This isn't just a spring fling by Wings' Franzen
NHL on NBC: Coming up ... |
Conference finals on NBC |
 | Video: NHL from NBC Sports |
 Pittsburgh misses major opportunity May 16: With their loss to the Flyers, the Penguins can no longer advance to the Stanley Cup finals in a sweep. |
 | Who has the Edge? |
 |
Impact Players |
Vote for the player likely to have the biggest impact in each series. |  AP |
More on the NHL |
 | Slide show |
 | Week in Sports Pictures Leaping LeBron, riled-up refs, jumbled jockeys and more in this week’s edition. more photos |
 | Slide Show |
 |
At 220 pounds, Franzen is adjusting to this new perception that others have of him.
"I haven't had (a scoring streak like this) since I was 18 or 19 when I was in Sweden in way lower leagues," Franzen said. "I have great confidence out there. The puck keeps coming and I'm getting great opportunities almost every game here."
He’s also getting used to adjusting to the expectations suddenly being placed upon him, because they are in fact the same expectations he places upon himself.
"It feels like when I'm out there I want to score and try to get to the front of the net and get rebounds," Franzen said. "You feel you've scored before, so you can do it."
Though he’d registered only 22 goals through his first two NHL seasons, closer scrutiny of his stats reveals that clutch and Franzen have been synonymous before.
Last spring, he scored his first Stanley Cup overtime winner, eliminating the Calgary Flames in Game 6 of Detroit’s first-round series at the Pengrowth Saddledome. This spring, he added a second OT winner, beating Nashville in Game 5 of the opening round.
During the preseason, Franzen offered a glimpse of what was to come, scoring a team-leading five times while skating on a line with Holmstrom and Pavel Datsyuk.
"It (confidence) started there, playing with Pavel and Holmer," Franzen said.
That he’s taken centre stage in hockey’s most storied competition is even more startling once you learn that Franzen wasn’t even selected in the NHL entry draft until the age of 24, unearthed by Hakan Andersson, Detroit’s European super scout. The vast majority of players are drafted at 18.
"He was a late bloomer," Lidstrom said. "Hakan Andersson did a good job finding him somewhere in Sweden."
Starting in a defensive role, Franzen displayed NHL skating ability and soon showed he possessed the hands to bury chances and the courage to take the punishment required to score from close range.
The Wings see that sort of determination from Franzen on a daily basis.
"Stubbornness, I'd say," Lidstrom suggested as Franzen's best quality.
"He's very good at using his body. He's good at using his size. It's tough to take the puck away from him."
That stubbornness and strength serves Franzen well and earned him the nickname Mule from former Wings captain Steve Yzerman. Franzen wasn't too keen on the handle initially, but it has grown on him.
The Swedish word for mule, by the way, is mula.
The Swedish word for sniper?
It could be Franzen.
| Rate this story | Low | High |
MORE FROM NHL |
 NHL Section Front |
| Add NHL headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links