Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg will miss eight weeks after having surgery on a herniated disc in his back, the team announced Friday.
Zetterberg played just one game with Team Sweden before the back injury forced him from the 2014 Winter Olympics. After taking a red-eye from Sochi to New Jersey on Wednesday, the forward went under the knife Friday — at the same time Sweden was defeating Finland to advance to the gold medal game.
Niklas Kronwall said Zetterberg reached out to him before the procedure.
“[Zetterberg] sent a text and told me he would be sedated during the entire game but he wished us luck and said he wanted to wake up and see that we won,” Kronwall told a Swedish newspaper, via NHL.com. “It feels good that we could give it to him.”
Zetterberg has struggled with back issues all season, limiting him to 45 games with the Red Wings, but the team is hopeful he’ll be back on the ice by the end of the season. The eight-week time frame could mean Zetterberg will return for the first round of the playoffs, if Detroit qualifies.
The Red Wings return to action Wednesday against the Montreal Canadians, holding onto the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Photo via Twitter/@DetroitRedWings
