The Philadelphia Flyers have had their fair share of big stars don their signature orange and black uniforms throughout their history, whether they were drafted, signed as free agents, or traded for. For the Flyers, they haven't won a Stanley Cup title since 1975 and over the years, they have tried their best to bring in the players necessary to attempt to end that drought.
One of those players was defenseman Chris Pronger, who built a reputation in his career that if you were a team looking to make it to the Stanley Cup Final, he would help take you there. That happened in 2010, with Pronger being a catalyst of the Flyers winning the Eastern Conference championship as the seventh seed. Even though the Flyers didn't win the Stanley Cup that year, as they lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks, they could return in the near future.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, it would be a disastrous, injury-riddled final stretch for Pronger, resulting in him stepping away from the game.
Chris Pronger's incredible first season with Flyers
Let's first look at Pronger's first season in Philadelphia. The Flyers pulled off a trade for Pronger by sending over Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick to the Anaheim Ducks. By trading for Pronger, it was a forgone conclusion that the Flyers would make it to the Stanley Cup Final. In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final after acquiring Pronger, but lost in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes. The following year, Pronger was traded to the Ducks, and they won the Stanley Cup in five games. To the shock of no one, that trend continued with Pronger heading over to Philadelphia.
Playing in all 82 games, Pronger recorded 10 goals, 45 assists, a plus-22 plus/minus rating, 189 blocked shots, 104 hits, and 40 takeaways.
Once they madde it into the playoffs, Pronger was one of their more productive players. Through their matchups against the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Montreal Canadiens, Pronger recorded four goals and 10 assists in 17 games. In the Stanley Cup Final against the Blackhawks, Pronger recorded four assists.
Injuries derailed Chris Pronger's Flyers tenure, career
The following season, Pronger was limited to just 50 regular season games due to a variety of injuries. From arthroscopic knee surgery that summer, to dealing with a broken hand and foot. In that stretch of games, Pronger recorded four goals, 21 assists, 114 blocked shots, and 41 hits. The Flyers made the playoffs that year as the second seed in the Eastern Conference. While the Flyers got past the Buffalo Sabres in the first round in seven games, they were eliminated in the second round by the Bruins, the eventual Stanley Cup champions. The Flyers got swept by the Bruins, and were outscored 20-7.
During that playoff run, Pronger was limited to just three games. He had to sit the final three games of the Bruins series due to a back injury. At the end of the season, Pronger notably called the 2010-11 season, "the year from hell." Pronger underwent surgery to remove a herniated disk from his spinal cord that offseason.
Pronger would be named the new captain of the Flyers before the 2011-12 season. Early that season, Pronger was hit in the right eye by the stick of Toronto Maple Leafs player Mikhail Grabovski on a shot, resulting in an injury and a concussion. Pronger was limited to just 13 games played, recording one goal and 11 assists. Dealing with post concussion symptoms, Pronger stepped away from the game. He would officially retire from hockey in 2017 when his contract with the Flyers expired.
It was an unideal end to his playing career, and it left Flyers fans wondering what could have been had injuries not derailed him. Could they have made it back to the Stanley Cup Final and ended their drought? Would Pronger have replicated his production from the 2009-10 season? We'll never know.
But when looking back at all of the Flyers' additions over the years, Pronger should go down as one of their best.
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