) and average shorthanded
minutes per game (3:35). He ranked
seventh among NHL forwards in
face-offs taken with 1,463 and posted a 53.7% face-off winning
percentage. The Devils posted the top defensive record in the
Eastern Conference and fourth in the NHL overall with
197
goals-against.
The winner will be
announced Thursday, June 12 during the 2008 NHL Awards Television
Special in Toronto.
Autographed Zetterberg
Poster
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