Chris Pronger's Dominating Game example essay topic

882 words
The Spirit of St. Louis "I don't think about it... There was no blinding light, no angels coming to take me home". -Chris Pronger Chris Pronger is one of the premier hockey players in the world. With his 6'6", 220 lbs. frame, Chris Pronger dominates other teams while on the ice and has become one of those special players who can control a game. The defense man out of Dryden, Ontario has come around full circle since arriving in the NHL as the second overall draft pick in the 1995 draft.

After having to deal with troubles early in his career, which consisted of drinking and partying, Pronger has gotten his act together to lead his team, the St. Louis Blues to great success. Chris's ize, speed, and knowledge of the game helps him determine, understand, and acknowledge what other teams are doing, and enables him to shut opposing players down. Chris Pronger's career so far is an incredible story, which makes all sports fans who have followed it respect and admire him. In the early postseason of the 1998 season, the St. Louis Blues found themselves leading the Detroit Red Wings one game to nothing in the best of seven series. Also, the Blues surprisingly had that lead on the road, with the first two games of the series in Detroit, one of the hardest atmospheres to play in. At the 3: 52 mark of the second period, on Mother's Day, a blistering Detroit winger Dmitri Mironov came tearing through the zone and caught the entire Blues defense by surprise.

Every defense man except Pronger. Chris Pronger, who is the youngest captain in St. Louis Blues history, was finally starting to settle down and learn the system Blues head coach Joel Quenneville was teaching. Pronger was finally starting to live up to his ability to be able to control the game. He was also finally getting the hang of being a 25 year old captain in the NHL.

The shot was aimed high, and Pronger got in the way of it and blocked it. Unfortunately, the puck hit him in a very odd place, right under the chest protecting padding of his shoulder pads, and caught him right in the chest, causing his heart to stop beating for approximately fifteen to twenty seconds. Seeing this tower of a man fall to the ice, and not being able to breathe, scared the rest of the Blues team, and messed with their minds and emotions, just enough for the Red Wings of Detroit to escape the game with a victory, hence tying up the series 1-1 heading for game three in St. Louis, Missouri. It turns out that Chris Pronger suffered a brief episode of cardiac arrhythmia, a weak, slow and irregular heartbeat. When struck with the puck, it has been quoted that it didn't really hurt him. Chris Pronger said that all he wanted to do was get back to the bench and catch his breathe.

The next thing anybody watching the game saw was Prongertaking a few strides, dropping to a knee, and falling to the ice. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, his lips turned purple and he was unconscious. He never quite made it to the bench, and awoke to see trainers and players surrounding him as he lay on the ice. No one knew for sure if "Prongs" was going to be able to come back during the playoffs. But, sure enough, displaying the heart and bravery any NHL captain should have, he stepped onto the ice just two days after literally dying on the ice, and played game three in St. Louis. Needless to say, the former Kiel Center, home of the St. Louis Blues was extremely vibrant and the atmosphere was electric.

The feeling any and all Blue note fans had when they saw big number forty-four step out onto the ice, well needless to say, it was incredible. Although the St. Louis Blues lost game three, along with two of the next three games, which unfortunately eliminated them from the playoffs, their captain Chris Prongerearned the respect and admiration from his team and the entire league, along with fans of the NHL and the sport of hockey. Pronger has continued to grow, and has established himself as one if not the best defense man in the NHL. Just to prove to you, the reader, that I am not full of it, he was awarded both the Hart Trophy (MVP to his team) and the Norris Trophy (best all-around defense man) at the end of the 2000 season. To further enhance Chris Pronger's dominating game, a defense man had not won the Hart Trophy since 1972, when the legendary Bobby Orr, who led the Boston Bruins to several Stanley Cups, relieved the award. Chris Pronger is currently one of the best players in the National Hockey League.

The scary, yet wonderful truth is however, that he will only get better. Give Chris another couple of years, and you will see this outstanding player change the game of hockey forever.