| New Phenomenon: Physical Foreign-Born Players Remember Borje Salming. He was a very talented player who was good enough to be selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, but one thing he wasn't was physical. Neither were most European players of that era. Well, the worm has sure turned. I guess we owe that in large part to Ulf Samuelsson, who was a baaaad man on skates. As many of you who follow hockey know, I am a Red Wings fan. I am pleased to report that Wings Niklas Kronwall, Johan Franzen, and Tomas Holmstrom belong to the Mug-a-Thug Club now. In other words, they don't seek out hard physical contact (with the exception of Kronwall), but they're ready to give as good as they get when an opponent tries to intimidate them. It's about time. |