CHRIS PRONGER

HOCKEY

Position: Defenseman
Born: October 10, 1974; Dryden, Ontario, Canada
Played For: Hartford Whalers (1993-1995), St. Louis Blues (1995-2005), Edmonton Oilers (2005-2006), Anaheim Ducks (2006-2009), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-2012)

By Ron Jacober

When Mike Keenan took over as the coach and general manager of the St. Louis Blues, one of his first moves was to make a trade on July 27, 1995, that impacted the team for years.

Keenan traded Brendan Shanahan, arguably the team’s most popular player, to the Hartford Whalers for a young defenseman named Chris Pronger. When a sportscaster interviewed Keenan about the trade and how upset Blues fans were, Keenan pointed a finger at the questioner and said, “someday, Chris Pronger will be the best defenseman in the National Hockey League.” Keenan wasn’t right about much in the two years he spent in St. Louis, but he was right about the Canadian youngster.

Chris struggled early in St. Louis. Blues fans booed him, blaming him for the trade. But he grew into his 6-foot 6-inch body, grew into his role and it wasn’t long before he turned those boos into cheers. Eventually, he wore the “C” on his sweater. With the Blues, he quarterbacked the power play. He controlled the ice. He dominated games. He punished other players with his hellacious body checks. He spent some “quality time” in the penalty box. In 1,230 career regular season and playoff games, he racked up 1,915 penalty minutes, resulting in more than a few fines.

And, he could score. His booming shot made him an effective offensive player. He turned on the light 183 times in regular season and playoff games and had 636 assists.

Pronger won the Hart trophy as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player — a trophy usually won by a high-scoring forward. He also won the Norris trophy as the league’s best defenseman. He played on four Canadian Olympic teams, winning the Gold Medal twice. Only an exceptional athlete can play 17 seasons in the NHL. Pronger was that—exceptional.

He spent 9 of those seasons wearing the Blue Note and it could have been much longer. However, when Bill Laurie owned the team and was trying to sell the franchise, he decided it would help if the team traded Pronger. Bad for the Blues and likely good for Chris.

The Blues sent him to Edmonton. He had a lot left. After a stint with the Oilers he finished his career with Anaheim (winning a Stanley Cup) and finally with Philadelphia. That’s where his career tragically ended when Makhail Grabouski’s stick hit him in the eye. He missed several games and tried to come back. After five games, however, the Flyers announced Pronger would be out indefinitely with concussion symptoms. He never played again.

On November 9, 2015, Chris was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame. On January 17, 2022, the Blues retired Chris Pronger’s No. 44.