When Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the "C" as team captain Tuesday, the significance of being a captain in Detroit wasn't lost on the star.

Zetterberg, whose promotion was announced at a news conferences at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township ahead of the Red Wings' "Red vs. White" scrimmage, follows two beloved captains in Nicklas Lidstrom, who retired in 2012, and longtime leader Steve Yzerman, who served from 1986 until his retirement in 2006.

"It is a true honor to be named captain of the Detroit Red Wings," Zetterberg said. "If you look back at some of our former captains—Lidstrom, Yzerman, (Alex) Delvecchio, (Ted) Lindsay, Gordie Howe—it's very big shoes to fill."

Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland announced Tuesday that forward Pavel Datsyuk and defenseman Niklas Kronwall will serve as alternate captains for Detroit.

"(Coach) Mike Babcock and I feel real good about the leadership group of our team going forward," Holland said.

Zetterberg said being the team captain will be easier having a locker room full of leaders.

"We all lead this team by doing the right things every day on and off the ice," he said.

This story was updated at 1:47 a.m. Wednesday to include additional quotes from Zetterberg and Holland.