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• Swedish professional hockey player Johan Franzen currently plays for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League.

  On April 12, 2009, the Red Wings and Franzen agreed to a new 11-year contract, which will pay a total of $43.5 million, including between $5 and $5.5 million each year.ESPN.com: Wings' Franzen Re-signs for 11 Years

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: December 23, 1979
  2. Birthplace: Vetlanda, Sweden
  3. Position: Center
  4. Shoots: Left
  5. Nicknamed 'Mule' by Steve Yzerman because of his size and power

• Early Career

  Franzen began his professional career in his native Sweden in 2001 in the Elitserien, the Swedish Elite League. Franzen was drafted 97th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2004 NHL draft, but continued to play in Sweden for one last season. He played a total of five seasons for the Linkopings HC before joining the Red Wings in 2005. Franzen played the Wings in 80 games during his rookie season, scoring twelve goals and four assists.

• Recent Success

  Franzen finished the 2007-08 season with 27 goals and 11 assists. He became the talk of Detroit during the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he scored a record nine goals in a single four game series, a new NHL record. In the Western Conference semi-finals Franzen helped the Wings sweep the Colorado Avalanche including two hat-tricks, one in game two and another in game four. This also set a Red Wings record for the most goals in the playoffs, with 11, on their way to becoming the 2008 Stanley Cup champions.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Detroit Red Wings | National Hockey League | Steve Yzerman | Nicklas Lidstrom | Dominik Hasek | Chris Chelios | Kris Draper | Kirk Maltby | Henrik Zetterberg | Chris Osgood | Pavel Datsyuk | Dan Cleary | Jiri Hudler | Brett Lebda | Danny Markov | Andreas Lilja | Niklas Kronwall | Valtteri Filppula

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