Niklas Kronwall

Niklas Kronwall, (sometimes spelled Niklas Kronvall), is a Swedish professional hockey player, currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League. He is regarded as a very physical player for the Wings with some fans using the term "Kronwalled" to describe a big hit.http://www.nhldigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/kronwall.jpg

Kronwall began playing junior hockey in his native Sweden in 1996 at the age of 15. He was drafted out of the Djurgarden of the Elitserien or Swedish Elite League 29th overall in the 2000 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He continued to play in Sweden for a few years before making his NHL debut with the Wings in 2003. Kronwall returned to the Elitserien during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, then split the 2005-06 season between the Wings and their minor league affiliate. He also represented Sweden in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, winning the gold medal in 2006. Kronwall earned a full roster spot with the Wings in the 2006-07 regular season, playing 68 regular season games, and was key in the back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009. Detroit won the Stanley Cup in 2008, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the finals, but were unsuccessful in 2009, falling to the Penguins in seven games.http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8468509&view=bio

During the 2009-10 season, Kronwall recorded career-best numbers for goals, at seven, and show percentage, at 10.3. He also added 15 assists to bring his total points up to 22 and 32 penalty minutes. Kronwall was limited to just 48 games during the year, missing several games with a knee injury.http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009/11/red_wings_lose_niklas_kronwall.html After rehabbing his MCL, he returned to the ice to help the Red Wings close out the season on a high note. They finished fifth in the Western Conference, continuing on to play in the 2010 NHL Playoffs.