Johan "The Mule" Franzén (born December 23, 1979 in
Vetlanda, Sweden) is a Swedish professional ice
hockey center currently playing for the Detroit Red
Wings of the National Hockey League.
Franzén started playing ice hockey in Boro/VHC,
Landsbro near Vetlanda in Sweden. He was suspended
for a full year after knocking down a referee, but
was then moved to play with the Tranĺs AIF in the
Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan in 1999. After one season
with the club he moved to Linköping were he stayed
for five seasons, helping the club win the promotion
for play in the Swedish elite league Elitserien in
2001. Recommended by European scout Hĺkan Andersson,
Franzen was drafted by the Red Wings in 2004. For
the 2005-06 season, Franzén played in the NHL with
the Detroit Red Wings totalling 80 games for 16
points (12 goals, 4 assists) in his rookie season.
In August 2006, Franzén re-signed with the Detroit
Red Wings to a three-year contract worth $2.825
million. On April 21, 2007, during a playoff game
versus the Calgary Flames, backup goaltender Jamie
McLennan slashed Franzén in the stomach, resulting
in a game misconduct for McLennan. In the following
game (Game 6), Franzén scored the double-overtime
winning goal to advance the Red Wings past the
Flames.
On March 30, 2008 Franzen scored his sixth game
winning goal for the month of March, against the
Nashville Predators. This goal broke the recored for
most game winning goals in one month (5) set by
Gordie Howe in February 1952 and duplicated in
January, 1956. Although this feat was matched by
teammate Henrik Zetterberg in January, 2007.
Coincidentally, Franzen broke Howe's record while
Howe was attending the game and celebrating his 80th
birthday.
On April 18th 2008, Franzén scored the overtime
winner in Game 5 of the Western Conference
Quarterfinal series between the Detroit Red Wings
and the Nashville Predators. The goal put the Red
Wings up 3-2 in the series.
On April 26, 2008, Franzén scored his first career
hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2
of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008
Stanley Cup Playoffs. That was the Wings' first
playoff hat trick since Darren McCarty did it six
years prior (18 May 2002)— also against the
Avalanche—in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
During Game 4, on May 1, 2008, Franzén had another
hat trick, scoring his ninth goal of the series,
breaking the Detroit Red Wings franchise record for
most goals in a playoff series: Gordie Howe had
scored eight goals in a seven-game series in 1949.
Franzén currently holds the franchise record for
most goals in a playoff year with 12, a record
previously held at 10 by Petr Klima, Sergei Federov,
and Brett Hull. During the first game of the 2008
Stanley Cup Finals, Zetterberg tied his mark of 12
goals in a single postseason by scoring the fourth
and final goal of the game.
