In Honor Of Nik Kronwall Retiring, Here Is A Compilation Of Guys Getting "Kronwalled"

It is officially the end of an era in Detroit today as defenseman Niklas Kronwall announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. The Swedish born defenseman played in 953 games over 15 seasons, scoring 83 goals and adding 349 assists. Most importantly though, Kronwall is a Stanley Cup Champion and Gold Medal winner, winning the 2008 Stanley Cup with the Red Wings and winning a Gold Medal at the 2006 Olympics with Sweden.

I can sit here and talk about Kronwall’s achievements all day, but let’s be real, Kronwall is most well-known for lining people the fuck up. It is not often a player gets a play named after him. You got the Datsyuk shootout move, you got the Marek Malik shootout move, you got the Kucherov breakaway move, and then you have getting “Kronwalled”.

From the start of his career all the way to the very end, Niklas Kronwall was an absolute terror on the ice. I mean, who can forget the 2015 playoffs when he basically took Nikita Kucherov’s head off? Granted he was suspended for the hit, but man, buddy killed people out there.

Kronwall was the last of a dying breed, which is very unfortunate. The days of monster hits and getting “Kronwalled” are dwindling away for faster, puck moving defenseman with an offensive touch. But that makes you appreciate how special this guy actually was.

Watch his best hits here: