Henrik Zetterberg did more than enough to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy as he helped lead Detroit to the Stanley Cup. He finished with 27 points, 13 of them goals, good enough to be tied for first in all playoff scoring with Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby. Henrik remained productive thoughout the Cup Finals, scoring 2 goals and 6 points, including the game winner in Game 6.
Zetterberg’s contribution was not limited to offense, either. Already finalists for the Selke trophy as the league’s best defensive forward, Zetterberg and linemate Pavel Datsyuk were trouble for opponents’ top lines during the Wings’ entire Cup run. The two also remained in the top 5 of playoff scoring, while Zetterberg kept a plus-minus rating of +16, tied for first with teammate Niklas Kronwall. The talented Swede had a tremendous 5 on 3 kill in the closing minutes of Game 4 that may have done more to break the Penguins’ back than any of his points. With a two man advantage for nearly a minute and a half, Pittsburgh was pressing to tie the game and hopefully the series. Crosby was in position to bang home a loose rebound into an open net, but Zetterberg tied up his stick and prevented him from scoring. He then skated the puck out of his own zone and killed more of the penalty as he kept it deep in Pittsburgh territory.
Henrik earned this trophy by being one of the best two way players in the entire league. His offensive skills put fear in any goalie, while whoever is between the pipes for Detroit has to rest easier knowing he is on the ice.
