Patrik Elias or Henrik Zetterberg – Which one is the Hall of Famer?

Both Henrik Zetterberg and Patrik Elias were phenomenal NHL players for their respective teams. They were also very loyal to their teams, playing their entire careers for the same team. Zetterberg for the Detroit Red Wings and Elias for the New Jersey Devils. 

I believe both of these players deserve to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, for arguments sake, if you had to pick one of these to make it and not the other, who would you choose?

Let’s take a look at the stats:

Zetterberg played 1082 games in his NHL career, scoring 337 goals and 960 points. He had one 40-goal season in his career and four 30-goal campaigns. He was generally a playmaker and defensively conscious through his 15-year NHL career.

The long-time Red Wing played in two Stanley Cup finals and won a Stanley Cup, in 2007-08. Not only did he win the cup, he won the Conn Smythe trophy that season with 27 points in 22 playoff games. In 137 career playoff games, he scored 57 goals and 120 points. He also won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership in the 2014-15 season.

Internationally, he won a gold medal with Team Sweden at the 2006 Olympics and a silver medal in the 2014 Olympics. He also played in four world championships for his native country, winning one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. 

Zetterberg was the captain of the Red Wings for the final six seasons of his career, taking over from Nicklas Lidstrom after his retirement. He played in two NHL all-star games. He ranks fifth all-time in Red Wings history in scoring, behind all-time greats Gordie Howe, Steven Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio, and Nicklas Lidstrom. 

Patrik Elias played 1,240 NHL games, all for the Devils, scoring 408 goals and 1,025 points. Elias played in four Stanley Cup finals, winning two Stanley Cups in his career with the Devils. He scored 125 points in 162 career playoff games. 

Elias never won an individual award in the NHL. Internationally, he played for his native country of Czech Republic a total of 10 times, in four different tournaments. He won a bronze medal during the 2006 Olympics and two bronze medals in the World Championships in 1998 and 2011, respectively. 

Elias leads all New Jersey Devils in points, ahead of the second-place John MacLean, who is 300 points behind him. 

Adding it all up:

Zetterberg has the edge in points-per-game, assists, international achievements, and number of years as the captain of his team.

Elias has the edge in goals, total points, Stanley Cup finals played in, Stanley Cups won, and playoff points. 

Conclusion: 

There’s no doubt that both of these players have had similar career trajectories. They’ve both won the Stanley Cup, earned medals internationally for their home countries, and put up very solid numbers over long careers.

My pick to make the Hockey Hall of Fame is Henrik Zetterberg, because of his Conn Smythe Trophy and his defensive play over his entire career. 

Who do you think should be inducted in the the Hockey Hall of Fame, Henrik Zetterberg or Patrik Elias?