Early in the second period of Sunday’s 4-3 loss to Detroit, Flyers forward Daniel Briere got labeled by Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall:
That Kronwall laid wood in such demonstrative fashion is no surprise. The Detroit defenseman is one of the league’s most feared open-ice hitters, known for throwing punishing checks at the opponent’s blueline.
That said, there was something unique at play -- Kronwall led with his back.
Again.
We first saw this during a December game against Vancouver, when No. 55 tagged Ryan Kesler:
For a visual comparison, check out the near-identical points of impact:
Kronwall on Kesler:
Kronwall on Briere:
So, uh, what are we calling this type of hit? The flying posterior? A 180 bodycheck? I feel like there’s a really cool nickname out there I’m not thinking of, and I feel like it involves the word “scorpion.”