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Chris Pronger | Defenseman

Team: Philadelphia Flyers
Age / DOB:  (38) / 10/10/1974
Ht / Wt:  6'6' / 214
Contract: view contract details
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Chris Pronger spoke about the struggles, which included depression, he's dealt with during his recover from an inadvertent stick to his right eye.
Pronger hasn't played in 16 months, as the incident left him with vision loss and severe concussion symptoms. "You get headaches, you're not wanting to do anything, you sit around, you can't work out, you get depressed," said. "You try to work out and you get nauseous, a headache, you want to lay down. It's an awkward feeling, and it's something that when you haven't experienced it before you really don't understand what it is that these guys are talking about. I guess the biggest part is the depression and how you feel about yourself and how you feel about the injury. How dark you go down." Doctors are unsure if he'll ever regain his peripheral vision and he is still dealing with headaches -- even after a news conference -- when he has any physical activity. Mar 8 - 10:47 AM

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Chris Pronger hasn't given up on the possibility of playing hockey again.

That being said, Pronger is 38 years old, hasn't played since Nov. 19, 2011, and is still dealing with concussion-related symptoms. He has had difficulty doing activities that raise his heart rate. In addition he's continually getting strong prescription of glasses and is dealing with diminished peripheral vision. So a comeback doesn't seem likely, but Pronger isn't ready to retire yet. It's worth noting that Pronger comes with an annual cap hit of $4,935,714 and because he signed it over the age of 35, he'll stay on the Flyers' books if he retires. However, if he doesn't retire, the Flyers can get around his cap hit by keeping him on the long-term injured reserve list.
Mar 7 - 1:14 PM

Chris Pronger spoke with Sportsnet's Dan Murphy in an interview recently that will air in a two-part series beginning Wednesday night in Canada.

Pronger was struck in the eye on Oct. 24, 2011 by an errant stick, which resulted in an ocular concussion and he hasn't played since Nov. 19, 2011. "What happened was, I had 30-year-old eyes. I got hit and the doctor told me I had 60-year-old eyes," Pronger said. "I don't have very good peripheral vision." Pronger also touched on his current state and the subject of retirement when he said: "It's gotten a little better. I can leave the house and go do stuff. If I do too much, I may get a headache. Occasionally, if I start to feel a bit better and I do a bit more, I get nauseous. Everyone wants to go out like a John Elway, where he wins two Super Bowls and retires on his own terms. Very, very few people get a chance to do that."
Mar 6 - 5:02 PM

Chris Pronger will not be on the ice but will still attend the Philadelphia Flyers’ condensed training camp this week.

The 38-year-old suffered an ocular concussion and hasn't played since Nov. 19, 2011. It has been widely believed for quite some time that his playing days are over because of post-concussion syndrome.
Jan 6 - 2:49 PM

As some expected, players on the long-term injured reserve won't be eligible for the special CBA buyouts, according to CSNPhilly.com's Tim Panaccio.

That applies to significant cap cloggers such as Chris Pronger and Marc Savard. It's not especially surprising, yet teams in those binds probably would've liked an easier way out amid changing times.
Jan 6 - 2:26 PM

The Flyers could be in rough shape if the new CBA imposes contract-variance limits.

This seems like an inevitability in order to prevent teams from circumventing the cap. Over the last seven years, the Flyers, the biggest culprit, have given out 22 major deals, with only seven conforming to a 20 percent variance. In fact, the average on the 15 contracts is 30.2 percent. The Flyers' worst contract was that given to Chris Pronger: a seven-year, $34.45 million pact signed when he was 35. It began with a $7.6 million salary and would end with $525,000 over its last two years.
Jan 4 - 11:03 AM

GM Paul Holmgren said that Chris Pronger's status remains "status quo," meaning he is still suffering from post-concussion symptoms.

The only improvement the Flyers defenseman has benefited from is that the frequency between his headaches is longer now. Pronger hasn't played since Nov. 19, 2011 and it has been widely believed for quite some time that his playing days are over.
Source: CSN Philly
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 12:13:00 PM

Chris Pronger (concussion) has shown some improvement recently, according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.

Holmgren added that Pronger's still not at the point "where he can think about playing." It's even too soon to tell if Pronger will be able to try skating in the near future. Still, any report of progress is great under the circumstances. He hasn't played since November because of post-concussion syndrome and it's not clear if he'll be able to play in 2012-13.
Thu, Sep 20, 2012 02:12:00 PM

Chris Pronger is scheduled to visit the Flyers' training facility for testing next week.

Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren said Pronger will not take to the ice though and that the he was still experiencing headaches. He hasn't played since November because of post-concussion syndrome and his return for this year is in question.
Tue, Sep 11, 2012 11:46:00 AM

Chris Pronger is currently helping out the Flyers organization by watching videos of players and attending scouting meetings.

Pronger is still battling headaches and is having "good days and bad days," according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. It's unclear if he will be able to play at all next season because of post-concussion syndrome.
Tue, Jun 19, 2012 08:23:00 AM

Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren provided a minor update on the status of Chris Pronger and it doesn't appear as though much has changed in his recovery from post-concussion syndrome.

"I saw him this morning," Holmgren said. "He continues to have some good days and then some bad days. So I don't know if that's any update. He struggles." The Flyers general manager is still trying to be optimistic that Pronger will play next season, but he said that right now it's too early to predict that and the team will wait to see how Pronger progresses over the summer. There's no timetable for his return.
Wed, Jun 6, 2012 04:15:00 PM

Despite rumors to the contrary, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said that Chris Pronger is not retiring.

Rumors had been circulating that Pronger was calling it quits and moving to St. Louis, though it appears that is only because of a family issue. The Philadelphia defenseman has been sidelined since mid-November with a concussion and is still dealing with headaches, but Pronger is still optimistic about returning next season, according to Holmgren. "There's no truth to him retiring," the GM said.
Thu, May 31, 2012 11:11:00 PM

Chris Pronger is still suffering from concussion symptoms, but GM Paul Holmgren is holding onto the hope that the Philadelphia captain will be able to play next season.

The Flyers GM admitted to being an optimist and that may be the case here, as Pronger hasn't played since Nov. 19 because of post-concussion syndrome and there hasn't appeared to be much progress in his recovery. Holmgren also said that out of respect for Pronger, the team won't take away his captaincy at this point even though Claude Giroux is believed to be the next in line for the job.
Thu, May 10, 2012 03:16:00 PM

Chris Pronger might seek out former Philadelphia Flyers center Keith Primeau for advice as he struggles with his concussion issues.

Primeau's career was cut short by concussions, which appears to be the fear for Pronger, as well. It's hard to blame the big defenseman for taking such a track, although it's disturbing to think that it's gotten this far.
Sun, Feb 19, 2012 02:55:00 PM

Chris Pronger's wife, Lauren, echoed her husband's disappointment and concern when discussing his status with CSN this week.

She said he has, "good days, bad days. It's been a lot of trauma going on, and we're just praying right now....He's battling. He wants to be out there more than anybody. It's tough for all of us to watch him go through this." Pronger isn't expected to return this season because of post-concussion syndrome.
Thu, Jan 19, 2012 01:35:00 PM

Depth Charts

All Positions
PosRoleName
C1Claude Giroux
2Daniel Briere
3Sean Couturier
4Maxime Talbot
5Adam Hall
6Zac Rinaldo
7Scott Laughton
LW1Scott Hartnell
2Simon Gagne
3Tye McGinn
4Mike Knuble
5Jay Rosehill
6Jody Shelley
RW1Jakub Voracek
2Wayne Simmonds
3Brayden Schenn
4Ruslan Fedotenko
5Jason Akeson
D1Mark Streit
2Kimmo Timonen
3Braydon Coburn
4Andrej Meszaros
5Nicklas Grossmann
6Luke Schenn
7Kurtis Foster
8Bruno Gervais
9Erik Gustafsson
10Kent Huskins
11Matthew Konan
12Oliver Lauridsen
13Andreas Lilja
14Brandon Manning
15Marc-Andre Bourdon
16Chris Pronger
G1Ilya Bryzgalov
2Steve Mason