PHOTO: Bildbyrån
A real profile during his active hockey days.
Today we celebrate Niklas Kronwall’s 43rd birthday.
But he himself does not appreciate today’s hockey and directs great criticism.
It turned out to be a very nice career for the hard-driving back Niklas Kronwall. He is actually one of the few Swedish hockey players who actually won all the titles with Olympic gold, WC gold, Stanley Cup title and SM gold.
Kronwall’s career
In 2006, Kronwall was part of the Three Crowns that wrote Swedish sports history and won both Olympic gold and World Cup gold in the same year. The Järfälla son has also won double SM gold with Djurgården and in 2008 he finally got to lift the prestigious Stanley Cup trophy with the Detroit Red Wings.
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Niklas Kronwall became world famous for his powerful tackles and the word “Kronwalled” became a well-established expression in the NHL after he ran over his poor opponents time and time again. But the tackling king takes a gloomy view of today’s hockey and how the sport has developed.
– You get tackled and get tackled. If I get a real fucking plug, then I’m the one who’ll put myself in the shit. Nine times out of ten, it’s your own fault. In Swedish hockey, I think there has been a bit of fuss over it. You’re not alone out there, it’s a martial art. You have a responsibility in this too. You can’t go around with a cigarette in the corner of your mouth and think you’re not tackleable, says the 43-year-old in the TV4 program “Wikegård vs. the Kronwall brothers” from 2020.
Saw the hockey
Kronwall is highly critical of all rule changes, especially in Swedish hockey, which change the sport for the worse and take away the hard game on the ice.
– I think that hockey is changing, a little too much for my own taste, if I’m honest, especially here at home. Hear me right, I think you should remove this game-breaking element, absolutely, but there has to be some rhyme and reason. A slashing on the club doesn’t strike me as a slashing. I think you take away the fighting element, the physical game is taken away more and more. I think far too little responsibility is placed on puck-carrying players. Ten times out of ten, when someone gets a clean smack, he’s put himself in a pretty awful situation. I understand what they have tried to do, but I think they have taken it a step too far, says Niklas Kronwall in the TV program.
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The brother Staffan Kronwall agree and fill in the hockey profile during the interview Niklas Wikegård.
– That’s as close as you can get to scoring, without scoring. Thus giving his own team such a damn boost. Then I think that if you ask this player, that is, it is a competent hockey player who rides on this stopper, I think that nine out of ten, 99 out of 100 maybe, would answer “bad of me, I sat in a bad situation, I have to pay more attention,” says Staffan in the TV program.
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READ MORE: The NHL stars’ powerful tribute to Niklas Kronwall – now points out his absolute favorite tackle: “One of the greatest players”
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