Zetterberg, Kronwall named to Swedish World Cup Squad

First Pavel Datsyuk, then Petr Mrazek, and now two more Detroit Red Wings have received the nod to play in this summer’s World Cup of Hockey. Team Captain Henrik Zetterberg and defenseman Niklas Kronwall have been named to Team Sweden’s initial 16-man lineup.

Both players have been mainstays for Team Sweden for years. Zetterberg first joined the Under-18 team in 1998 and has also represented the team at the U20 level, including the 2000 World Juniors. At the Men’s level, Zetterberg played for Sweden in the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2012 World Championships, the 2005 European Hockey Tour, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Games, and in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Zetterberg wore the C for Sweden in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, though injuries prevented him from playing more than the single game, which he scored in. He’s also worn the A at the 2012 World Championships and 2010 Olympics.

Zetterberg has four World Championship medals (two Bronze in 2001 and 2002, a Silver in 2003, and Gold in 2006), a Gold Medal at the 1998 U-18 European Junior Championships, a Silver Medal from the 2014 Olympics, and most importantly, an Olympic Gold from 2006.

Kronwall, on the other hand, got his start at the Under-17 level and also played for the U18 and U20 teams before making the jump to the Men’s teams. He played at the World Juniors with Zetterberg in 2000, and went back in 2001 before fully graduating. From there, he’s played at the 2003 and 2004 European Hockey Tours, the 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2012 World Championships, and at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympics. Kronwall doesn’t have the World Championship Bronzes that Zetterberg has, but matches up with him in every other way and adds a Silver Medal at the 1999 U-18 World Championships.

Both players are members of the Triple Gold Club, which requires a World Championship Gold, Olympic Gold, and a Stanley Cup. This year’s tournament begins on September 17th and will end on October 1st. All games will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada.