"It's in my apartment," the Toronto Maple Leafs center said. "I mean, I loved watching him play. The last two years playing against him, he was so tough to play against. He's so smart. Maybe he couldn't move as well the past three or four years but he was still a force out there."
Zetterberg, who turns 38 on Oct. 8, said Friday he will no longer be able to play because of a degenerative back condition.
RELATED: [Zetterberg finishes career with numerous highlights]
"Obviously health comes first when it comes to sports and life in general," 20-year-old Matthews said. "It's unfortunate, but it's a heck of a career."
Zetterberg's influence on Matthews came from Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who coached Zetterberg in Detroit from 2005-15. Matthews spent hours during his rookie season of 2016-17 with Babcock watching videos of the Red Wings center.
"I find him to be a really good player, a little underrated at times," Matthews said. "He [could] make plays, sees the ice so well. Even when we played him, he made me look bad a couple times, and you kind of shake your head sometimes because [he was] a guy that still gets it done."
Zetterberg had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in seven games against Matthews.
"He's an elite player, better competitor, and maybe a better person, a real leader," Babcock said. "He hurt his back … quite a while ago and has been able to train and fight through it. He's got a young family, and he's got the rest of his life. We wish him nothing but success."
Babcock and Zetterberg won the Stanley Cup in 2008 with Detroit.
"They'll miss his leadership, his drive, his competitiveness, his professionalism," Babcock said. "He's a good man."
Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan was a Red Wings teammate of Zetterberg from 2002-06.
"I remember Henrik joining our team in the 2002-03 season and he had a great rookie year," Shanahan said. "You could immediately see he had not only incredible skill, but great leadership.
"He goes down on a long list of great Detroit Red Wing captains."
