Ranking the Detroit Red Wings captains of the last 40 years
By Ben Heydt
3. Henrik Zetterberg
If Dylan Larkin is “The Karate Kid,” then Henrik Zetterberg is “Mr. Miyagi.” He taught the kid everything he knew about being a captain. It was unfortunate that Zetterberg had to endure the drama surrounding the Mike Babcock coaching era and, ultimately, the fallout from what was left after his departure.
It is well documented that Zetterberg and Babcock had their disagreements during their time together. That, coupled with the reports of how he treated his players, put more of a responsibility on Zetterberg to speak up for his teammates when communicating with the man behind the bench.
Towards the end of his career, which was cut short due to a severe back injury, Henrik did what he could to squeeze any success that may have been left on a team that lost superstars Pavel Datsyuk, Nick Lidstrom, and countless others.
He was dealt a tough hand by former GM Ken Holland but competed night in and night out on both the penalty kill and power play units, all while taking youngster Dylan Larkin under his wing. He showed Larkin the drops back before being captain was ever on his horizon.
Before a devastating back injury derailed his career and put an end to his playing time in the NHL, Zetterberg totaled a respectable 337 goals and 623 assists. He became nearly a point-per-game player with an overall plus-minus of plus-160. A responsible 200-foot player who is likely to be put into the Hall of Fame in the near future puts Zetterberg at number 3 on this list of former Detroit Red Wings captains.