Chris Pronger became one of the latest to achieve hockey's ultimate honor on Monday, as he, Nicklas Lidstrom, Angela Riggiero, Sergei Federov, Phil Housley, Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr. were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Pronger, of course, spent parts of three seasons as a Flyer in the twilight of his career. As a result, he became the 18th representative from the Orange and Black to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and became the fifth-consecutive ex-Flyer to receive the honor (after Mark Howe, Adam Oates, Fred Shero and Peter Forsberg).
Frustrated with two-consecutive playoff series losses to Pittsburgh, then-GM Paul Holmgren knew that a big splash was necessary. Entering the 2009 NHL Draft in Montreal, there was plenty of speculation abound that the Flyers had their sights set on cagey vet Jay Bouwmeester, one of the smoothest-skating defensemen in the league and a preeminent offensive defenseman.
Instead of Bouwmeester, Holmgren executed a deal with the Anaheim Ducks that sent Pronger and Ryan Dingle to Philly for the low, low price of Luca Sbisa, Joffrey Lupul, two first-rounders and a conditional third-rounder. Ten days later, the Orange and Black inked Pronger to a seven-year, $34.5 million deal, ensuring that they would retain Pronger's services for the long term. Of course, the deal drew scrutiny in the form of a league-conducted investigation for alleged circumvention of the CBA, but ultimately, Holmgren was allowed to keep his shiny new defenseman.
Yes, for all you younger readers out there, there once was a time when watching Flyers defensemen on a nightly basis did not make you want to cringe. Gather 'round and listen to Uncle Rob regale tales of an era that ended long before it should have.
Pronger's presence gave the Flyers instant credibility in the Eastern Conference, and promised to make life difficult for one of the league's tougher divisions. Not only was his on-ice surliness a welcome addition, he provided valuable leadership in the dressing room and brought experience — after all, he had played in two-consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and 2007, ultimately winning in 2007 with the Ducks.
While there were struggles throughout his first season in sharing the leadership reigns with then-captain Mike Richards, the Orange and Black still managed to pull off a memorable playoff run, which culminated in a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final. For Pronger, that was a series that focused more on theft of game pucks than on-ice play.
Pronger then played in just 50 games the following season after having problems with an injured knee, and then an incidental stick to the eye from Mikhail Grabovski in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs effectively ended his playing career early in the 2011-12 campaign. He managed five games after that — even mustering five assists along the way — but the post-concussion damage was done, and he was shut down in mid-December.
When Pronger was healthy though — all 171 games he played in as a Flyer, including playoffs — he was an unmovable force, with the ability to take over any game he played in. Whenever he took the ice, there was absolutely a strong chance that the Flyers could come away with two points. He was one of the strongest competitors that Philadelphia sports had seen in recent memory, and was willing to pay any price to win — similar to how the Flyers paid any price to acquire his services.
That brings me to the topic that this post is based on — will Flyers fans ever see someone else like Pronger again?
When the Flyers used their 11th-overall pick in 2013 on Rimouski Océanic blueliner Samuel Morin, he was pegged as their elite defenseman of the future. Pronger had even helped out with scouting him — and at 6-foot-7 and 224 pounds with a cannon shot from the point, Morin had even drawn comparisons to Pronger.
While Morin's experience with the Flyers has been limited to just a handful of preseason games, he's shown flashes of a mean streak over the rest of his career with the Océanic. The 20-year-old's professional career is only a month old, and there's still plenty of room to develop. It's easy to compare a player like Morin to Pronger right now, but it's still worth bearing in mind that that comparison is subject to change over time.
Since drafting Morin in 2013 and Shayne Gostisbehere in 2012, the Flyers have added to their stable of younger defensemen. Much has been made of the Flyers' young corps of defenseman, but of that bunch, Morin has earned the most comparisons to a Pronger-esque defenseman.
Ron Hextall's patient approach is also a factor in whether or not the Flyers will see another Pronger incarnate. Flyers fans have been acquainted with Hextall's build-through-the draft approach, and salary cap constraints that Hextall inherited have hampered the team's ability to sign big-impact free agents. Hextall is also unwilling to part with key assets to the team's future, essentially ruling out a big-ticket trade anytime soon.
Of course, Hextall brought an end to the Chris Pronger Era of Flyers hockey this summer, when he sent Pronger's contract to Arizona in an effort to help them get to the salary floor. While he won't be able to take the ice again, his impact will still be felt by those who had the pleasure to watch his tenure with the Flyers. Dozens upon dozens of Number 20 sweaters and t-shirts still continue to flood the Wells Fargo Center seating bowl on a nightly basis, despite his last game being played just under four years ago.
Over his 18-season career, Pronger has inspired countless young hockey players all over North America with his ruthless, take-no-prisoners style of play. That inspiration will lead to those young players being compared to him in their younger days, but ultimately, there will not be another Chris Pronger. He was just too unique of a player, and one of the more fun Flyers to watch in recent years.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
