Franzen's goals show he's not foreign to success

By Mike Eidelbes, Special to the Rocky

Friday, April 25, 2008

Due in part to competition from foreign imports, the automobile-dependent Detroit economy is reeling. Interesting, since the city's beloved hockey team is thriving because of them.

Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg you may have heard of. But Johan Franzen?

If you hadn't heard his name before, you're certainly familiar with it now. The guy standing behind the Colorado bench is.

"Their top line is dangerous," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said after his team's 4-3 loss Thursday, "but he's the next guy you've gotta worry about."

Franzen, one of seven Swedes and 11 Europeans in the Red Wings' lineup, followed up a sizzling end to the regular season - he was named one of the NHL's three stars for the month of March after scoring 15 goals in his team's last 16 games - with two goals and an assist in the win. He has four goals in seven playoff games.

"It seems like it keeps going," said Franzen, now in his third season with the Wings. "I was a little bit up and down that first series against Nashville. I want to try to be more even and contribute every game."

Franzen gave the Wings a 3-1 lead with his power-play goal late in the first period, drifting behind two Avs defenders, posting up at the top of the crease and tipping Niklas Kronwall's point shot past goalie Jose Theodore. For his second goal - it was the eventual winner - he wired a low shot from the top of the faceoff circle just inside the near post, chasing Theodore from the game a little more than a minute into the second period.

"I thought that was our best line," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said of Franzen, Valtteri Filppula and Mikael Samuelsson. "We said it last round, that if that line could get going for us, we would be a pretty good team."

At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Franzen is the Red Wings' biggest forward, which has earned him the nickname "Mule." He uses his size well, but, as evidenced by his power-play tip-in, he has got great hands and the smarts to play in all situations.

"He's a big guy and really strong on his skates," Zetterberg said. "He's got good hockey sense. He makes the right plays out there."

Odds are, you'll keep an eye on Franzen when he's on the ice Saturday afternoon. You're not alone.

"Guys are gonna start paying a little more attention to him," teammate Dan Cleary said. "He's gonna be checked harder now."