Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger
Christopher Robert Prongeris a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently under contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League. He has not played since 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 eyeby the blade of another player's stick. Though not officially retired, he is not expected to play again. In October 2014, Pronger signed a contract...
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth10 October 1974
CityDryden, Canada
To let it slip like that is disappointing.
We didn't want to put any energy in. We didn't show up tonight. We didn't work tonight.
We had a few different plans, actually. It just depended on where the puck was going to be. 'Pies' made a great play just to be able to bump it back, and I just took out my driver and swung at it, and fortunately the puck went between his legs.
We knew exactly what we were coming up against. They may have lost 13 in a row, but they were in every one of those games.
We're professionals and we have to come to work and play the game. They had to sit through the same thing except they had to sit on the bench.
We kind of got thrown under the bus after the first game. But we really stuck together. We saw our team evolve and develop into the team you saw at the end. Everybody was on the same page and playing great.
We'll go in blind and, hopefully, won't show them too much respect.
You can look at a number of things with Al. Obviously the accolades -- the Conn Smythe, the Norris Trophy, the Stanley Cup, renowned as the hardest shot in the league. But the leadership in the room. The way he approached the game. The way he carried himself. That was the biggest thing.
Yeah, it does get old. And I'm sure it gets real old for the goalies. It just creates that much more for them, but that's the nature of the beast. Until you've proven yourself there are going to be those question marks, and hopefully this year is the year that they answer them.
I don't want to get into a 'he said, she said' with the refs...I'm the he.
It's not like you can start pounding drinks when you're wheeling your kids all over. They gave me something to shoot for, a goal to get back to.
I was still very invested in the team, very invested in how we were doing. I realized I needed to take a step back and start focusing on myself, my head and my eye, try to get my health back.
You get a pretty good read by watching the play, and knowing what you would have done - having done most of the things that these guys are accused of doing. I put myself in their shoes: Would I have been wanting to send a message? Is it a hockey play that went a little sideways?
When I got hit I went from having 37-year-old eyes to having 65-year-old eyes. That's why I've got the glasses on - so my eye isn't constantly trying to focus and giving me headaches. But they also help me see better: my right eye is blurry.