"It's a very special thing to be the captain for this team," Zetterberg said at a Team Sweden event in Stockholm. "I'm honored. It's something I'll always remember."
Zetterberg is the only Team Sweden player with World Cup playing experience; he had a goal and an assist in four games at the 2004 tournament. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) and forwards Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks) were on Sweden's 2004 roster but did not play.
Zetterberg took over as captain of the Red Wings in 2012 after defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, who is an adviser for Team Sweden, retired. He has 836 points in 918 games over 13 NHL seasons, all with Detroit.
"There really is no other candidate than Zetterberg," Team Sweden and Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Kronwall said. "I know him from Detroit, and there's no better. He's the obvious choice."
The World Cup will be played from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The tournament will be broadcast by ESPN in the United States and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada.
