kronwall55.com Hans Niklas Kronwall (born January 12, 1981) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL ). Kronwall started his career in Jrflla HC in Sweden , and has played for the Swedish National Team . In the NHL , Kronwall has gained notoriety for being an open ice hitter, and the phrase "being Kronwalled" was coined to describe his signature back-pedaling hits . Playing career [ edit ] I know one scout who tried to bring up Niklas Kronwall 's name with his team . They just laughed at him. They never even had a serious dialogue. They just stopped him. They said 'a 5-11 Swedish defenceman ?' [The Red Wings] organization is more open-minded than that. [1] Kronwall was selected in the 1st round, 29th overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings . [2] He continued to play for Djurgrdens IF until he came to North America in 2003. He played 20 games for Detroit in the 200304 season , scoring one goal and four assists for five points , to go along with 16 penalty minutes . During the 200405 NHL lockout , Kronwall played a complete season for the Grand Rapids Griffins , the Red Wings ' top affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL ). He notched 13 goals and 40 assists in 76 games while also playing a solid defense. For his efforts , Kronwall was awarded the Eddie Shore Award as the top defenceman in the AHL . Kronwall was injured in an exhibition game against Colorado Avalanche in September 2005 [3] and missed more than half of the 200506 season with a serious knee injury . Kronwall in 2009 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6. Kronwall won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2008, making him a member of the Triple Gold Club . He also led all defencemen in scoring with 15 points in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs . Kronwall scored six goals to go with 45 assists during the 200809 NHL season , and followed it up with two goals and seven assists during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs as the Red Wings came within a game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. On December 27, 2010, he helped teammate and goaltender Chris Osgood get his 400th win by scoring the game-winning goal and lifting the Red Wings to a 4- 3 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche . On October 31, 2011, Kronwall and Detroit agreed to a seven-year contract . Playing in all 82 regular season games during the 201112 NHL season , Kronwall recorded a career high 15 goals for the Red Wings . Upon the retirement of veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom in 2012, Kronwall became Detroit 's number one defenseman . During the lockout shortened 201213 NHL season , Kronwall appeared in all 48 regular season games , usually paired with fellow Swede Jonathan Ericsson . Kronwall finished the regular season scoring five goals along with 24 assists as the Red Wings clinched their 22nd consecutive playoff berth . During the 201314 NHL season , Kronwall recorded eight goals and 41 assists in 79 games for the Red Wings . Kronwall became the fifth defensemen to lead the Red Wings in assists in a single season , joining Reed Larson , Brad Park , Paul Coffey , and Nicklas Lidstrm . [4] 2003 In late 2005, Kronwall was named member of the Swedish Olympic Team but dropped out in early 2006 because of his injured knee . When Mattias hlund was injured against Switzerland , Kronwall was called in to replace him. Kronwall represented Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , where he recorded one goal and one assist in two games , and won a gold medal . That same year, Kronwall represented Sweden at the 2006 IIHF World Championship , where he was the leading scorer for Sweden , recording two goals and eight assists in eight games and won a gold medal . Sweden became the first team in hockey history to win the Olympic gold and the World Championship in the same year. With the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, Kronwall became a member of the Triple Gold Club . The term is used for an exclusive group of ice hockey players who have won Olympic gold , World Championship gold , and the Stanley Cup . Kronwall, along with teammates and fellow Swedes Mikael Samuelsson and Henrik Zetterberg are the fastest to accomplish this feat , requiring only two years, three months and ten days . [5] Kronwall represented Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi , where he recorded two assists in six games , and won a silver medal . "Kronwalled"[ edit ] Kronwall has developed a reputation as one of the stronger hitters in the league. Fans refer to the frequently devastating hits as being "Kronwalled." The most famous incident stems from the 2009 Western Conference Finals when Kronwall delivered a strong finishing check to Chicago Blackhawks forward Martin Havlat which rendered Havlat unconscious . Though he was penalized on ice , no supplemental discipline was issued. [6] Further notable victims of Kronwall's checking include Dany Heatley , Ales Hemsky , Ryan Kesler , [7] Jakub Voracek , [8] and Kaspars Saulietis . [9] Searching videos, "Kronwalled" has passed from a regional , sport-specific term to a more generalized use for any collision between two people resulting in one of them ending up in the prone position .[ citation needed ] Personal life [ edit ] Awarded the Eddie Shore Award (Outstanding defenceman ) in 2005 Gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 2006 Gold medal at the World Championships in 2006 Named MVP and Best Defender in World Championships in 2006 Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 References [ edit ] ^ Rosenberg , Michael (June 9, 2008). "Secret to success ? Meet the Wings ' super scout " . Detroit Free Press . Retrieved June 9, 2008. ^ "Niklas Kronwall " . hockeydb.com. April 28, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2013. ^ Ted Kulfan (2005). "Injury costs Wings ' Kronwall" . The Detroit News . Retrieved September 21, 2006.[ dead link ] ^ Roose , Bill (July 14, 2014). "By The Numbers : Niklas Kronwall " . NHL . Retrieved July 14, 2014. ^ "Triple Gold Club expands to 22" . IIHF . May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008. ^ http ://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=DrLhkntCs9c ^ Klopman, Michael (March 7, 2012). "Red Wings Enforcer Delivers Monstrous Hit On Flyer " . Huffington Post . Retrieved March 7, 2012. ^ Chew , Ben (May 19, 2012). "Niklas Kronwall destroys Kaspars Saulietis at Ice Hockey World Championship (video)" . NBC Sports . Retrieved May 19, 2012. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . 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