Former Red Wing named inductee to 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame by IIHF

Defenseman Niklas Kronwall will be getting Hall of Fame honors, finally.

According to a report, the Swedish-born defenseman will be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026.

Kronwall, a former player of Tre Kronor, will be joining the Hall as a member of the Triple Gold Club.

The Triple Gold Club in the IIHF is a special status in the league, as someone who's won multiple gold medals and a Stanley Cup championship.

Kronwall earned a gold medal at the Olympics in 2006 and at the World Championships in 2006 and won a Stanley Cup in 2008.

From the IIHF, a definition:

Kronwall was never known as one of the most productive blueliners in the NHL or internationally in terms of offense, but he provided a solid defensive game. When you got hit by the Swedish defenseman, you knew it.

Hence "being Kronwalled."

The Swedish-born player spent his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Red Wings and retired from the sport of hockey in 2019.

Kronwall won the MVP in 2006 at the World Championships and was named best defender, leading the Swedish team, scoring 10 points in 8 games. His international career began in 1999 when he played for Sweden in the U18 competition, and he would play in the World Junior Championships in 2000 and 2001.

At the World Championships in 2003 and at the Olympics in 2014, he'd win a silver medal in each competition.

The hard-nosed defenseman played 953 games of NHL hockey with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 432 points (83-349).

His big impact on the Red Wings still to this day doesn't go unrecognized since he's been instrumental in mentoring the youth here.

He last returned to Detroit for a special occasion in Michigan for the Red and White game. Now the next time he finds himself back in Little Caesars' it'll be as a Hall of Famer.