NEW YORK – Sweden’s Henrik Zetterberg is out of the World Cup of Hockey because of an injury.
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced that Calgary Flames forward Mikael Backlund will replace Zetterberg on the World Cup roster. Coach Rickard Gronborg says Zetterberg didn’t feel 100%, so Sweden opted to pick another player with international experience.
Zetterberg was supposed to be Sweden’s captain. He’s the second Detroit Red Wings player to withdraw from Sweden’s team because of injury, following defenseman Niklas Kronwall.
The 35-year-old has 836 points in 915 NHL games. A back injury forced him out of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.