Chris Pronger Crushing A Beer During His Jersey Retirement Ceremony In St. Louis Is Exactly Why He's One Of The All-Time Greats
Chris Pronger epitomized everything there was to love about hockey in the 90s and early 2000s. He was a massive mutant. If he didn't have the puck on his stick, he was looking to hit somebody. He was looking to hit somebody hard. And a lot of times, he wasn't necessarily looking to hit somebody cleanly. And then when the puck was on his stick he was looking to create offense. He had 40+ assists in 6 of his NHL seasons, 7 if you want to allow the 2000-01 season when he had 39 assists in 51 games.
He was big, he was mean, and he also liked to party. So last night when he was getting his number 44 retired in St. Louis, he made sure to bring the party with him and delete a few beverages along the way.
Hardly doubt it was his first of the night, hardly doubt it ended up being his last.
A legendary way to cap off a legendary career. You think back to when it all started at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Alexandre Daigle goes first overall to the Ottawa Senators touted as a can't miss generational talent. He said that he was glad he went first overall "because no one remembers numbers two". Only issue is that Alexandre Daigle sucked and Chris Pronger would go on to win a Hart Trophy, a Norris Trophy, multiple Olympic Gold Medals, play in 3 Stanley Cup Finals, win one of them, and is now getting his jersey retired in St. Louis. Soooo yeah, I think number two had a decent career.
Here's what happened if your team traded for Chris Pronger: In 2000 the St. Louis Blues had the Hart Trophy winner, the Norris Trophy, and the team won the Presidents' Trophy as the best team in the regular season. Granted they got bounced in the first round but whatever. They also had one of their players on the cover of the greatest hockey video game of all time.
The Edmonton Oilers got a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006. They lost to the Hurricanes in the Final, and unfortunately the city of Edmonton was too damn depressing for Pronger to stay in so he requested a trade immediately after that first year. But still. That was the last time the Edmonton Oilers had anything to be proud about so they can thank Pronger for that.
Then the Anaheim Ducks won their first and only Stanley Cup in franchise history during their first season with Pronger in 2007. Against those same Ottawa Senators who drafted Alexandre Daigle over Pronger in '93. Must have been nice to have two of the three Norris Trophy Finalists that year (Niedermayer and Pronger) on their blueline.
And then the Philadelphia Flyers got a trip to the Stanley Cup Final the year they traded for Chris Pronger in 2010. Unfortunately that timed up perfectly with the start of the Blackhawks dynasty and they lost in 6 games. But still. That was 3 straight trades where the team getting Pronger went to the Cup Final that very next season. It just sucks that Pronger was hurt for a good chunk of that following season. because maybe the Flyers could have gone a little deeper that year, then they wouldn't have traded Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and royally fucked this franchise beyond belief into what they are now. His career ended the season after that, and here we are now. But that's besides the point.
Stanley Cup Finals with 3 separate teams. Norris Trophy finalist with 2 different teams. The first defenseman to win the Hart Trophy since Bobby Orr and the only one since then. Triple Gold Club. And pounded a cold one during his jersey retirement ceremony. Chris Pronger is forever one of the greats.
P.S. - Never forget when Pronger almost ended Justin Bieber's life.