Red Wings alumnus Henrik Zetterberg spoke with Sportbibeln’s Anders Sorensen regarding the performances of Lucas Raymond and Team Sweden’s performance in their 4-3 overtime loss to Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off:
Henrik Zetterberg pays tribute to Tre Kronor star Lucas Raymond
The Tre Kronor started the Four Nations games by losing to Canada 4-3 in overtime. The Swede who registered the most points in the game was young Detroit star Lucas Raymond.
“The step he has taken this year is huge, I think,” icon Henrik Zetterberg told Sportbibeln.
Canada fell into a hole against the Swedish defense only 56 seconds into the opening game at the Four Nations tournament. 1-0 became 2-0 Sweden, then 2-1 and in the end 3-1. Then the Tre Kronor suddenly lost their lead to 3-3. The blue-and-yellow earned a point from the meeting, but let in a fourth goal in overtime.
Zetterberg pays tribute to Raymond
Lucas Raymond, 22, was the best scorer among the Swedes with two assists. He was behind Jonas Brodin on the 2-1 goal and Joel Eriksson Ek’s set-up. Tre Kronor legend and NHL icon Henrik Zetterberg, 44, discussed the young player’s capacity for the four-nation tournament.
“Zata” was part of the pro-strong Tre Kronor Legends team that crushed the NHL Alumni at the newly-renovated Avicii Arena last Friday. Ahead of the exhibition game, he faced the assembled press, including Sportbibeln. Then he commented on Lucas Raymond’s importance to the Detroit Red Wings.
“He’s one of those people who really spends all his time and effort to be as good as possible. The step he’s taken this year is huge, I think. The team also has six or seven straight wins, and are in the first Wild Card spot now, and have some stabbing chances,” he told Sportbibeln.
Zetterberg’s relationship with the Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg debuted for Detroit in October 2022 and registered 44 points in 79 games during his rookie season. Lucas Raymond scored 57 points in 82 games as a rookie. During his years with the team, “Zata” won the Stanley Cup. In recent years, however, the team has had difficulty performing at the highest level. This season started very badly, but they’ve found better shape lately.
“Last year they were incredibly close to the last round there, that they would make it to the playoffs. For a while during this season, it looked pretty dark, but now they’re there again and hopefully we can see some playoff hockey,” he said.
Are you involved with the team in any way today?
“Not much at all, other than the fact that I’m very close to the people who work there. A lot of the people who were down in Angelholm now, and met them there. We watched the Sweden-USA game (Sweden’s Under-18 national team won 7-2 against the United States) down there on Wednesday. There were five of them from Detroit. You stay involved, but I don’t need to write any reports.
If I may be blunt, Zetterberg plays an informal role with the team, despite his suggestions to the contrary. Yes, he speaks with the Wings’ Swedish contingent when they visit southern Sweden, but he’s been seen at games in Stockholm and Timra with Niklas Kronwall and/or Nicklas Lidstrom, and he’s sort of an unofficial ambassador and informal voice in terms of consultation regarding young players.
He’s doing his thing–he has a sandwich spot in Angelholm, and he’s enjoying his retirement–but he does indulge the “hockey bug” from time to time.
