Niklas Kronwall (Born January 12, 1981, in
Stockholm, Sweden), is a Swedish professional ice
hockey defenceman playing for the Detroit Red Wings
of the National Hockey League. He has gained
notoriety for being an open ice hitter. He is
sometimes jokingly referred to as "Nick Jr" (in
reference to fellow Swede and Red Wing Nicklas
Lidström). His brother Staffan Kronwall plays for
the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL.
Niklas Kronwall was selected in the 1st round, 29th
overall, in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit
Red Wings. He continued to play for Djurgårdens IF
until he came to North America in 2003. He played 20
games for Detroit in the 2003-04 season, scoring 1
goal and 4 assists for 5 points, to go along with 16
penalty minutes.
During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Kronwall played a
complete season for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the
Red Wings' top affiliate in the American Hockey
League. 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 defenseman in the AHL.
Kronwall was injured in an exhibition game against
Colorado Avalanche in September 2005 and missed more
than half of the 2005-06 season with a serious knee
injury.
In late 2005 he was named member of the Swedish
Olympic Team but dropped out in early 2006 because
of his injured knee. When Mattias Öhlund was injured
against Switzerland, Kronwall was called in to
replace him.
He also played at the IIHF 2006 World Championship
to win the other international gold medal. This
makes him one of only eight players who have won
both Olympic and WC gold the same year.
