Media starting to appreciate Kronwall
I will have a game recap/roundup later this evening after work, but until then be sure to read Joe’s live blog of Game #6!
Since the retirement of Steve Yzerman, BTJ adopted Niklas Kronwall as the blog favorite player. While his bazillion injuries were frustrating, the physicality of his play along with his potential upside garnered our attention. I bought a jersey last season since I retired my Yzerman jersey upon his retirement and that jersey was an autographed Kronner jersey. A couple years later, fans and the media alike are finally starting to really appreciate his style of play.
Kronwall had one big open-ice hit in almost every game of round one with at least one indirectly resulting in a Wings goal or at least a momentum change. He tied Pavel Datsyuk and Jiri Hudler in offensive points (5) for the first round and assisted on both of the goals in a critical Game #5.
Ansar Khan / MLive.com:
“Especially in the playoffs now, he’s such a big force for us, the way he can step up and hit guys, and he’s able to make the right plays at the right time, jumping into the play, playing power play,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “He’s just the full package.” … “It’s no surprise for me, I’ve seen him play in Sweden for a long time and I know what kind of player he can be when he’s healthy,” Zetterberg said. “After he got back from an injury he got better and better. He is really showing this is the way he can play and contribute to the team.”
“Because of his physical dimension it makes him different than Nick and Rafi with a lot of the same offensive flair,” coach Mike Babcock said. “Actually, Junior (Kronwall) is more active (joining the rush) than Rafi or Nick, they more support it from the back and Nik takes off and jumps in more. I think he give us a real good player there.”
Helene St. James / Detroit Free Press:
“He made a great, great pass on the breakaway goal in overtime,” Chris Osgood said Saturday. “He’s been everything we’ve asked. I think last year we missed him more than anybody knew. Sometimes you don’t realize how much you miss guys until they’re out. Kronner is a big guy back there. He’s one of those guys the opposition has to keep their heads up for. He’s real important for us.”
The coaching staff refers to Kronwall as “Junior” because he’s Swedish like Nicklas Lidstrom, shares a first name with Lidstrom, is sublimely talented like Lidstrom, and is, for that matter, also — like Lidstrom — extremely polite. But there are differences between them, and as Wings defensemen present and past go, Kronwall has more in common with Vladimir Konstantinov, the ferocious open-ice hitter whose career ended 11 years ago after a limousine crash.
Dave @ Gorilla Crouch:
That actually sounds a lot like Niedermeyer, although Kronner is more of an open-ice hitter while Niedermeyer tends to lay out guys who are camped out in the slot area. At any rate, it’s been great to see him contribute during the playoffs. The saying goes that you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone, but in this case I don’t think we could fully appreciate Kronner until we had a chance to see him play during the playoffs. His game is ideally suited to this time of year.
Steph @ No Pun Intended:
Niklas Kronwall is excellent. No seriously, how well has he been playing lately? Someone needs to build him a little bubble so he can stay healthy all season because he is a serious force. I love him paired up with Connie’s Brad Stuart, too. While our defense terrified me a little at the start of this game, guys like these make me worry less for the future.
Matt @ On the Wings:
Niklas Kronwall had another big, open ice hit. His reputation is developing.
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One Response to “Media starting to appreciate Kronwall”
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April 21st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
You’re like the Wings scouts, Christy, picking ‘em before everyone else realizes how good they are! Maybe they should keep you on after your internship is over