PITTSBURGH — The Red Wings are Stanley Cup champions because they excel at both ends of the rink.
None of them does it better than Henrik Zetterberg, whose two-way play earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
The Swede’s goal midway through the third period proved to be the series winner and he had an assist to lift Detroit to a 3-2 victory Wednesday night over the Penguins in Game 6.
He became just the second European to win the award, joining fellow Swede and teammate Nicklas Lidstrom, who won it in 2002.
“It’s special to be on there with so many great players — especially Nick,” Zetterberg said as he looked at the trophy.
The left winger likely sealed the Conn Smythe with his two-point night.
“He certainly deserved it,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “There’s no doubt he was an important player for that group.”
Zetterberg finished the playoffs with 27 points, matching Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby for the top spot.
Zetterberg had 13 goals, tying teammate Johan Franzen for the league lead. Zetterberg’s series-winning goal at 7:36 of the third was short on style, but long on substance.
The shot trickled through Marc-Andre Fleury’s pads and after stalling in the crease, the puck went in off the goalie’s backside.
Zetterberg assisted on Brian Rafalski’s goal that put Detroit ahead 1-0 five minutes into the game. But his biggest contribution in the playoffs might have come at the defensive end when he locked down Crosby’s stick at the side of the net to prevent him from scoring during Pittsburgh’s critical 5-on-3 power play late in the 3-2 win in Game 4.
That win put Detroit ahead 3-1 in the series, a cushion it needed because it lost Game 5 in triple overtime.
Zetterberg also helped kill a 5-on-3 advantage the Penguins had in the series-ending game, keeping them scoreless in the first period.
“It was huge,” he said.
Zetterberg was strong in his own end during the regular season, too, making him a finalist for the Selke Trophy that is awarded to the forward who performs the best on defense.
