Confirmed with Link: Nik Kronwall Retiring

[Steve Yzerlland]

At Kronwall's peak he was a fringe 1-D. Good career not a HOFer no jersey retirement. Thanks for your service, move on.

 

[MBH]

The Devils did the same thing. Too often you'd see the Devils "give" a guy the middle of the ice when the right play was to funnel them into the boards. They did it when Stevens was on the ice just to set up those hits.



Also, fighting after a dirty hit isn't really a deterrent. One team loses their star player for the rest of a series or a season, the other guy plays huggy bear for a minute or two and sits in the box for a bit. I'm surprised we didn't see more teams giving back what the Devils dealt and just blatantly running a guy like Niedermeyer far more often.

It WAS a deterrent in an age when players were expected to man up.
In the 1990s, a player like Kronwall would have been pummeled for his act. Even a guy like Ulf Samuelsson, regarded as a cheap shot artist who wouldn't drop the gloves, stood in and fought guys every once in awhile.
Post instigator, hitters like could slunk away.
It never felt right to me, a guy who watched 70s, 80s and 90s hockey.

It never felt right to me, a guy who celebrated Probert when he stood up for Yzerman, or McCarty standing up for Lemieux, or Shanahan standing up for Datsyuk.

It never felt right in 2008. And give what we know about the kind of damage Kronwall was probably doing to guys, his unwillingness to fight makes his hits seem even more cowardly.

And look - I say this as someone who RESPECTS his offense. And his defense. And who loved his open-ice hitting.
And who respected his willingness to talk to the media and answer monotonous questions about losing, every night, when things went south.

But I don't respect that he would deliver hits he knew cause injury, and then hid.

I know 99 percent of Wings fans disagree. But I don't care.

 

[newfy]

I'm friends with a guy who was Stevens' defensive partner for awhile in Washington. They purposely funneled the puck carrier into the Washington zone, and often hid Stevens and had him pop out from behind a guy to surprise him. He didn't give a **** about headshots. Nobody did.
Puck carriers skate with their heads out front of their bodies.
Open ice hits means head shots.

As for the Voracek hit, it's illegal all day and all night in today's game.

You dont know the rules if you think the Voracek hit is illegal in todays game. If a player puts himself in position where the head is hit first for the defender to make a full body hit its legal. Kronwall skated straight at Voracek and because of Voraceks body position the head was leading but Kronwall went through the whole body. There is possible way to hit that player without head contact. If you think Kronwall just shouldnt make the hit in that situation, thats fine but it isnt the NHLs point of view on hitting.

Its people who dont understand the rules like this that make the main board so hard to read after a big hit with head contact. If a full body hit is made that starts with head contact because of the position the person with the puck put themselves in, its a clean hit. Head contact isnt illegal, ONLY head contact or the head being targeted is whats illegal People need to learn this

 

[MBH]

You dont know the rules if you think the Voracek hit is illegal in todays game. If a player puts himself in position where the head is hit first for the defender to make a full body hit its legal. Kronwall skated straight at Voracek and because of Voraceks body position the head was leading but Kronwall went through the whole body. There is possible way to hit that player without head contact. If you think Kronwall just shouldnt make the hit in that situation, thats fine but it isnt the NHLs point of view on hitting.

Its people who dont understand the rules like this that make the main board so hard to read after a big hit with head contact. If a full body hit is made that starts with head contact because of the position the person with the puck put themselves in, its a clean hit. Head contact isnt illegal, ONLY head contact or the head being targeted is whats illegal People need to learn this

Principle point of contact = targeting.

If someone does to Larkin or AA or Mantha or Zadina what Kronwall did to Voracek, I want my team to f*** them up

 

[Claypool]

Principle point of contact = targeting.

Nope.

 

[Oddbob]

People on the main board, really 2 people in particular are completely out to lunch with their take on both Kronwall's hockey ability and his Kronwalling hits, it is nauseating!

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

LOL this Kronner greatest all-time talk needs to dial down a bit. I am okay with teammates coming in for a player that got leveled by someone that put extra into it. If someone caught you good I get it the game should just move on. But when an opponent puts something extra into it I don't know what kinda teammate just moves on with the play. I remember quite a few of those kronner hits and have no problem with the other team taking exception. Kronner wasn't just taking someone out of the play he was trying to take someone out of the game.

Who in the literal hell is saying that Kronwall is the greatest all-time? He would probably be one of the best #3 defensemen of all time, because at his prime he was a #1, but literally nobody is stumping for him to be even in the top 50 of defensemen all time.

It WAS a deterrent in an age when players were expected to man up.
In the 1990s, a player like Kronwall would have been pummeled for his act. Even a guy like Ulf Samuelsson, regarded as a cheap shot artist who wouldn't drop the gloves, stood in and fought guys every once in awhile.
Post instigator, hitters like could slunk away.
It never felt right to me, a guy who watched 70s, 80s and 90s hockey.

It never felt right to me, a guy who celebrated Probert when he stood up for Yzerman, or McCarty standing up for Lemieux, or Shanahan standing up for Datsyuk.

It never felt right in 2008. And give what we know about the kind of damage Kronwall was probably doing to guys, his unwillingness to fight makes his hits seem even more cowardly.

And look - I say this as someone who RESPECTS his offense. And his defense. And who loved his open-ice hitting.
And who respected his willingness to talk to the media and answer monotonous questions about losing, every night, when things went south.

But I don't respect that he would deliver hits he knew cause injury, and then hid.

I know 99 percent of Wings fans disagree. But I don't care.

In the 1990s, a guy like Kronwall would have been challenged more vehemently for his "act". But Kronwall didn't throw his hits knowing that they would cause injury. He threw them knowing that they would hurt. That is a HUGE difference. Like, he was trying to put some pain on guys, but it wasn't Ulf Samuelsson or Jordin Tootoo stuff that was clearly dirty. Kronner was trying to take guys out of the play, not out of the league.

It would be the same with villfying Steve Atwater or John Lynch in football. Two guys who would drop the ****ing boom on guys coming across the middle. Now, those type of hits are illegal and under a microscope and for good reason because we know a lot more about brain injuries. But they weren't trying to injure a guy, they were just trying to make sure that you felt some pain if you were trying to cross in front of them. As opposed to a guy like Vontaze Burfict who is a super cheapshot artist who is trying to injure guys to take them out of the game.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Principle point of contact = targeting.

If someone does to Larkin or AA or Mantha or Zadina what Larkin did to Voracek, I want my team to **** them up

Yep, seems reasonable to not respect Kronwall for those hits, given this mindset.

 

[lhsgolf19]

 

[lhsgolf19]

 

[lhsgolf19]

 

[saska sault]

Man.. The hate for Kronwall is real in the main forum. It's hilarious seeing all these teams full of scum bags try to make Nik sound like he is what's wrong with the league.... Flyer fans who have Gudas and the lowlife Ronaldo... Bruins fans...

The league needs more of Nik. Players who hit hard, and clean and stayed away from the bullshit. The league is so fast now, guys who can hit within the rules and make it highlight worth are few and far between... You didn't see him ending careers, but he made the whole arena buzz. Plus he was a two way player, a leader and a fantastic role model for the fans since he played with respect and stayed out of the media garbage.

Imagine a league full of the speed and skill we have now and hits like Kronwalls? Would be amazing.

 

[Retire91]

I can respect that kind of loyalty, core part of the organization for that long not wanting a deadline deal in the last year of his contract. No matter where you are in the rebuild I can live with that.

 

[MBH]

But Kronwall didn't throw his hits knowing that they would cause injury. He threw them knowing that they would hurt. That is a HUGE difference. Like, he was trying to put some pain on guys, but it wasn't Ulf Samuelsson or Jordin Tootoo stuff that was clearly dirty. Kronner was trying to take guys out of the play, not out of the league.

Yeah, I don't know if I buy that at all.
Like a slew foot or knee on knee is really dangerous but 200 pounds of weight at 20 miles per hour, drilled through shoulder armor, into the face of an unsuspecting guy skating towards you at 15 miles per hour...is only to hurt?

I don't buy that at all. I didn't buy that in 2008.

And I definitely don't buy that in 2019 with all we know about CTE.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Fighting for hits has always been a stupid hockey tradition.

I would prefer dirty hits are punished more severly than rely on players to get "retribution" or "own up" to a hit they made regardless of it being clean.

You get hit clean, you get up if you aren't hurt. You make a hit, you play more hockey.

Agreed.

People act like it's always been that way after a hit but it hasn't. It used to be if you got crushed you or your teammates took a number and then got him back later. And a good hit separates the guy from the puck and gives the hitting team an advantage. When there's an all out melee after a clean hit it stops play and negates that advantage.

I was never a fan of Kronwall's "exploding upward" hits that were fairly common at the time. But when the league cracked down he adjusted his style.

People here think Scott Stevens headhunted every game because it's based on youtube clips. Same with Kronwall. When people call him a serial headhunter they're likely referring to fewer than 10 hits in his career.

 

[raymond23]

Man.. The hate for Kronwall is real in the main forum. It's hilarious seeing all these teams full of scum bags try to make Nik sound like he is what's wrong with the league.... Flyer fans who have Gudas and the lowlife Ronaldo... Bruins fans...

The league needs more of Nik. Players who hit hard, and clean and stayed away from the bull****. The league is so fast now, guys who can hit within the rules and make it highlight worth are few and far between... You didn't see him ending careers, but he made the whole arena buzz. Plus he was a two way player, a leader and a fantastic role model for the fans since he played with respect and stayed out of the media garbage.

Imagine a league full of the speed and skill we have now and hits like Kronwalls? Would be amazing.

Usually not a main board flamer but I’m not about to let them say some of that shit lol.

 

[newfy]

Principle point of contact = targeting.

If someone does to Larkin or AA or Mantha or Zadina what Kronwall did to Voracek, I want my team to **** them up

Wanting someone to f*** them up is different than it being an illegal hit. I would want the same thing, myfeelings dont make a hit illegal though. Principle point of contact was the head on the Voracek hit, only because Voracek had his head so far down that in order to make a full body hit, Kronwall had to hit his head. Principle point of contact with full body contact after has continuously ruled as legal by the league. Do you have any idea what youre talking about?

 

[saska sault]

Usually not a main board flamer but I’m not about to let them say some of that **** lol.

Coming from fans of Hextall, Gudas, Rinolda, Chara, Cooke and more... Take it all with a grain of salt. There may not be a full deck to be played with.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

Coming from fans of Hextall, Gudas, Rinolda, Chara, Cooke and more... Take it all with a grain of salt. There may not be a full deck to be played with.

I mean, crap, if you really wanted to go that route... Sidney Crosby was a more dirty player than Kronwall ever was.

 

[saska sault]

I mean, crap, if you really wanted to go that route... Sidney Crosby was a more dirty player than Kronwall ever was.

Crosby had some moments, but I give him a bit of a free pass. He has been targeted for years, and McDavid will likely take that role... Eventually you snap and lose your cool.

I remember the bullshit Pavel and Z had to put up with from Perry and Getzlaf and others that was allowed to slide right in front of the refs.

 

[Mlotek]

Principle point of contact = targeting.

Look at the many hits to Anisimov early in his career.

It ain't cause players be targeting his head, its cause he was skating with his head down.

 

[Nut Upstrom]

It WAS a deterrent in an age when players were expected to man up.
In the 1990s, a player like Kronwall would have been pummeled for his act. Even a guy like Ulf Samuelsson, regarded as a cheap shot artist who wouldn't drop the gloves, stood in and fought guys every once in awhile.
Post instigator, hitters like could slunk away.
It never felt right to me, a guy who watched 70s, 80s and 90s hockey.

It never felt right to me, a guy who celebrated Probert when he stood up for Yzerman, or McCarty standing up for Lemieux, or Shanahan standing up for Datsyuk.

It never felt right in 2008. And give what we know about the kind of damage Kronwall was probably doing to guys, his unwillingness to fight makes his hits seem even more cowardly.

And look - I say this as someone who RESPECTS his offense. And his defense. And who loved his open-ice hitting.
And who respected his willingness to talk to the media and answer monotonous questions about losing, every night, when things went south.

But I don't respect that he would deliver hits he knew cause injury, and then hid.

I know 99 percent of Wings fans disagree. But I don't care.

You shouldn't have to "man up" after delivering a clean hit - back in the day the players understood that. Today, the candy ass kids who know the fight will be broken up in two seconds love jumping on a rival's back and throwing punches because he laid out a teammate with a clean hit. If Kronwall hid on the bench or took to the locker room after a clean hit, that would be cowardly. If an opponent wanted to settle the score on behalf of a teammate who got crushed with his head down, well Kronny was not hard to find. He was on the ice often, he wore that big 55 on his back and if there was still a problem identifying him, his name was printed clearly right above that. Best pay back for a clean, painful hit is to deliver one right back to the bastard who legally laid out your boy. Kronwall was pretty slick at avoiding the big hits, but certainly not due to cowardice or fear.

 

[Gniwder]

Crosby had some moments, but I give him a bit of a free pass. He has been targeted for years, and McDavid will likely take that role... Eventually you snap and lose your cool.

I remember the bull**** Pavel and Z had to put up with from Perry and Getzlaf and others that was allowed to slide right in front of the refs.

Name another player that has nutpunched someone from behind as the third guy into a fight. Both Crosby and Malkin should have been suspended multiple times, but Gary Buttman loves Sid and Mario.

 

[LeighDx59]

People on the main board, really 2 people in particular are completely out to lunch with their take on both Kronwall's hockey ability and his Kronwalling hits, it is nauseating!

I fell for it and got suckered into the thread. Like I get not liking him because of his hits, but calling him mediocre? Stupid.

 

[Retire91]

You have to take into account that Kronwall's claim to fame was being an offensive defenseman with highlight real hits. Its what the other club fans will remember him by and they remember those hits just like we remember something like Pronger on Holmstrom. It doesn't matter if the hit was dirty or not, fans saw their player hit the ice after Kronwall went a neutral zone out of his way to make the hit. I am not saying the criticism is deserved just that my expectations of humanity are low enough that the main thread is not surprising nor distressing to me.

If someone calls Kronwall a dirty player and they don't own up for worse players on their own teams then history is going to weigh their hockey knowledge in the same regard.