The Detroit Red Wings announced today that star centre Henrik Zetterberg underwent successful back surgery. The 33-year-old who missed 13 games in December and January with a herniated disc, re-aggravated the injury during Sweden’s first game of the Olympics and had to be pulled from the tournament.
“It went very, very well,” Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin told mlive. “They removed part of a disc that was rubbing on a nerve. It was what they thought it was. The recovery process looks very, very positive.”
It is hoped that Zetterberg can be back sometime before the NHL regular season, or for the Red Wings in the early part of the playoffs, should they make it. Detroit finishes the regular season on April 13th, which is a little over seven weeks away. They currently sit in the second and final wild-card playoff spot in the tightening Eastern Conference race.
Zetterberg, the Red Wings captain, has 16 goals and 48 points in 45 games in the NHL so far this season. He has 279 goals and 720 points in 759 games in his NHL career. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in helping the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup Championship. He has also been nominated for the Calder Trophy, and Selke Trophy in his distinguished NHL career.
Losing Zetterberg is a huge blow for the Red Wings, but general manager Ken Holland wasn’t going to blame the olympics or the IOC for the injury, as Islanders general manager Garth Snow did with John Tavares. Holland was quick to point out that Zetterberg’s back problems predate the Olympics and he doesn’t think this setback is related to the tournament.
“Whether in the Olympics or NHL, it probably would have been the same situation,” Holland said.
Zetterberg was part of the Swedish team that won the 2006 Olympic Gold Medal in Torino/Turin. He also won gold at the 2006 IIHF World Championships, Silver at the 2003 World Championships, and Bronze medals at the 2002 and 2001 World Championships. The Swedish team has advanced to the gold medal game without him, and so Zetterberg will be adding another piece of hardware to his collection, the question is what colour.
The Swedes face Canada for gold on Sunday at 7:00 am EST.
The Red Wings next game is February 26th against the Montreal Canadiens.
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