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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Foreign NHL players enjoy Christmas, too

Detroit Free Press

Henrik Zetterberg, who hails from Sweden, has rounded 30 years of age and then some, but bears no shame admitting to his favorite memories of Christmas.

“I would lie if I wouldn’t say the Christmas gifts, when you were younger,” Zetterberg said. “And also to see all the family. We always had a big family get-together Christmas Eve and also Christmas Day.”

Like the other European players stockpiled by the Detroit Red Wings, Zetterberg, from Sweden, celebrates the holiday on Christmas Eve, with a big dinner followed by opening presents. It’s all the merrier for the NHL completely shutting down from Dec. 24-26, and a good deal jollier after the Wings ended a six-game winless streak with a 6-3 rally over Buffalo on Tuesday.

Petr Mrazek, a Czech, has looked forward to this stretch for weeks. “My mom is here for Christmas,” he said, “so I’ll spend time with her and my girlfriend’s family. We celebrate Christmas on December 24 in the evening, just have a dinner and then giving presents. Every present I got as a kid, I loved. Our meal, we have fish, and different salads.”

Johan Franzen, another Swede, is happy to help out in the kitchen. “I do the meatballs and the potato au gratin and I mix the drinks,” he said. He has a full house Christmas Eve, as his sister, her boyfriend and their three kids (referred to by Franzen as “Swedish style) have come over from the homeland, along with an uncle. Teammate Joakim Andersson and his girlfriend also have garnered invites, with Andersson tagged to come to the house around 6 p.m. dressed as Santa Claus.

“Christmas Eve is when Santa shows up,” Franzen said. “All the kids are running to the windows to look out.

“They love it. It’s a fun time.”