Henrik Zetterberg scores No. 300, honored to have Lidstrom see it

TORONTO – When Henrik Zetterberg made the leap to the NHL in 2002, there were two Swedes on the Detroit Red Wings that made him feel welcome. One was Tomas Holmstrom. The other was Nicklas Lidstrom.

“When I came over, Nick reached out to me. He’s a big part of my career and a big part of the person I am,” he said.

So it was only appropriate that he was part of a big night for Zetterberg on Friday at the Toronto Maple Leafs: Scoring goal No. 300 in a 2-1 overtime win.

Lidstrom was honored before the game with the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015, and dropped the puck for the ceremonial faceoff.

He was also a witness to Red Wings history. Zetterberg became just the fifth Red Wing to have 300 goals and 500 assists – joining Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov, who was also in attendance as a honored member of the 2015 Hall of Fame class.

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At 16:21 of the first period, Zetterberg fired the puck from just inside the blue line in the Leafs’ zone. Somehow, it fluttered past James Reimer – an embarrassing flub, as Mike Babcock watched his current goalie give his former team a 1-0 lead. It was Zetterberg’s fourth of the season. 

“I just tried to get it on net. To be honest, I’m not really sure how it went in. I haven’t seen a replay,” said Zetterberg, who later saw Jakub Kindl win the game in overtime. “I tried to use ‘D’ as a screen and get it on net. But I don’t think it got on net. It must have hit his pad and went in.”

Surprised by the goal, there wasn’t a huge celebration from the Wings captain. But after the game, he acknowledged his place in Detroit hockey history.

“When you’re retired, looking back, it means a lot. Right now you’re in it. It’s fun to reach these numbers,” he said.

And to reach them in front of a pair of Red Wings Hall of Famers.

“Being a little part of their week is special,” he said. 

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.