“KRON-VALLED”

[Vanflyer]

@JackStraw-

Yeah, the contract is structured pretty good though. It pays most of the cash in the first 5 years, the first 5 years, the full NTC is relieved to a NMC with a 10 team approval list by Cornball. The last two years of the contract salary averages 2.625m. Assuming he is healthy, not unreasonable that he could be moved after the 5 years if need be. The cap is not obtrusive at 4.75m.

[WingNut722]

@Vanflyer

Oh that's right. I forgot about the extension earlier. Oops!

[hf101]

@yave1964

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk3qIjz5EDM&feature=related

[Polaris922]

Sadly I think a lot of his hits are penalties. He leaves his feet to propel himself at just the last possible second. He also leads with his elbow sometimes, and gets enough air to hit heads with his shoulder most of the time. The "best of the rest" actuall contained cleaner hits than the majority of the "top 10". I like hard hitting hockey too, but a lot of what this guy does is just dangerous to other players.

[yave1964]

A unique player, not very big but easily the hardest hitter in hockey. I remember him destroying Havlat, with Marty laying on the ice with his eyes rolling in the back of his head while big Buff and Kronner traded punches over Havlats remains. The closest to

Konstantinov the wings have had. Love this guy, provides a touch of offense as well.

That said, he does have holes in his game. He can be skated around, he is more rugged than skilled. Nonetheless, his half a dozen victims that wind up on sports center every year are some of my favorite plays of the year.

[yave1964]

God I love this guy!! He plays like he is the biggest cat in the jungle, even though he is a little guy, he can be pushed around in front of the net a bit and loses his physical style when in a crowd but he is the best open ice hitter in the game bar none.

Do his feet leave the ice when he hits? Sometimes, ask Brierre and a few others, but most of the time, Kessler, Havlat and Hemsky come immediatly to mind he just stalks you, waiting on you to come up ice with the puck and your head down. He steps back like he is going to go with the play to disarm his unsuspecting victim then moves forward with a shoulder at full speed and destroys his opponent. Almost every one of his hits look alike, it is amazing how people still fall for his ploy. And for the most part, it is legal.

The Voracek hit, with apologies to Flyer fans is my favorite, even more than the Havlat one. Voracek looked up, saw Kronwall gliding backwards, then looked down to admire how pretty the puck looked on his stick. The next thing he saw was the quiet room off the locker room, and someone waving fingers in front of his eyes to see how many he could see. Glad Jake is okay, I like his style, like the way he plays glad he is okay but wow wow wow if you didnt like that play start watching the ice capades.

[Polaris922]

I disagree... I think the Havlat hit was a penalty. I think most of Kronwall's hits are penalties in these video clips. Leaving his feet and head contact with his shoulder are the issues... if he didn't leave his feet, his shoulder pads wouldn't be primary contact points. But then again, if he didn't leave his feet, he'd take more of the impact and that might make him less willing to follow through so recklessly. I can't believe the league hasn't targeted him more to be honest. I know I would.

[SpikeDDS]

It is not a penalty if the feet don't leave the ice prior to the contact. If you have ever even tried to deliver a big hit, just TRY to keep your skate blades on the ice! See how easy it is. It is NOT. It is practically impossible to do so.

I do admit that on a FEW of his older hits, both skate blades MAY" have come off the ice a tiny bit prematurely, but since the rules were rewritten and being enforced and reviewed like they are now (or not enforced in some cases), on ONLY the Kesler hit did Kronner's skates leave the ice before contact was initiated...and by 1--ONE--frame. 1/30th of a second. (I've reviewed the tapes frame-by-frame to check. Most of them don't even require the frame-by-frame, but the Kesler hit did, and his skates DO come off the ice on the last frame before contact.) Now if that's enough to call that hit a charge for you, you have an argument. I think 1 frame's difference is not enough to reasonably call that hit a charge.

That is my opinion. You can call me a homer if you want to, but I would make the same call no matter whose sweater was hitting or being hit.

I actually like the Voracek hit until you see the posturing, but I do like Kronwall's hit technique on that hit. It is textbook. No one wants to see players get hurt like that. Voracek is fortunate he doesn't have more neurological damage. That could potentially have been a career-ender. But that's not Kronwall's fault, and Voracek agreed and said he still wants those hits in the game. I do too.

@Polaris922

I totally disagree about the Havlat hit being a penalty. Puck IN BETWEEN his feet. How is Havlat NOT eligible to be checked from his front side in that scenario?

[Polaris922]

I totally disagree about the Havlat hit being a penalty. Puck IN BETWEEN his feet. How is Havlat NOT eligible to be checked from his front side in that scenario?

Because he leaves his feet and leads with his shoulder into Havlat's chin. Watch the video... I've slow-mo'd it too, and it's a clear charge. If you leave your skates it's a charge. Let alone the contact with the face. I just think it's chicken ****. You can sure as hell hit somebody without leaving your skates, I do it all the time. That statement is ridiculous.

[SpikeDDS]

Because he leaves his feet and leads with his shoulder into Havlat's chin. Watch the video... I've slow-mo'd it too, and it's a clear charge. If you leave your skates it's a charge. Let alone the contact with the face. I just think it's chicken ****. You can sure as hell hit somebody without leaving your skates, I do it all the time. That statement is ridiculous.

It's not a charge if your skates leave the ice AFTER the contact starts. Shanny often mentions this during his commentary on reviews of charges. A while back I reviewed all of Kronner's major hits since the rules changed, and there wasn't one of them other than the hit on Kesler where he left his feet 1/30 second before the contact, and I have said repeatedly if that is enough separation of time for someone to try to make the argument that that is not "simultaneous" to the hit, then I have said that they can make that argument. I don't think 1/30th of a second is reasonably before contact, so I wouldn't call the Kesler hit a charge.

It IS possible that he may have left his feet JUST before the hit on Havlat if that hit was before the rules changed, because I didn't review those, but I thought it was afterward. I will review the hit again. (I was having a similar discussion about Kronner's hits with someone previously, and we were going back and forth about his hits after the rules changed, so those were the only ones I reviewed. I think I reviewed that one too, but I could be mistaken.)

My comment about feet leaving the ice was meant to be concerning feet leaving the ice AFTER contact, not before. I agree that if the feet leave the ice significantly before contact starts, ala Ovechkin, it's definitely a charge. Kronner's "leaving his feet" is NOTHING like Ovie's.

Edited July 25, 2012 by SpikeDDS

[Polaris922]

Agreed its nothing like Ovenchicken's. But Krinwall is very good at propelling his weight upwards just before contact which makes those hits a lot more devastating. Most of them, in fact, the tarhet's head impacts his shoulders or chest and that's where the injuries are coming from I think.

[jammer2]

@Polaris922 Kronwall usually makes an effort to not leave his feet. Does not always succeed...but I respect the fact he tries to keep it clean. He reminds me of a 70's blood and guts d-man...a Euro caught in a time capsule.

[Polaris922]

@Polaris922 Kronwall usually makes an effort to not leave his feet. Does not always succeed...but I respect the fact he tries to keep it clean. He reminds me of a 70's blood and guts d-man...a Euro caught in a time capsule.

I like half of his work. I don't think he plays with any intent to injure. I don't consider him a piece of garbage or anything, I just think he's 50/50 on whether his hits are clean or not. He actually reminds me a LOT of watching Ulf Samuelson... the guy loves to make the most of his opportunities. Ulfie was better with his hips though where Kronwall uses his upper body. I just take issue with propelling yourself into somebody like he does and it causing the head to be a primary impact point. I really think it's dangerous and if it's not curbed, major talent will be removed from the game. Havlat, Voracek... the guys he's laying out aren't dirtbags or big hitters living/dying by the sword. I just don't want to see more talented players finished and unable to play to give a few oooh's and ahhh's on YouTube.

[SpikeDDS]

@Polaris922

I totally understand your position. However, on the flip side of that coin is that players must be aware of their surroundings. I had TOTAL respect for Voracek when he, himself, admitted that he put himself in position for that hit, and that those hits belong in the game. I agree with him. If you are skating and have the puck at your feet or on your stick, and your head is down, that is called playing stupid, careless hockey. BEWARE! And not just of Kronwall!

I do challenge one thing you've said, though. The rule for head shots is two-fold, not one-: 1. The head is targeted, and 2. The head is the PPOC. When they say the head is targeted, the way that they are translating that (and I agree with the league on this) seems to be consistent with this: If the head here not on the body, and the same check was made, would the body still have received a significant blow/check? If yes, the head was not targeted, the body was, but the head was in the way of an otherwise proper check. I would agree that on Voracek's hit that the head is the PPOC. However, I strongly disagree that the head is targeted. The reason it is the PPOC is BECAUSE it is down, and if the head wasn't in the way, Voracek still would have been annihilated by the hit. In other words, the ONLY reason that that hit was questionable was because the head was down.

If someone is skating with the puck near the boards, and their head is down, if you can't hit them from directly in front of them because their head is in the way, and if you can't hit them from the blindside into the boards, you might have, say a 30-45 degree window with which to hit him. Crap, if that's the case why WOULDN'T you skate with your head down along the boards all the time?

No, the Voracek hit belongs in the game. Otherwise, we might as well put flags on their belts instead and/or the game stops being hockey.

P.S. I rechecked the Havlat hit. Kronwall's right skate leaves the ice 2 frames before contact, but not his left skate. The left skate remains down until after contact with Havlat commences. Reviewed using high-def, frame-by-frame slo-mo. Say what you want, but he is on the ice until after contact commences. Obviously they come off the ice simultaneous with the hit. That is not a charge. Reviewed it with a buddy of mine who is a 'Hawks fan. He agrees, although begrudgingly so. And just so you don't think I am a total homer (which I am not) I do admit that in earlier years, he got away with a charge or two that were close but his feet did leave the ice. But the only hit where a charge can be argued since the rule change was the Kesler hit, and I still say that leaving the ice 1/30 sec before contact is close enough to be considered "simultaneous with the hit" making the check legal. If you want to disagree with that position, I respect your right to do so, but I think you are letting the letter of the law overtake the spirit of the law if you do.