Kronwall (6 feet, 194 pounds) doesn't come across as an imposing figure on the ice but delivers plenty of open-ice body checks.

"Kronwalled" is a part of the vernacular at Joe Louis Arena every NHL season.

A member of the Triple Gold Club, having won a World Championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup, Kronwall has become a fixture along the blue line for the Detroit Red Wings. The punishing Swede is an excellent skater who reads the game exceptionally well, is good at gaining body position and consistently scores points, but is known for the physical side of his game.

Selected by the Red Wings in the first round (No. 29) of the 2000 NHL Draft, Kronwall is a product of Djurgårdens IF in Sweden. When he arrived in Detroit in the fall of 2003, he was already well versed in success, having won two Swedish Elite League titles and a silver medal at that year's World Championship.

The Red Wings defense was deep and talented at the time, so Kronwall split his first season between Detroit and Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League. He scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 14, 2004, in a 4-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks

Kronwall spent 2004-2005 with Grand Rapids during the NHL lockout and scored 53 points in 76 games. He also received the Eddie Shore Award as the top defenseman in the AHL.

A knee injury limited Kronwall to 27 games in 2005-06, but by the following season he had solidified his place with the Red Wings. In 2007-08 he scored 35 points in 65 games as the Red Wings won the Presidents' Trophy, followed by the Stanley Cup. Playing in 22 postseason games, Kronwall had 15 points, all assists.