Nik Lidstrom became the first European born and trained player to captain a team to the Stanley Cup. And he didn’t even win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
That honour, something all of Sweden will likely cherish as much as Lidstrom receiving the Cup, went to Lidstrom’s teammate Henrik Zetterberg.
The award, voted upon by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, was well deserved even though Zetterberg was especially modest in his acceptance.
"It’s something I never gave a thought to," he said shortly after National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman handed him the historic trophy (which he delivered just moments before handing off the Cup to Lidstrom). "In Sweden, to play centre you have to play good defence, but I think you could say that about all the players on this team."
Indeed, the overall commitment to defence was the overall difference in the Red Wings’ triumph. Though they did have their breakdowns at times, they were especially good at shutting off the vaunted Pittsburgh attack, denying them the puck for long stretches and keeping it out of their zone as well.
Zetterberg brought a near perfect game to the playoffs in that he was his team’s leading scorer in the post-season with 27 points, a mark that matched the total put up by Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. Zetterberg also matched teammate Johan Franzen’s playoff leading total of 13 goals and was far and away the best defensive forward on the ice with perhaps his best effort being the lead player in killing off a five-on-three power play in Game 3 that included snuffing out a chance by Sidney Crosby that would have produced a game-tying goal in the closing seconds of play.
Zetterberg’s point total eclipsed the hallowed mark for most points scored in the playoffs by a Red Wing, an honour that had been shared by two icons of the game, Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.
Zetterberg’s efforts drew praise from all sides, including Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien.
"He’s there in his career, he’s right there and he deserved it," Therrien said of the player for which his team had no equal. "No doubt he was an important player for that group."
"It does feel pretty good," Zetterberg said. "They (the Pens) battled really hard…overall I think they played very good. They are going to be a good team for a lot of years to come."
Zetterberg acknowledged the accomplishments of teammate Lidstrom, who was also a candidate for the Smythe.
"He’s our leader and a great player," Zetterberg said. "There was a lot of talk here about that (being the first European to lift the Cup as captain). It was a thrill to see him do that."
Zetterberg said he hadn’t realized that Lidstrom was the only other European-born and trained player to win the Smythe, an award that traditionally has gone to a Canadian born-and trained player.
"I didn’t know that," he said. "It’s an honour to be on it (the trophy) with all those guys."
Other players who likely received consideration for the trophy besides Zetterberg and Lidstrom were Detroit goalie Chris Osgood and forward Johan Franzen and Penguins Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury.
