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Englund Will Pack a Punch For Red Wings
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- Englund Will Pack a Punch For Red Wings
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There's been plenty of consternation among the Detroit Red Wings faithful over the club's decision to claim Swedish defenseman Andreas Englund on waivers.
Is he a placeholder until RFA Simon Edvinsson signs a contract, or Jacob Bernard-Docker regains his health and comes off IR? Will his presence result in one of Detroit 's young defensemen being banished to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins ?
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A puzzling haze seems to have befallen the team's fanbase, seeking an explanation for the move.
Well, we'll take a shot. In fact, so will Englund. And he'll happily deliver them as well.
Englund is a legitimate NHL heavyweight, and when was the last time you could say there was one of them on the Red Wings roster?
He's fought 24 times as an NHLer. Englund takes on all comers. His fight card last season included Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers , who are visiting Detroit to open the NHL season on Friday at Little Caesars Arena. Englund also fought Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Keegan Kolesar , now his Red Wings teammate.
Englund and Kolesar have engaged in a pair of spirited tilts as NHLers. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Swede has tangled with every NHL member of the Foligno family except for former Red Wings forward Mike.
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Arguably, Englund is the most famous heavyweight fighter to come out of Stockholm, Sweden, since Dolph Lundgren sought to knock Sylvester Stallone's block off in Rocky 4.
During the filming of the movie "Rocky 4" Stallone offered Dolph Lundgren, who played the role of Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, to fight for real, so that the fight scene looked as believable as possible. Stallone was taken to the hospital, where he recovered for 8 days, 1985 pic.twitter.com/KYhSQjlRWl
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) July 18, 2024
Englund's Favorite Swedish Red Wings Player Is No Surprise
"I'm a defensive type of guy," Englund said. "I like to box out and keep the net clear. And then, like, bring a presence on the ice and, you know, bring a physical style."
Naturally, being a Swede, Englund paid attention to the Red Wings as a youngster.
"Yeah, for sure," Englund said. "I mean, [Nicklas] Lidstrom is one of the greatest defensemen of all time. He's a legend in Sweden, and so is [Niklas] Kronwall.
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"His game is a little bit more like mine. I like watching him and watching him step up on people, so definitely Kronwall was a big guy growing up."
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