Kronwall bowls over the competition

Whenever a player is described as a "deluxe hitter," I picture a nostrils-flared, salivating behemoth who roams the field of play with reckless abandon and delivers punishment to all that cross his path. I do not picture Red Wing defenseman Niklas Kronwall. Listed at 6 feet and 192 pounds, Kronwall is considered one of the most feared open-ice hitters in the NHL. Detroit fans are so fired up after he levels an opponent, they've coined the term "getting Kronwalled" after he delivers one of his bone-jarring hits. "You've got to be smart when to step up and when you should not," said the studious looking Kronwall. "During the early days of my career, I was a little too jumpy sometimes and stepped up in the wrong areas. "Over the years, I've learned to choose a little bit better when to step up." Late in the first period of Game 3 against San Jose, Kronwall decked Sharks forward Dany Heatley. It ignited the Joe Louis crowd as Heatley stayed on his hands and knees for several seconds looking dazed and confused. Heatley left the ice and immediately headed for the Sharks dressing room. He later returned to the game. Oh, by the way, Heatley stands 6-4 and weighs 220 pounds. Kronwall's devastation of Heatley had one Sharks player publicly fuming. Ryane Clowe, 6-2 and 225 pounds, let the world know that Kronwall was a marked man. Clowe stated that he was itching to line up across from Kronwall, insinuating that he would exact a pound of flesh for his teammate Heatley. Clowe turned out to be all bluster. In the final minutes of the second period in Game 5 at San Jose, Clowe was "Kronwalled." From that point on, Detroit has been the aggressor and the better team. If the Wings are successful tonight in San Jose by dispatching the Sharks in seven games, Kronwall's take down of Clowe will be the turning point of the series. "I don't know about that," was all Kronwall would say when asked about the significance of the Clowe hit. Drafted by the Wings in the first round (29th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Detroit's brass has always had high expectations for Kronwall. Without coming right out and saying it, they hoped he would become the Nick Lidstrom for his generation of Red Wings. "I try and not think too much about it (taking over for Lidstrom)," Krownwall said. "That's up to other people to judge and decide what's going to happen. For me, it's about going out there every night and playing the best that I can, and we'll see what happens." "But we're going to try and keep him (Lidstrom) around for as long as we can (laughs). Being the heir apparent to Lidstrom is certainly a lofty level for Kronwall to reach. After having a series of freakish injuries, especially early in his career, he's remained relatively healthy this season. During the regular season, he appeared in 77 games and had 37 points on 11 goals and 26 assists and was a plus-5. In 385 career games, he's accumulated 181 points -- 34 goals, 147 assists -- and is a plus 53. Kronwall's playoff numbers are impressive for a defenseman. He's played in 73 games, tallying 38 points -- four goals, 34 assists -- and he's a plus 28. This playoff run, he's played in 10 games and has six points -- two goals, four assists -- and is a plus-6. In Detroit's last two playoff games, he has a goal and two assists, but more important, he's become a physical presence on the ice. San Jose has been a different team since Kronwall began to step up and through the Sharks. Tonight in San Jose, history could be made if the Red Wings complete their improbable comeback of winning four straight over the Sharks after being down 0-3. If that does occur, thank Detroit's deluxe hitter because he paved the road to playoff success with fillet of Shark.