Chris Pronger
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Christopher Robert Pronger (born October 10, 1974 in Dryden, Ontario, Canada) is a professional hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks. He has received many awards during his career in the NHL, and is considered one of the top defensemen in the league due to his offensive and defensive skills.
Playing career
After two outstanding seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, Pronger was selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He 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, Pronger was arrested for drunk driving, involved in a barroom brawl, and was considered by some to be immature and awkward. After a second season in Hartford, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for star forward Brendan Shanahan on July 27, 1995.In the early years of his St. Louis career, Pronger played under coach and general manager Mike Keenan. Keenan's guidance is often cited as a factor in Pronger's maturation.
In his third season with St. Louis, at age 23, Pronger was again named to the All-Star team. He also played for the Canadian Olympic team in Nagano. In 1999 Pronger recorded a career-high 62 points and a +52 rating. For his efforts, he won the Norris Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and was named to the All-Star team.
Pronger notched 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 Canadian Olympic Team in 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. Pronger bounced back with another quality season in 2003-04. Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout and imposition of the NHL salary cap, the Blues traded Pronger to the Edmonton Oilers for defensemen Eric Brewer, Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch. While the Blues needed to clear cap space, the Oilers were able to sign Pronger to a five-year, $31.25 million contract.
Pronger was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, marking his third consecutive Olympic Games. He was also one of the best players in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final. 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 Final game. While the Oilers lost in seven games, the season was an unqualified success, with Pronger scoring a team-leading 21 points in 24 games.
On June 23, 2006, Pronger requested a trade through his agent, Pat Morris, from the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe said that the request was due to personal reasons [link], while media outlets [link] [link] reported that Pronger's wife, Lauren, is not happy in Edmonton. The news came as a shock, as Pronger was widely seen as an integral part of the Oilers' Stanley Cup run. The trade request was harshly received by Edmontonians, and immediately prompted local fans to draw comparisons between Pronger and former hometown hero Mike Comrie, who was traded in December 2003 after several months of failed contract negotiations with the team. Many Edmonton fans have voiced their disappointment through the media and the Internet, having thought that the Oilers' time of trading away their best players was over with the onset of the salary cap. On July 3, 2006, Pronger was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Joffrey Lupul, top defensive prospect Ladislav Smid, Anaheim's 2007 first-round draft pick, a conditional first-round draft pick, and Anaheim's 2008 second-round draft pick.
Pronger and his wife Lauren have two sons, Jack and George.
Awards
- OHL First All-Star Team - 1993
- Max Kaminsky Trophy - 1993
- CHL Plus/Minus Award - 1993
- CHL Best Defenseman - 1993
- NHL All-Rookie Team - 1994
- Bud Light Plus/Minus Award - 1998, 2000
- NHL Second All-Star Team - 1998, 2004
- Played in NHL All-Star Game - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
- NHL First All-Star Team - 2000
- James Norris Memorial Trophy - 2000
- Hart Trophy - 2000
Records
- First player to score on a penalty shot during a Stanley Cup Final game (2006 Game 1 at Carolina, opposing goaltender Cam Ward)
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 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 | ||
| 1999-00 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 79 | 14 | 48 | 62 | 92 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 32 | ||
| 2000-01 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 51 | 9 | 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 | 22 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 26 | ||
| NHL totals | 802 | 106 | 350 | 456 | 1172 | 107 | 15 | 57 | 72 | 236 | ||||
Statistics as of June 16, 2006
International play
Played for Canada in:
- 1992 World Junior Championships
- 1997 World Championships (gold medal)
- 1998 Winter Olympics
- 2002 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
- 2006 Winter Olympics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Canada | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 1997 | Canada | WC | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |
| 1998 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2002 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | |
| Senior int'l totals | 27 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 32 | |||
See also
External links
- Chris Pronger's statistics at [tsn.ca]
- ["Captain Crunch's Time Has Come"], The Toronto Sun, February 1, 1998.
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