He spent nine seasons with the Blues. He was, indeed, one of the defining defencemen of his generation.
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“I’ve been patiently waiting, and there have been so many great players before me to be inducted, and to finally get that call, it’s still surreal”.
“They might be in front of me if they did”, he joked.
The Hockey Hall of Fame announced the class of 2015 on Monday with ex- Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov leading the way. Falling short of election was ex- Flyers star Eric Lindros, who was on the ballot for the seventh time. In his career, Pronger is a Stanley Cup champion, a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a 5-time NHL All-Star and a victor of both the Hart Trophy and the Norris Trophy. The NHL mandated that his player contract remained valid on long-term injury with the Flyers as dead cap money. The fearsome defenseman was eligible because of a bylaw that specifies a player’s final game must be three full seasons ago. Pronger is still under contract and was recently traded to the Arizona Coyotes, although he has not played since 2011 due to post-concussion syndrome. “I guess this would follow suit”.
The 2015 class features ex- Red Wings Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, as well as Chris Pronger and Phil Housley. He was a member of the USA Olympic Team in 2002, helping his country capture the silver medal in Salt Lake City. She played more games for Team US than anybody, and the Los Angeles native is one of the most prominent women’s hockey players in the world. There are more than 67,000 today.
The first NCAA graduate to play in the National Hockey League, Bill Hay’s contributions to hockey span from grassroots to the professional level. “I had tears in my eyes when that buzzer went off”. “I could not even have imagined”. Pronged eventually turned his captainship over to Claude Giroux. But still no Hall of Fame ring.
Karmanos purchased the then-Hartford Whalers in 1994 and moved the franchise to Raleigh in 1997.
Housley, now an assistant coach for Nashville, played 23 seasons after being drafted sixth overall by Buffalo in 1982.
“His demeanor was really something”, Chelios continued. He always belonged.
The second-leading scorer all-time amongst U.S.-born players, defenseman Phil Housley played in seven All Star Games over a remarkable twenty three season NHL career.
A seven-time All-Star, Housley was among the top offensive defensemen in an era that featured Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey, Al MacInnis, Larry Murphy and Brian Leetch – all Hall-of-Famers. The following year, paired on a line with Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita, Hay helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1938. He reached the final with Washington in 1998, losing to Detroit.
Lidstrom’s inclusion in his first year of eligibility was a slam dunk with way less drama than Pronger’s. But he need not wait until 2020, thanks to the hall’s motion in March.
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I’m telling you, they were not getting much done against Pronger. “The past can stay where it is”.
