NHL.com's “Sitting Down with…” Q&A feature allows us to speak with key players in the game and gain insight into their lives on and off the ice. Today we feature Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger, who has made a successful transition from hockey to the business world.
edmonton — Chris Pronger played 18 seasons as an NHL defenseman and spent six more years in hockey, but is taking time away from the game to pursue his next adventure.
Pronger, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame along with the Class of 2015, has moved away from hockey, at least for now, to move around in the business world.
“I learned a long time ago, and I'm not saying never, but no, I'm not actively trying to do anything with hockey right now, but you never know what's going to happen,” he said recently. Pronger said during the visit. Edmonton. “My brother Sean and I have a new whiskey that was launched about eight months ago and will be released at the end of May 2023. I help run the business, and I'm currently building my speaking practice. I've been asked to do various speeches and things like that, and I'm trying to hone in a little bit more, have a little more professionalism, and put a little more structure behind it. We're trying to have it, so we're trying to build it and launch it probably in April or May.”
A native of Dryden, Ontario, Pronger was selected by the Hartford Whalers with the second pick in the 1993 NHL Draft, behind Alexander Daigle, who was selected by the Ottawa Senators. His older brother Sean was a forward for the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Vancouver Canucks.
Chris Pronger played two seasons in Hartford before being traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he played and still resides for most of his career. After nine seasons with the Blues, Pronger was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, where he helped the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, but lost seven straight to the Carolina Hurricanes.
A trade request after the 2006 Finals sent Pronger to Anaheim, where he won a Cup championship in 2007. After three seasons, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers and finished his playing career with 698 points (157 goals, 541 assists) in 1,167 games. He had 121 points (26 goals, 95 assists) in 173 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
After retiring, Pronger was hired by the NHL's Office of Player Safety and three years later went on to work with the Florida Panthers as a special advisor to general manager Dale Tallon. Pronger left the Panthers in 2019.
NHL.com spoke to the 49-year-old to promote his new whiskey while watching the Oilers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-1 on March 3 at Rogers Place.
What’s life like after hockey?
very good. I still live in St. Louis. My girlfriend's two sons go to her school at SMU (Southern Methodist University) in Dallas, so I often go there and my daughter is in her 9th grade.
Do your kids play hockey?
“No. Both boys played when they were young and played basketball and lacrosse in high school.”
Do you miss being in the game?
“Right now, I'm just trying to stay out of the way. When you're at a game and you see the energy, when you feel the energy of a game like this, the energy of the crowd, there's something that I think is pretty hard to replicate anywhere. There is.''Other than that. “
How is the company JRNY (pronounced Journey) progressing?
“That's a good thing. This is our branding, this is our marketing, this is our story. We are authentic Canadians. One, the world doesn't need another whisky, but another I think it's about needing a story, and I think that's what we really value.''Our marketing, branding and logo have won awards, and the liquid itself has won awards as well. Masu.
“We're really excited about it because we're proud of it and we've gotten great reviews from people who have tried it and been happy. We're in Missouri, New York, I just arrived in Texas.
Are there any similarities between being a professional athlete and success in the business world?
“There are so many. One of the things I often talk about at public speaking events is that there are so many similarities between sports and business: teamwork, ethics, discipline, structure, drive, determination. “That’s a big part of a winning hockey team, it’s a key component. ”
You and your wife Lauren also run the luxury travel agency Well Inspired Travels. How about that?
“It's been great. It's been five years. COVID-19 hasn't been easy, but I think we're getting back to where we started now. We're trying to survive as a business and trying to run a business in the midst of it. ” The impact of the pandemic on the travel sector. It hasn't been easy, but I think the pandemic has taken us a little bit away from how we wanted to operate, but now we're moving forward and getting back to focusing on what we really wanted to do. “
What do you remember about your season in Edmonton and your appearance in the Stanley Cup Final?
“I think we had a really good bond on that team. I think we lost a lot of tough games throughout the year. I remember a couple of games we played against St. Louis at Rexall Place and we were up by 44 points. 13 points. Losing 4-2 is the kind of game where you have complete control of the game and still lose.
“Then you say, 'I need a little help,' and we bring in 'Lori' (goaltender Dwayne Roloson) and it takes a little bit of time to adjust to our system and the way we play, and We went on' a little run, and obviously the playoffs, we all know what happened there. ”
That team really came together at the right time. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks to reach the finals. How did you do it?
“If you look at that team from top to bottom, we didn't have any super talented players. We just had really good hockey players. I understand the top line, but we were top line or top class. We've added a number of players who are close to that.''
You played at the old arena at Rexall Place in Edmonton. Did you see the new arena, Rogers Place, before visiting here?
“I came back one year for the world junior tryouts when I was scouting, I think it was 2018. I’ve been to this arena before, but I’ve never been down there. , I've been to the rink. They had a great performance.”
