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).

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

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]

Playing career

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Early years

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Pronger was born in Dryden, Ontario, to Jim and Eila Pronger, an immigrant from Pori, Finland. Pronger is Finnish Canadian.[6] Before entering the junior ranks in Ontario, he grew up playing minor hockey in his hometown. As a 15-year-old, he was identified through the Ontario U-17 program and signed with the Stratford Cullitons Jr. B (OHA) club for the 1990–91 season. One of his defence partners in Stratford was future NHLer Greg de Vries.

In May 1991, Pronger indicated he was going to join his older brother Sean at Bowling Green State University to play in the NCAA instead of opting to play in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Regardless of his pre-draft indications, the Peterborough Petes selected Pronger in the sixth round in the OHL Priority Selection. Contrary to his initial intentions, Pronger reported to Peterborough.

After two stand-out seasons with Peterborough, and because of being highly regarded for his rare combination of imposing size, speed, offensive skill (particularly on the power play) and physicality, Pronger was selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, behind Alexandre Daigle, who made the infamous statement, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two."[7]

Hartford Whalers

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Pronger made his debut in the 1993–94 NHL season, playing 81 games for the Whalers and earning a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team. However, he was one of multiple Whalers that season with off-ice issues, being one of six players arrested for a barroom brawl in Buffalo in late March (the brawl also involved a Whalers assistant coach), and then being arrested for drunk driving in Ohio three days after his rookie season ended, leading some to consider Pronger impatient and immature.[8] On his rookie season, then-teammate Kelly Chase said, "You could see [Pronger] had talent, but it was a ho-hum thing. He really didn't have any direction. He was under a lot of pressure and just wasn't ready for the responsibility. Of course that team wasn't exactly overloaded with players who knew how to win" (the Whalers finished second-last in the Eastern Conference that season).[9] After a second season in Hartford, on July 27, 1995, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for star forward Brendan Shanahan.

St. Louis Blues

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In the early years of his St. Louis career, Pronger played under coach and general manager Mike Keenan, who insisted he improve his conditioning and reduce his mistakes. Late in his first season in St. Louis, the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky took pressure off Pronger which, combined with Keenan's practices, allowed Pronger to concentrate on improving his defensive play.[9]

In his third season with St. Louis and first as team captain, Pronger was again named to the All-Star team. That year during the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs, he had a cardiac arrest caused by commotio cordis when he was hit in the chest with a puck in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.[10][11] Prior to this, he played for the Canadian Olympic team in Nagano. In 1999–2000, Pronger recorded a career-high 62 points and a +52 rating. His efforts won him the Norris and Hart trophies at the end of the season. Pronger beat Art Ross winner Jaromír Jágr by just one point in Hart Trophy voting, which was, at the time, the smallest margin of victory in the history of the award. (Two years later, Jarome Iginla and José Théodore tied in overall voting; Théodore won with more first-place votes.)[12] Pronger was also named to the first All-Star team.

Pronger scored 47 points the next season, but appeared in only 51 games due to injury problems. In February 2002, he won a gold medal with the Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. That same year in the NHL, he had another fine season and played in the All-Star Game once again. But injuries became a problem again in 2002–03, limiting him to just five games played, during which time Al MacInnis replaced him as captain. Pronger bounced back with another quality season in 2003–04. Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout and the imposition of an NHL salary cap, the Blues traded Pronger to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defencemen Eric Brewer, Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch. While the Blues needed to reduce team salaries to make it easier to sell the team, the Oilers were able to sign Pronger to a five-year, $31.25 million contract.

Edmonton Oilers

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Pronger was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, marking his third consecutive Olympic Games. The Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Finals that same year. On June 5, 2006, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, Pronger became the first player in NHL history to score a penalty shot goal in a Stanley Cup Finals game. The Oilers lost in Game 7, with Pronger scoring a team-high 21 points (5 goals and 16 assists) in 24 playoff games, as well as a team-leading plus/minus rating of +10 during the playoffs.

On June 23, 2006, Pronger requested a trade through his agent, Pat Morris, from the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe said the request was for personal reasons,[13] while media outlets[14][15] reported that Pronger's wife, Lauren, was not happy in Edmonton. The controversy surrounding Pronger's trade request has led many to describe him as "Public Enemy No. 1" in Edmonton.[citation needed][16][17][18] On July 3, Pronger was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Ladislav Šmíd, Anaheim's 2007 first-round draft pick (traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, which selected Nick Ross), a conditional first-round draft pick (contingent on the Ducks reaching the Stanley Cup Finals within the next three seasons, which they did; the pick was used to select Jordan Eberle),[19] and Anaheim's 2008 second-round draft pick (later traded to the New York Islanders).

Anaheim Ducks

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Chris Pronger with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007

In 2007, Pronger played an important role for the Ducks run as they won the Stanley Cup. It was also Pronger's second-straight finals appearance. During the Conference Finals, Pronger was suspended for one game for a check on Detroit Red Wings winger Tomas Holmström.[20] He later criticized the Canadian media's coverage of the incident.[21] In the final round, Pronger was suspended for one game for elbowing Ottawa Senators winger Dean McAmmond in the head during Game 3.[22] With the Stanley Cup victory, he became a member of the Triple Gold Club.

On September 28, 2007, Pronger was named captain of the Ducks, replacing Scott Niedermayer, who sat out the beginning of the 2007–08 season.[18][23] Although Niedermayer returned to the lineup later in the season, Pronger remained captain until the start of next season, when Niedermayer was renamed captain. Pronger retained a role as alternate captain.

On March 12, 2008, Pronger was involved in an incident with Vancouver's Ryan Kesler. Pronger, after being tangled up with Kesler behind the Anaheim blue line, stomped unnecessarily on Kesler's leg. Kesler was not injured and upon initial review the NHL did not suspend Pronger. However, upon new video evidence which provided a better angle, the NHL again reviewed the incident and issued Pronger an eight-game suspension. The suspension was criticized by some as insufficient, as Chris Simon had received a 30-game suspension for a stomp earlier that season, with some suggesting the NHL gave preferential treatment towards Pronger as an NHL MVP and an "ambassador for the game".[24] He returned to the ice April 6 against the Phoenix Coyotes in Anaheim's last regular-season game of the year.[25]

The 2008–09 season was quite successful for Pronger, who played his 1,000th career game on February 20, 2009. The Ducks would rally late in the season to jump into eighth place of the Western Conference. They dispatched the Presidents' Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in six games before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Pronger had 2 goals and 8 assists in 13 playoff games.

Philadelphia Flyers

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On June 27, 2009, Pronger along with forward Ryan Dingle was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Joffrey Lupul (earlier traded to Edmonton for Pronger in 2006), defenceman Luca Sbisa, two first-round draft picks and a conditional third-round draft pick. Ten days later, Pronger signed a seven-year contract extension.[26] Nearly a month after signing, the NHL announced they had launched an investigation on Pronger's contract to determine whether it circumvented the NHL collective bargaining agreement's salary cap. Because the contract was front-loaded, with annual salaries of just $525,000 in the final two years and was set to expire when Pronger turned 42, the investigation was launched with the focus on the potential for negotiations between Pronger and the Flyers to retire before the contract expired.[27] However, as Pronger's contract took effect after his 35th birthday, under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, his over-35 contract cannot be deleted from the Flyers' cap space unless he is placed on long-term injured reserve, and even then it would come back on the team's cap space during the off-season.

 
Pronger with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010

On December 30, 2009, Pronger was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He served as one of the team's alternate captains, along with Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla.[28] The team won the gold medal that year. After playing in his 25th Olympic game for Canada on February 28, 2010, Pronger became Canada's all-time leader in Olympic games played.

In the NHL regular season, the Flyers qualified for the 2010 playoffs on the last day of the season with a shootout win against the New York Rangers. A playoff run marked by an upset of the New Jersey Devils, a historic comeback against the Boston Bruins from down three games to none in the series and a five-game win over the Montreal Canadiens culminated in the Flyers playing the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. Although the Flyers lost the series four games to two, Pronger had a strong playoff performance and led a team that traded for him to the Finals for the third time in a row. Conversely, no team that traded Pronger away qualified for the playoffs the following year.

Following the playoffs, Pronger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.[29] He missed the first two games of the 2010–11 season. Various other injuries would limit Pronger to just 50 games, marking the first time that he missed significant time since the 2002–03 season (when he missed 77 games). On September 16, 2011, Pronger was named the 18th captain in Flyers history, replacing Mike Richards (who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings just prior to the 2011 NHL Entry Draft). On Oct. 24, 2011, Maple Leafs center Mikhail Grabovski caught Pronger's right eye with his stick while following through on a shot. He would miss the next six games with a serious eye injury and concussion. Multiple hits resulting in post-concussion syndrome (the last being a collision with Martin Hanzal) limited Pronger to 13 games for the season in mid-December, placing Pronger's playing career in jeopardy. He also continued to have problems in his right eye.[30]

With a resumption of his playing career looking unlikely, Pronger stepped down as team captain and was succeeded by Claude Giroux on January 15, 2013.[31] However, Pronger did not officially retire from the NHL because his contract ran through to the 2016–17 season. Under the terms of the NHL collective bargaining agreement, because he was at least 35 years old before the contract began, the Flyers were on the hook for the $4.9 million cost against the salary cap each season, though they were able to receive relief by placing Pronger on long-term injured reserve at the start of each season. Had Pronger formally retired, the Flyers would lose that ability and his contract amount would have counted in full against the cap and he would not receive the remainder of the amounts owed to him under the contract ($12.15 million at the start of the 2013–14 season). [32] While no longer playing, Pronger remained with the Flyers organization helping to scout and interview prospects.[30]

On June 27, 2015, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Pronger's playing rights (alongside Nicklas Grossmann) to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Sam Gagner and a conditional draft pick. The deal was made to the benefit of salary cap implications to each club, as Pronger never played for Arizona. Three days later, on June 30, 2015, he was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame; because the Hall only counts games played as its criteria for the minimum waiting period, Pronger was eligible for induction even though he was still technically an active player, as he had not played a game in three full seasons at the time of his induction.[33]

Post-playing career

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After his contract expired following the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, on June 22, Pronger was able to officially retire and he signed with the Florida Panthers to become the organization's senior advisor of hockey operations.[34]

Personal life

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Pronger in 2007 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks

Pronger married his wife Lauren in 1999, and together the couple have three children.[35][36] He lived in Irvine, California, while playing for the Anaheim Ducks.[37] Pronger now[when?] resides in Chesterfield, Missouri[citation needed] where he runs a luxury travel agency alongside his wife.[38]

Pronger appeared on the cover of NHL 2000 and NHL Hitz 2003.

His older brother is former NHL player Sean Pronger.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1990–91 Stratford Cullitons MWJHL 48 15 37 52 132
1991–92 Peterborough Petes OHL 63 17 45 62 90 10 1 8 9 28
1992–93 Peterborough Petes OHL 61 15 62 77 108 21 15 25 40 51
1993–94 Hartford Whalers NHL 81 5 25 30 113
1994–95 Hartford Whalers NHL 43 5 9 14 54
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 7 18 25 110 13 1 5 6 16
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 11 24 35 143 6 1 1 2 22
1997–98 St. Louis Blues NHL 81 9 27 36 180 10 1 9 10 26
1998–99 St. Louis Blues NHL 67 13 33 46 113 13 1 4 5 28
1999–2000 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 14 48 62 92 7 3 4 7 32
2000–01 St. Louis Blues NHL 51 8 39 47 75 15 1 7 8 32
2001–02 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 7 40 47 120 9 1 7 8 24
2002–03 St. Louis Blues NHL 5 1 3 4 10 7 1 3 4 14
2003–04 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 14 40 54 88 5 0 1 1 16
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 12 44 56 74 24 5 16 21 26
2006–07 Anaheim Ducks NHL 66 13 46 59 69 19 3 12 15 26
2007–08 Anaheim Ducks NHL 72 12 31 43 128 6 2 3 5 12
2008–09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 82 11 37 48 88 13 2 8 10 12
2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 10 45 55 79 23 4 14 18 36
2010–11 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 50 4 21 25 44 3 0 1 1 4
2011–12 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 13 1 11 12 10
NHL totals 1,167 157 541 698 1,590 173 26 95 121 326

International

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Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1993 Canada WJC   7 1 3 4 6
1997 Canada WC   9 0 2 2 4
1998 Canada OG 4th 6 0 0 0 4
2002 Canada OG   6 0 1 1 2
2006 Canada OG 7th 6 1 2 3 16
2010 Canada OG   7 0 5 5 2
Junior totals 7 1 3 4 6
Senior totals 34 1 10 11 36

All-Star Games

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Year Location   G A Pts
1999 Tampa Bay 0 2 2
2000 Toronto 0 0 0
2001 Colorado
2002 Los Angeles 0 1 1
2004 Minnesota 0 0 0
2008 Atlanta 0 0 0
All-Star totals 0 3 3

Awards and achievements

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Award Year
CHL/OHL
Max Kaminsky Trophy 1993
Plus-Minus Award 1993
First All-Star team 1993
CHL Defenceman of the Year 1993
NHL
Stanley Cup Champion 2007
James Norris Memorial Trophy 2000
Hart Memorial Trophy 2000
Plus-Minus Award 1998, 2000
All-Star Game 1999, 2000, 2001 (voted in as starter but injured), 2002, 2004, 2008
All-Rookie Team 1994
First All-Star team 2000
Second All-Star team 1998, 2004, 2007
Hockey Hall of Fame 2015 [33]
International
IIHF All-Time Canada Team 2020

Suspensions

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Oct. 29, 1995: with St. Louis — four games, slashing (Washington's Pat Peake)
Dec. 17, 1998: with St. Louis — four games, high stick (Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick)
Oct. 11, 2000: with St. Louis — one game, leaving bench for altercation (Los Angeles' Kelly Buchberger)
April 3, 2002: with St. Louis — two games, cross-check (Dallas' Brenden Morrow)
March 14, 2004: with St. Louis — one game, kicking (Calgary's Ville Nieminen)
May 15, 2007: with Anaheim — one playoff game, blow to the head (Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom)
June 3, 2007: with Anaheim — one playoff game, blow to the head (Ottawa's Dean McAmmond)
March 12, 2008: with Anaheim — eight games, stomping on the leg (Vancouver's Ryan Kesler)

Transactions

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See also

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References

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  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.
  6. ^ "NHL-legenda Chris Pronger puhuu MTV Urheilulle suomalaisesta taustastaan – illallismuisto Teemu Selänteestä naurattaa edelleen: "Isoisä opetti meidät kiroilemaan suomeksi"". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  7. ^ Foster, Chris (2007-06-02). "Alexandre wasn't all that great". LA Times. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  8. ^ Wigge, Larry (2006). "Pronger twists, turns into champion". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  9. ^ a b Farber, Michael (1999-12-29). "Looming Large = Arrests, brawls and boozing were on Chris Pronger's resume before he grew up to be a soaring presence for the Blues". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  10. ^ Patrick, Dan (2001-03-19). "Outtakes: Chris Pronger (uncut)". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. ^ Belson, Ken; Blinder, Alan; Stein, Robin (2023-01-05). "'We're Going to Need Everybody': Recordings Captured Response to N.F.L. Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  12. ^ Smith, Cheryl M, ed. (2000). FaceOff 2001 NHL Yearbook. Toronto: Worldsport Properties, Inc. p. 5.
  13. ^ "Pronger trade request overshadows Oilers draft". NHL.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  14. ^ Tychkowski, Robert (2006-06-24). "Pronger's agent confirms he wants a trade". edmontonsun.com. Archived from the original on 2006-06-29. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  15. ^ Ireland, Joanne (2006-06-25). "Trade must strengthen Oilers". The Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  16. ^ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Phoenix – He's public enemy No. 2[usurped]
  17. ^ "Pronger: 'I knew I'd be Public Enemy No. 1'". ESPN.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  18. ^ a b CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Edmonton – Edmonton awaits Pronger's return[usurped]
  19. ^ "Oilers watching Ducks' success closely". Archived from the original on 2007-06-24. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  20. ^ Ducks' Pronger suspended one game
  21. ^ Pronger speaks out on Game 4 suspension
  22. ^ Ducks' Pronger suspended one game
  23. ^ "Ducks Name Pronger Team Captain". Anaheim Ducks. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  24. ^ "Chris Pronger: A Lame Duck Suspension". Bleacher Report.
  25. ^ "NHL reviews Pronger stomp after getting clearer video of incident". Canadian Press. 2008. Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  26. ^ "Pronger signs seven-year extension - Sportsnet.ca". Archived from the original on 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  27. ^ "Sources:NHL investigates Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger contracts". ESPN. 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  28. ^ Kanalley, Craig (December 30, 2009). "Canadian Olympic Hockey Team: 2010 Roster Released". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
  29. ^ "Arthroscopic knee surgery successful for Pronger". NHL.com. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  30. ^ a b "The Magazine: Chris Pronger, still at large - the Hockey News". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-11-18.
  31. ^ "Claude Giroux named Captain of the Flyers". Philadelphia Flyers. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  32. ^ "Flyers' Pronger 'never going to play again'". NHL. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  33. ^ a b "Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov selected to Hall of Fame; nine Red Wings players from 2002 are in". 2015-06-30.
  34. ^ Reynolds, Tim (June 22, 2017). "Chris Pronger joins Florida Panthers' front office". CBC. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  35. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2010-11-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ^ "The Official Website of Hockey Canada | Minor Hockey, Team Canada, National Championships and more".
  37. ^ Lansner, Jon (2007-12-06). "Shady Canyon's last lot goes for $1.9 million". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 2007-12-22. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  38. ^ "Pronger talks Blues, family travel business in Q&A with NHL.com". NHL.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hartford Whalers first round draft pick
1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by EA Sports NHL Cover Athlete
NHL 2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy
2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Norris Trophy
2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
1998
2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy
2010
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by St. Louis Blues captain
19972003
Al MacInnis*, 2002–03
Succeeded by
Preceded by Anaheim Ducks captain
2007–08
Succeeded by
Scott Niedermayer
Preceded by Philadelphia Flyers captain
201113
Succeeded by

*NOTE: Al MacInnis served as interim captain for nearly the entire 2002–03 NHL season, while Pronger was injured and out of the line-up. Pronger resigned the captaincy at the start of the 2003–04 NHL season, in favour of MacInnis.