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Henrik Zetterberg off to Switzerland

NHL, Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg is headed overseas during the NHL lockout, but he's not returning to the club he played for during the previous lockout. Instead, the 32-year-old Swede will play with Switzerland's EV Zug.

"Yes, I'm going to play in Switzerland," Zetterberg said Monday morning, according to the Detroit Free Press. "I think, like I was saying before, I wanted to wait a little bit before I went and played (overseas). ... But in the last few weeks, the indication is it's going to get tougher and tougher to get spots over there, especially with the contract I have and insurance costs."

Zetterberg couldn't rejoin his old team in Sweden due to a heavy insurance hit caused by the $50 million remaining on his contract.

"I got an offer last Friday from Zug, looked into it a little bit, talked to a few players who played in Zug in Switzerland," Zetterberg told the paper. "They said it was a great place to be at and play some hockey. So we had to make a quick decision. Late last night, me and my wife ... talked about it, and we said, 'Just give it a shot,' and it's going to be fun to go and play some hockey."

Zetterberg will join Zug, and rookie Wings forward Damien Brunner, on Friday.

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