Zetterberg tops off memorable season

King of 5-on-3 penalty kill awarded Conn Smythe.

Dave Dye / The Detroit News

PITTSBURGH -- Years from now, when the Red Wings' 2008 Stanley Cup Championship is being relived, they'll still be talking about "The 5-on-3."

It was Game 4 with the Red Wings clinging to a 2-1 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins and two men in the penalty box.

Henrik Zetterberg, the 210th player selected overall in the 1999 NHL draft, showed what a two-way superstar he has become by making some of the series' most memorable plays that led to him being voted the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Finals' most valuable player.

Zetterberg nullified the stick of the Penguins' Sidney Crosby at the side of the crease on what otherwise might have been a tap-in to tie the score.

Not only that, but Zetterberg also personally killed off about 15 seconds by controlling the puck himself.

"I think that really summed up everything about Henrik," teammate Kirk Maltby said of Zetterberg's defensive heroics. "He was out there on a 5-on-3, blocking shots, killing the clock on the penalties.

It was a crucial sequence that helped put the Wings on the verge of the Stanley Cup. Zetterberg helped clinch the championship Wednesday night with a goal and assist in a 3-2 victory over the Penguins in Game 6, along with killing another 5-on-3.

Zetterberg said he didn't hear the announcement of him winning the Conn Smythe.

"The guys pushed me to it," Zetterberg said. "I wasn't sure what to do with it. I skated around a little bit first and then I took it back (to his teammates, who mobbed him). I guess that was the right way to go."

Zetterberg, 27, a forward from Sweden, led the Wings with 27 points in the playoffs. He also set career highs during the regular season with 43 goals and 92 points. He capped his memorable season Wednesday with The Stanley Cup.

"Unbelievable. It's a great feeling you have inside right now," he said of winning the Cup. "It's been a long way. It was a tough ending in Detroit a few nights ago. It was devastating, but we found a way to battle back."

Zetterberg showed in these playoffs he's an offensive superstar.

Then there's the defensive star. Zetterberg, along with Pavel Datsyuk, is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the league's top defensive forward.

Zetterberg takes great pride in his defensive ability.

"That's always been a part of my game," he said. "In Sweden, you learn to play defense first. And then you develop the offense later.

"I'm happy I still can play that game over here and I get an opportunity to play that way. I like to do that."

His teammates certainly appreciate his two-way skills.

"That's where he stands out from other superstars in this league," forward Johan Franzen said. "You don't see other superstars do that. Not a lot of them anyway. That makes him real special.

"When your best players are playing like that, you don't want to do anything different."

Crosby has been hyped as "the face of the game," but Zetterberg hounded him for much of the series.

Not bad for the quiet guy overlooked as a seventh-round pick nearly a decade ago.

"I was a real small guy," Zetterberg said, referring to why he wasn't drafted earlier. "I didn't have a lot of muscles on me. Not many scouts were looking for small, tiny players. They looked for big guys that could be big in front of the net and have a good shot. My shot was awful. It's still not very good.

"Letting me play in Sweden for a while helped (three more years after being drafted). I got a lot of experience there.

"When I came over here (he joined the Wings in 2002-03), I was ready to play. It helped to play with good players. My first year, I played with Pavel and Brett Hull most of my games. It makes it a lot easier."

Zetterberg is now known for his great vision on the ice and an uncanny anticipation of where the puck is going.

He's certainly more talkative than when he first joined the Wings, but he's still pretty quiet, according to teammates.

"Guys that are a little bit more quiet, they lead by example," teammate Darren McCarty said. "That's what he does."

And he's done it as well as anyone in the playoffs this year.

You can reach Dave Dye at dave.dye@detnews.com.