Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall sought out stem cell therapy in an effort to ameliorate the damage to his left knee.

Kronwall revealed the treatment Saturday as he spoke about having played in his 800th career NHL game the previous night. The past two seasons have seen the veteran play on a permanently damaged knee. There is nothing surgically that can be done to alleviate the pain.

“Once you get bone-on-bone, at least all the research that is out there, it seems there is not too many things that you can do without having to jeopardize your career,” Kronwall said. “So you find a way through it.”

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That led Kronwall to explore stem cell therapy, a still-emerging treatment athletes turn to to deal with musculoskeletal disorders. Kronwall has had numerous injuries through his career, including a broken leg. In 2005, he suffered both ACL and MCL damage to his left knee during an exhibition game.

The years of heavy usage caught up to Kronwall in 2016, prompting him to seek out alternative treatment.

“I’ve tried the stem cell route,” Kronwall said. “When you get to this point, you’re basically trying everything. That’s definitely something that’s out there and I think it’s becoming more and more, I don’t know if popular is the word. But a few years ago it was acupuncture — there’s a lot of different things that’s coming out that’s proven to work.”

Kronwall declined to go into specifics with what stem cell treatment he had gone on, though he did say it was not in the U.S. Treatment can come via direct injection or intravenously.

“It’s a long process,” he said. “It is for another time to discuss.

“I am just trying to find a way to stay in the game.”

Kronwall said his goal is to play out his contract, which runs through next season. He said figuring out off-ice workouts have been more effective than any medical treatment he has undergone.

The coaching staff has kept Kronwall to around 19 minutes of ice time per game since he returned in the fourth game of the season.

“He missed part of camp so it is just getting him back going at that high, high level that he finished with last year,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think he is getting closer every day.”

Vanek in town: Ideally the Wings would have liked to re-sign Thomas Vanek, but the money wasn’t there and he ended up with Vancouver. He already has three goals for the Canucks, who visit the Wings on Sunday.

“Vanie to me is one of the most offensively gifted guys I’ve ever played with,” Kronwall said. “The way his brain works, especially in the offensive zone, is like very few other players. How he was able to find scoring chances out of nothing. He’s got a weird shot, but it’s so effective.”

Vanek had a .79 points-per-game average when the Wings traded him at the deadline. He had especially good chemistry with Frans Nielsen and Andreas Athanasiou. Vanek also impressed with his self-accountability and creativity.

“You can talk about speed and speed is great, but there’s lot of ways to be successful,” Blashill said. “If I had one asset that I could put on any player, for me it would be brain. Hockey smarts just makes you way better, and his offensive hockey IQ is off the charts.

“He’d come in my office and I’d say, ‘I want you to do it this way,’ and he might say,’ well, I see it this way.’ We’d talk and in the end, he wanted to be the best player he could be. I’ve got lots of great things to say about Thomas. I hope he has a real good year except for the two times we play him.”