Detroit's Kronwall not that intimidating, but his hitting is

DETROIT -- On a scale of one to 10, Niklas Kronwall says it probably ranks somewhere in the middle of his all-time hit parade.

You know, just your garden variety teeth rattler. Really nothing to get too excited about as far as the Detroit Red Wings defenseman, otherwise known as the Swedish steamroller, is concerned.

Aside from hitting, Niklas Kronwall leads defensemen in the playoffs with 10 points. (Getty Images)

"Maybe it looked worse than the way I felt it -- it was hard to judge right off the bat," Kronwall said as he shrugged off the crunch he delivered on Antti Miettinen halfway through Detroit's demolition of the Dallas Stars in Game 1. "It was okay, but not one of the best one I think."

Of course Miettinen might disagree, but before he does, he'll have to wait for the stars still flashing before his eyes to reappear on his jersey. In the meantime, his Dallas teammates should realize they have been issued a warning from Kronwall about keeping their heads up all the time.

Otherwise they might have them taken off.

Funny thing is Kronwall does not appear to be a particularly intimidating force on the ice. Sometimes he looks even smaller than the 6-feet-1 and 190 pounds he is listed at. And he rarely seeks out trouble along the boards or in the corners.

In fact, the book on him might focus on his agility, or thought process on the ice, maybe even his heavy shot from the point. But what has become clear to all who watch him on a regular basis is Kronwall is a master of the devastating open-ice hit, and that value to his team should not be understated.

"He's kind of like a predator," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I mean he's an intelligent, intelligent player who knows what's going on and sees when a guy is vulnerable. It makes you nervous when you're out there."

That's actually a rare talent for a defenseman who comes from Europe, where the bigger ice surface makes getting physical a risky proposition for a position best handled by playing a zone type of game. Over there, when you take your guy out you usually take yourself out of the play at the same time.

But Kronwall, who was drafted 29th overall by Detroit back in 2000, has always favored a more aggressive approach, especially when it comes to delivering big highlight-reel hits. He says he developed an appreciation when he was growing up watching videos of heavy open-ice hitters like former New Jersey Devils captain Scott Stevens.

When he connects, it tends to look like he has snuck up on his victim rather than hunting them down. In fact, it is a little bit of both. Mostly though, he says it is about sensing the opportunity to make an impact.

"I've always enjoyed that part of the game, but sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not," Kronwall said. "It's just a matter of timing."

And maybe a little message sending, as well.

The Stars came into this series figuring they could use their size to push around a Red Wings team that is highly skilled but considered by many to be a bit soft. However, their mindset had to have changed at least a little after Kronwell lowered the boom on an unsuspecting Miettinen at the Detroit blue line.

It was the kind of wow-inducing hit that can often change the tenor of a game, although in this case, the effect was somewhat muted because Detroit had already built up a 3-0 lead and was in clear control.

Still, it did not go unnoticed by Kronwall's teammates.

"It's huge," said forward Kris Draper. "It really does build some momentum for you. That's one of the things we missed last year."

Last year the Red Wings were stopped in the conference finals by the Anaheim Ducks, who wore down Detroit over the course of six games. The Red Wings actually outplayed Anaheim, for the most part, in that series, but not having the injured Kronwall around to help keep the Ducks honest definitely hurt.

In fact Babcock said earlier this week that when Kronwall went down before the postseason began it made him think, "there goes our playoff opportunity."

Now Kronwall is making up for lost time. His 10 points lead all defensemen in playoff scoring and his 29 hits are the best on the team. More important, his not-so-subtle intimidation factor is a big reason the Red Wings, who have won their past seven playoff games by a combined 30-11 score, aren't allowing themselves to be out-muscled.

"People forget how much we missed him last year and how good a player he is," said goalie Chris Osgood. "He just drives into people. It's great to see."