Swedish ice hockey legend Henrik Zetterberg has announced his retirement from the sport due to a back injury ©Getty Images

Swedish ice hockey legend Henrik Zetterberg has announced his retirement from the sport due to a back injury.

The 37-year-old centre has been forced to halt his career as no surgery options can fix the problem.

He will go down in history as one of Sweden's greatest players, and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation's heralded "Triple Gold Club".

This means he has won the Olympic gold medal, a World Championship title and the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup.

A four-time Olympian, Zetterberg won gold with his country at Turin 2006.

In the same year the Swedes won the world title in Latvia, becoming the first team to complete this double.

Henrik Zetterberg played his entire NHL career for Detroit Red Wings ©Getty Images
Henrik Zetterberg played his entire NHL career for Detroit Red Wings ©Getty Images

Zetterberg, a prolific scorer, was one of only seven players in both squads.

At club level, he spent his entire NHL career with Detroit Red Wings, lifting the Stanley Cup in 2008 when he scored the title winning goal against Pittsburgh Penguins.

He received the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the play-offs.

In all, Zetterberg played in 1,082 regular-season games in the NHL and another 137 in the play-offs, recording 960 points. 

For Sweden he played at one World Junior Championship, six World Championships, four Olympics and the 2004 World Cup.