The maturation of Pronger
Hall of Famer admits he was a big kid, until he had his own
Ask Chris Pronger which of the many hits he laid out during his 18 years in the NHL would be deemed illegal now, and the answer is startlingly refreshing.
“You could say virtually every one of them,” said Pronger. “It’s the landscape of the game. It’s changed. “It’s a much safer game now.” The irony is not lost on Pronger that he was once one of the most feared hitters in the NHL — and one of the more frequently suspended — and now works for the league in the department of player safety.
Yes, Pronger helps decide if a hit was dangerous and ought to be subject to supplemental discipline. It seems the league has decided it takes one to know one; Pronger was suspended eight times by the NHL — twice in the same playoff season — for a total of 21 games.
“I will be honest with you, I always played that way,” Pronger said of his rough style.
“Even growing up, I was always the kid hitting, sticking, slashing, spearing. I don’t know if you know, I have a bit of a temper.”
Pronger will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night along with Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Phil Housley, Angela Ruggiero and builders Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr.
Of the group, Pronger is the most unusual selection for a variety of reasons. For one thing, Pronger is still officially an active player. Though injuries ended his career three years ago, his contract still has value.
His actual salary of $575,000 is a bargain for the low-budget Arizona Coyotes, who traded for him in the summer because Pronger’s average salary is nearly $5 million and helping them get to the salary cap floor. His seven-year deal, which started at $7.6 million a year in 2010-11, ends next season.
The Hall’s selection committee doesn’t care that Pronger’s contract is still active. The members cite the rule that a player needs to be inactive for three years from any pro league to be inducted.
What’s also unusual is that Pronger, with 698 points in 1,167 games, was not a particularly offensive defenceman. The Hall typically skews towards players with big offensive numbers, like Housley, whose 1,232 points are fourth all-time among defencemen, or Lidstrom, with 1,142 points (sixth).
In fact, Lidstrom and Pronger in some ways approached defending from opposite directions.
“(Lidstrom’s) cerebral nature and the way he went about playing the game, while he wasn’t physical, he was always in the way. As a defenceman, that’s all you really need to do. He played the game in a polar opposite way than I did. I think we both
“I took pieces of Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux . . . and Wayne Gretzky.” CHRIS PRONGER ON BECOMING A LEADER
made good first outlet passes, and that may be the end of the comparison.”
If Lidstrom, a seven-time Norris winner, used his brain to augment his skill, Pronger used his brawn.
Not surprisingly, Pronger had big penalty minutes (1,590, 10th among defencemen and fifth among Hall of Fame defencemen.)
“Playing minor hockey and junior and in the early part of my career, my temper sometimes got the best of me,” said the Dryden, Ont., native. “It was once I had kids . . . you have to learn patience. Maturity comes with age. You turn 30, maybe it’s time to grow up a bit. I had my own kids, I couldn’t be a kid myself.”
But he was a standout on the blue line, not just for hitting but for moving the puck and clearing the zone, evolving from a brash, second overall pick of the Hartford Whalers to a champion at the Olympic, world and Stanley Cup level. He became a leader.
“As a younger player, I think I was too much of a screamer,” said Pronger. “I wasn’t a good listener. As I got older, much like every other part of my game, it kind of evolved. I watched the way other guys led: the quiet leader who led by example on the ice, the blood-and-guts guy who leaves it all out on the ice, the guy that goes all-in and holds guys accountable.
“I took pieces of Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux from the Olympics and Wayne Gretzky in St. Louis, and . . . you try to incorporate it into yourself. It’s self-reflection and you try to evolve and get better, whether its leadership or how you play. You have to try to continue to get better.”