Two ex-Red Wings inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame

The IIHF has posted its 2026 Hall of Fame inductee class this week.

The two Detroit Red Wings joining the Hall of Fame are defenseman Niklas Kronwall and forward Thomas Vanek.

This is to honor the excellence of the two Red Wings players on the international hockey stage. Niklas Kronwall was originally a 29th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2000 NHL Draft.

Niklas Kronwall may not have a spot in the NHL Hall of Fame; however, his IIHF career has put him in the Triple Gold Club. He won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08 and won an Olympic gold medal in 2006, while also winning a gold medal in the World Junior Championships.

The Swedish-born defenseman had the honor of winning the MVP and best defenseman that year, scoring 10 points for the team in eight games.

Kronwall is only the 20th member of this illustrious club in the game of hockey and had the privilege of playing on the same team as some of his Red Wings teammates in the past: Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Mikael Samuelsson, and Tomas Holmstrom.

The Red Wings legend is the latest to receive a Hall of Fame induction.

Before Austrian-born forward Marco Kasper, there was Thomas Vanek, who was a 5th overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2003.

Vanek played two stints in Detroit (2016-17 and 2018-19), playing 112 games in a Red Wings uniform, scoring 74 points (31-43).

He played a vital role in Team Europe's dominance in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, pushing them to the finals against Team Canada. Before that, he captained Austria at the 2014 Olympics and played for his home country three times in the IIHF World Championships.

Vanek's goal-scoring touch was prominent in the NHL, scoring 25 goals eight times and scoring 30 goals twice during his career, and once scored 40 in 2008-09 with the Buffalo Sabres.