Niklas Kronwall

Hans Niklas Kronwall (pronounced [ˈnɪ̌kːlas ˈkrûːnval]; born 12 January 1981) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently serves as an advisor to the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

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 (AHL).

Kronwall finished the regular season scoring five goals along with 24 assists as the Red Wings clinched their 22nd consecutive playoff berth.

He became the fifth defensemen to lead the Red Wings in assists in a single season, joining Reed Larson, Brad Park, Paul Coffey and Nicklas Lidström.

[6] Kronwall missed the beginning of training camp for the 2016–17 NHL season due to him recovering from an injury endured in the offseason.

He played in his 800th career NHL game against the Washington Capitals on 20 October 2017[9] and recorded his 400th point in a 5–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on 27 March 2018.

He finished his career ranked third all-time in games played by a defenseman and fourth in points in franchise history, trailing only Nicklas Lidström, Reed Larson and Red Kelly.

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.

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.

Victims of Kronwall's checking include Anders Lee, Dany Heatley, Auston Matthews, Aleš Hemský, Artturi Lehkonen, Reilly Smith, Ryan Kesler, Martin Havlát,[14] Jakub Voráček[15] and Kaspars Saulietis.

The following day, the NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Kronwall for the final game of the series,[17] which the Red Wings lost 2-0.

His younger brother Staffan also played professionally in the NHL before ending his career in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Kronwall in 2009 Stanley Cup Finals Game 6.