Chris Pronger

Chris Pronger
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2015
Chris Pronger.jpg
Pronger with Canada in 2010
Born (1974-10-10) October 10, 1974 (age 50)
Dryden, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Hartford Whalers
St. Louis Blues
Edmonton Oilers
Anaheim Ducks
Philadelphia Flyers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 2nd overall, 1993
Hartford Whalers
Playing career 1993–2011
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Salt Lake City
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Finland
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1993 Sweden

Christopher Robert Pronger (/ˈprɒŋɡər/ or /ˈprɒŋər/; born October 10, 1974) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and 2015 inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 1999–2000 season. He later was an advisor to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Originally selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pronger played for Hartford, the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2009–10 season. He was captain of the Blues, Ducks and Flyers. He appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals with three different teams (Edmonton, Anaheim and Philadelphia), winning the Cup with the Ducks in 2007. Pronger won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 1999–2000 season, becoming the first defenceman to win the award since Bobby Orr in 1971–72. A mainstay on Team Canada, Pronger won Olympic gold medals at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and is a member of the Triple Gold Club. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.[1]

Pronger's playing career ended in November 2011 due to post-concussion syndrome related to three separate hits suffered during his career; he also suffers from vision impairment due to being hit in the eye(s) by the blade of another player's stick.[2] In October 2014, Pronger signed a contract with the NHL to assist its Player Safety Division.[3]

Pronger was suspended eight times during his NHL career.[4]

The St. Louis Blues retired Pronger's No. 44 on January 17, 2022.[5]

  1. ^ "100 Greatest NHL Players". NHL.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  2. ^ Campbell, Ken (October 14, 2013). "The Magazine: Chris Pronger, still at large". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  3. ^ "Chris Pronger to work in NHL's player safety office". Chicago Tribune. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  4. ^ "Pronger: Eight games for Kesler stomp". Archived from the original on 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  5. ^ "Chris Pronger Jersey Retirement Night". NHL. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved January 17, 2022.