Chris Pronger, whose biography is presented in this article, is a famous Canadian hockey player. Thanks to victories in the Stanley Cup, at the Olympic Games and the world championship, he is a member of the so-called Triple Golden Club.
Biography and club career
Chris Pronger was born in 1974 in the Canadian town of Dryden. Here he began his playing career at a local club.
In 1990, Pronger signed his first professional contract with the Peterborough Pitts Ontario Hockey League team. For two seasons, Chris played in 124 matches, scored 32 goals and gave 107 assists. In the 1992/93 season he was recognized as the best defender of the OHL.
In the 1993 NHL Draft, he was selected by the Hartford Whalers. Already in the first season, Chris Pronger played in 81 matches and scored 30 (5 + 25) points, which allowed him to get into the Team of all new stars.
In 1995, he was traded in the St. Louis Blues. In the regular season, he spent 78 games, in which he scored 7 accurate throws and 18 assists.
The playoff series almost ended fatally for Chris: during the match with the Detroit Red Wings, a puck hit him in the chest, which provoked a short-term cardiac arrest.
The 1999/2000 season was a record success for the Canadian defender. In 79 games for the Bluesmen, Pronger earned 62 (14 + 48) points and won several personal awards at once. He was awarded the “Hart Trophy” - a prize to the team’s most useful player, as well as the James Norris Trophy as the most valuable defender in the NHL.
In 2005, Chris Pronger moved to the “Edmonton Oilers”, which included for the first time for himself reached the Stanley Cup finals. In total this season, the defender played 80 fights, in which he scored 56 (12 + 44) points. Despite successful performances for the Canadian club, Pronger left Edmonton at the end of the championship.
Since 2006, Chris began playing for Anaheim Ducks. In its composition, the Canadian hockey player managed to win the most prestigious tournament in North America - the Stanley Cup. For three seasons in the “Ducks”, Pronger played in 218 matches, in which he scored 36 goals and made 121 assist.
In July 2009, Chris moved to the Philadelphia Flyers club, for which he spent another three seasons. Unfortunately, due to an eye injury in November 2011, the hockey player was forced to end his playing career.
In total in the NHL, Chris Pronger spent 18 seasons, played in 1167 matches, scored 157 goals and gave 541 assists. Five times he was invited to participate in the All-Star Game.
International career
For the first time, World Champion Chris Pronger became a member of the Canadian youth team in 1993. Four years later, he repeated this success as part of a national team.
In 2002, at the Salt Lake City Olympics, a hockey player with the Canadian national team won the gold medal, and eight years later repeated this success at the home Games in Vancouver.