Detroit Red Wings legend Henrik Zetterberg is back in hockey. The 2008 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner has taken on an advisory role with his former club Timrå IK in Sweden’s SHL.
“I’m passionate about Timrå and want to contribute in a more structured way,” said Zetterberg about his official return the to the SHL club Timrå IK.
Zetterberg is a close friend of Timrå’s general manager Kent Norberg and has been offering informal advice since moving back to Sweden from Detroit. Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a more structured role for Zetterberg with the club.
“In recent years, he has been an important advisor behind the scenes. He has been involved in the recruitment of both coaches and players, as well as serving as an advisor to the organization,” Timrå IK wrote in a statement.
Henrik Zetterberg also commented on the announcement, which was published Wednesday morning through Timrå’s official channels.
“This is a club with proud traditions but also with a strong belief in the future. I want to help create the conditions for even more young, ambitious players to take steps here and to contribute to the club’s continued growth,” said Zetterberg.
Zetterberg joined Timrå IK from his boyhood club Njurunda at just 15 years old. A year later he was skating with the senior team, where he quickly became a star. In total, he piled up 193 points in 240 games before heading to Detroit ahead of his 22nd birthday. With Timrå, Zetterberg played a key role in lifting the club from the second-tier Allsvenskan to the SHL. Those years cemented his legendary status in Timrå, where fans still remember him fondly to this day.
Henrik Zetterberg was drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NHL Draft. Taken 210th overall, the pick turned out to be one of Ken Holland’s greatest steals.
According to Detroit’s European head scout Håkan Andersson, Zetterberg was discovered at a junior tournament in Finland while Andersson was actually focused on the highly talented Mattias Weinhandl. As Andersson tried to point out Weinhandl to Detroit’s assistant GM Jim Nill, Nill couldn’t take his off Zetterberg. Nill described him as ‘this little guy who always seemed to have the puck.’”
Many years later, Zetterberg returns to Timrå. The club has a proud history and has developed players such as Montreal legend Mats Näslund, former Maple Leaf Fredrik Modin, and current Canucks star Elias Pettersson.