Canadian hockey player Chris Pronger: biography and sports career

Chris Pronger, whose biography is presented in this article, is a famous Canadian hockey player. Thanks to the victories in the Stanley Cup, at the Olympic Games and the world championship is included in the so-called "Triple Golden Club".

Biography and club career

Chris Pronger was born in 1974 in the Canadian town of Dryden. Here he started his playing career at a local club.

In 1990 Pronger signed his first professional contract with the Peterborough Pitts team, representing the Hockey League of Ontario. For two seasons, Chris played in 124 fights, scored 32 goals and gave 107 assists. In the 1992/93 season he was voted the best defender of the OHL.

In the 1993 NHL Draft, the Hartford Whalers team chose him. Already in the first season, Chris Pronger played in 81 match and scored 30 (5 + 25) points, which allowed him to get into the Team of all novice stars.

In 1995, he exchanged for the "St. Louis Blues". In the regular season, he spent 78 games, which marked 7 accurate throws and 18 assists.

Playoff series almost ended for Chris fatally: during the match with the Detroit Red Wings, his was hit hard in the chest with a washer, which provoked a short-term cardiac arrest.

Season 1999/2000 was for the Canadian defender record-breaking in performance. In 79 games for "Bluesmen" Pronger earned 62 (14 + 48) points and became the owner of several personal awards. He was given the "Hart Trophy" - a prize to the most useful player of the team, as well as "James Norris Trophy" as the most valuable defender in the NHL.

In 2005, Chris Pronger moved to Edmonton Oilers, which for the first time reached the finals of the Stanley Cup. In total this season, the defender played 80 fights, in which scored 56 (12 + 44) points. Despite successful performances for the Canadian club, Pronger left Edmonton at the end of the championship.

Since 2006, Chris started 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 "Ducks", Pronger played in 218 games, in which he scored 36 goals and made 121 assistants.

In July 2009, Chris moved to the Philadelphia Flyers club, for which he spent three more seasons. Unfortunately, due to the eye injury received 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 joined the Canadian youth team in 1993. Four years later, he repeated this success as part of the national team.

In 2002 at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, the hockey player from the Canadian team won a gold medal, and eight years later, repeated this success at home games in Vancouver.