Niklas Kronwall, who spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, was acknowledged Thursday for his international accomplishments with Sweden, being selected to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Kronwall was a skilled, puck-moving defenseman noted for his crushing open-ice checks. Kronwall won Olympic gold with Sweden in 2006, silver at the 2014 Olympics, and gold at the 2006 World Championship.
He appeared in 953 career regular season games, collecting 83 goals and 432 points. He added 47 points in 109 playoff games and was part of the Red Wings’ 2008 Stanley Cup Championship team.
Kronwall, 44, is a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club, having won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal and World Championship gold.
Kronwall also played in 102 games over parts of three seasons with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.
He’ll be joined by former teammate Tomas Vanek, who appeared in 112 games with the Red Wings in two stints (2016-17 and 2018-19), tallying 31 goals and 74 points.
Vanek played for seven teams during a 14-year NHL career during which he appeared in 1,029 games and finished with 373 goals and 789 points.
Representing Austria, Vanek won silver medal at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and played for Austria at the 2014 Olympics.
The two will be joined by four other former players – Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, goalie Florence Schelling and recently retired forward Andres Ambuhl (Switzerland), and Canadian women’s captain Cassie Campbell-Pascall. Former NHL and European coach Ralph Krueger will be inducted in the Builder’s category.
The induction ceremony takes place May 31, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland, on the final day of the 2026 IIHF World Championship.