News Article Pronger hopes a comeback is in the cards

[Digityman]

From NHL.com

Future Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger is still holding out hope that he'll one day be able to return to the ice. Unfortunately, he still doesn't know if that will ever happen.

Flyers' defenseman Chris Pronger hasn't played an NHL game since November 29, 2011, a result of a serious eye injury and concussion, but the 38-year-old still believe he can make a comeback. (Photo: Getty Images)

In an interview Monday with E.J. Hradek and Steve Mears on CISCO NHL Live, the always-candid Philadelphia Flyers blueliner provided an update on his condition that has kept him sidelined since Nov. 29, 2011.

"You need to isolate yourself for the symptoms and you try to do that stuff, but it's a vicious cycle that kind of drags you down in the mud and pushes you further down into the depths," Pronger said. "At some point, you just need to kind of say ‘Enough's enough.' It was just one day in August, I looked down and I was getting fat. I was feeling good, wasn't eating very healthy, wasn't really doing anything healthy. As an athlete who kind of prided himself on being in shape and preparing and doing all these things, and then you stop doing it cold turkey … it can be a little disheartening."

Pronger sustained a serious injury to his right eye during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 24, 2011, when he was hit by the stick of Mikhail Grabovski. The injury damaged Pronger's eyesight and both his ocular and vestibular systems, and is one of the causes of his concussion symptoms.

"A lot of times if you're walking around a corner or opening up a door … you just have that feeling," Pronger said. "It's hard to describe, but you're on the ice and you just know somebody's around you so you're careful. You know somebody's close, you're going to get hit, you just prepare yourself. And even if somebody's not there, you're still prepared. It's kind of the mindset where you're better safe than sorry.

"Since I've been hit in the eye, I just do not have that. I don't know why or what the reasoning is behind it, but I get … I don't know if scared might be the right word … but I get shocked. It's difficult when you're used to really knowing what's going on, whether it be directly in your field of sight or your peripheral vision or you get a sense of somebody's coming up behind you to talk to you. I get people who tap me on the shoulder all the time and you get a little jarred sometimes."

"It wasn't pretty … I can tell you that," Pronger said of the brief comeback. "You get paid to play hockey and you get paid to perform. As professional athletes, we've all played through a lot of pain to do our jobs and you kind of get in that rhythm or mode of it's just another injury, you kind of push it off and it'll get better and you just continue to play. You don't realize the magnitude of the injury and you just kind of push yourself through. You just play a few games, you'll feel better, you've got to get into better shape, you haven't done anything for a while. It was actually the exact opposite, where I was getting worse. I was getting more nauseous with each practice and game, I was getting more symptoms, more headaches, the dizzy spells were more often. It wasn't going away as fast. Loud noises were troubling."

Pronger, who won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, said it's this time of the year that is the toughest to sit and watch. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin next week.

"This is a time I got geared up for and loved to play," Pronger said. "The stakes are at their highest. Everybody's playing at their optimal level. Teams are peaking and you get hot goalies and hot lines. It can make or break a lot of careers and a lot of guys' opportunities."

There is no doubt Pronger will one day be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1,167 games with the Hartford Whalers, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Ducks and Flyers, he has 698 points and 1,590 penalty minutes. He won the Hart and Norris trophies in 2000, and played in three Stanley Cup Finals. He also has a Memorial Cup championship, a World Junior Championship gold medal, a World Championship gold and two Olympic gold medals.

But, he'd like to leave the game on his own terms. Whether he'll be able to do that remains to be seen.

"It's probably a little early to start forecasting any of that stuff," Pronger said. "Obviously, with where I'm at health-wise and my struggles and just trying to continue to get healthy and see how far back I can get. Can I get back to 100 percent? I don't know. Are the odds with me? I don't know.

"The biggest thing on my mind is getting healthy and trying to get back to 100 percent and play again. Barring that, I don't really know. There's a lot of great ideas out there, I've just got to find the one that's a perfect fit for me."

[ctid]

Pronger is done. For him personally, the risk/reward of him playing is just not worth it. Even if he makes a miracle comeback, it will be for a season or two if he is lucky. He has to think of his quality of life AFTER hockey. Coming back and risk getting further injured at his age is just not worth it for him.

I think him saying "getting healthy and trying to get back and play again" stuff is merely down to he is on injured reserve and can't retire without hurting the Flyers in regards to the cap hit.

[brelic]

The article title is pretty misleading.

He's not coming back. And even if he were medically cleared to play, it probably wouldn't be very smart at his age and with his history to try it.

[flyercanuck]

That little speck on the horizon is the ship that has sailed.

[Digityman]

The article title is pretty misleading.

He's not coming back. And even if he were medically cleared to play, it probably wouldn't be very smart at his age and with his history to try it.

That's what I thought. I was shocked to see that in the 'headlines' on NHL.com. Maybe he has to say that since he is LTIR or something.

[LiAmTrAnSdEmOn]

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why Pronger has had to come out at least twice this season to say he hopes to play again. I remember watching the play where he was injured and immediately thought that he was blind in the eye where he took the stick. And he's repeatedly said he basically has no peripheral vision, him coming back is just not in the cards. Only thing he can do is try to teach the younger defensemen on this team the things he knows about the position because despite all his physical gifts, he still knew how to play the position very well all in his head.

[radoran]

I'm sure he wishes there was a way he could get back on the ice.

And I'm almost convinced he knows there is no way in hell he's going to do it.

And the LTIR thing is certainly in play. It's not like he doesn't want the money.

[Claude Monet]

from a hockey sense....what a waste of money. should have never been offered that over 35 contract. Pronger as a player was great but what a melt down. The 2010 cup run was great but I have lived through 6 of them and am jaded

[Polaris922]

Karma and Dean McAmmond say hello

[radoran]

Karma and Dean McAmmond say hello

Oh, puh-leeze.

Flyers had lost TWO captains to concussion-related problems LONG before Downie levelled McAmmond.

Now they've lost three.

Sid better keep that head up, and on a swivel...

[murraycraven]

Sid is one elbow away from retiring...

[Adamflyers]

Karma and Dean McAmmond say hello

I guess we can say the same for Sid...Boris Valabik's nuts say hello

[mojo1917]

Karma and Dean McAmmond say hello

he's not looking for pity, he acknowledges the way he played the game was in the "grey areas". he was a competitor , highly skilled, very rugged and one of the better defensman to play the game in the last 30 years, i can think of 4 or 5 that i've seen who were as good or better and that's it.

if it's "karma" he accepts it, we should be so lucky as to have zero regrets regarding our profession.

Edited April 24, 2013 by mojo1917

[Polaris922]

@radoran

I'm referring to Pronger elbowing McAmmond not Downie. Not even a Flyers issue.

@murraycraven

@Adamflyers

Show me one thing Sid has ever done to put another player's career at risk. I can show quite a few for Pronger.

@mojo1917

I don't wish a career ending injury on ANY player in the league, Pronger or otherwise. I DO however think this is a much more karma related issue than some Flyers posted for James Neal claiming he's some mega-dirty player. Pity? I don't pity Pronger, but I think he should have more class than this...

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/03/08/chris-pronger-is-a-straight-up-villian/

I was once a Pronger fan... That changed.

[Adamflyers]

@radoran

@murraycraven

@Adamflyers

Show me one thing Sid has ever done to put another player's career at risk. I can show quite a few for Pronger.

I was just busting yours and Sid's stones....relax! Sid knows all about busting stones!

[radoran]

@radoran

I'm referring to Pronger elbowing McAmmond not Downie. Not even a Flyers issue.

Ah, well, McAmmond was basically a human concussion machine. NTTAWWT.

[JackStraw]

Show me one thing Sid has ever done to put another player's career at risk

Are we talking about the playing career or the the fathering of children career?

[Polaris922]

Haha! Uhh... Ha!