5 Reasons Chris Pronger is the NHL's Ultimate Enforcer

The uninformed hockey fan might think of an enforcer as a player who is merely a good fighter.  Someone whose moment of glory occurs as he victoriously skates to the penalty box, pumping up the hometown crowd and ready to sacrifice five minutes of ice time for the sake of sending the opposing player to his locker room for stitches.

A true hockey fan knows how absurd this notion is.  While fighting will always have its place in the game, the role of the enforcer has changed throughout the years, and players holding that title are expected to do more than throw a few right jabs and tear off a jersey or two.

As hockey has evolved, so has the enforcer and teams now rely on role players to change momentum, set an example and protect the herd. 

Never has the role of enforcer been more nuanced, intricate and essential than in the new NHL.  The right enforcer is hard to come by, but the Philadelphia Flyers have one.

Philadelphia’s intimidating force is not the player most likely to drop the gloves, but the player who will play hardball for all the right reasons: team captain Chris Pronger.

Pure Size and Strength

Whatever era of hockey you focus on, size and strength have always had their advantages.

Listed at 6’6”, 220 pounds, few players in the NHL are physically capable of going nose-to-nose with Pronger; he’s simply too big. 

Pronger can make the biggest hit and the dirtiest hockey move look like child’s play.  It doesn’t take much effort for a slash from the Flyers’ captain to really leave a mark.

Other than a nice hit by Dustin Byfuglien in the 2010 Finals, Pronger almost never gets knocked over and refuses to back down from a confrontation.  Even if Pronger weren’t one of the games most mentally-tough players (which he is), he would still be one of the most feared men on the ice for his size and strength alone.

Intimidation and Aggravation

Chris Pronger is not simply a force to be reckoned with on the ice, he’s an absolute trash-talker off the ice, as Adam Burish found out after taking a few jabs at Pronger in 2010.  Whether he’s face washing a forward who got too close to his netminder or stealing the puck from a team that just won a Stanley Cup game, Pronger has no reservations about reminding opponents he’s out there.

Pronger will jaw with opposing forwards after the puck is frozen, but rarely looks like he is bothered by their words.  He seems to treat all opponents like small children he can mess around with, which can be very frustrating to a player trying to stay on his game.

On top of it all, Pronger has maintained the fine line between being a cheap player and being flat-out dirty.  He’ll pretend he didn’t hear the whistle once in a while, he’ll slash, jab, cross check and he’ll see how much he can get away with.  His defensive skills and intimidating personality have consistently gotten Pronger the benefit of the doubt.  He doesn’t have the reputation of a headhunter like Matt Cooke or an attention seeker like Sean Avery.

Nowadays, an enforcer isn’t simply trying to start fights, he’s trying to get in opponents’ heads.  That is exactly what Pronger does.

Protection of Teammates

The entire role of enforcer exists because many times, skill players will see their production decrease if they have to spend time and energy standing up for themselves.  Over the years, the role has gained new meaning, but the most important aspect is still reminding the opponent that “to get to him, you have to go through me.”

For the 2011-'12 Flyers, Chris Pronger is essential to protecting the younger, smaller team that has been assembled.

Pronger has an intimate understanding of his teammates’ abilities.  When a player like Scott Hartnell is being pestered, Pronger stays out of it, knowing that Hartnell can handle himself and getting involved will merely earn him an unnecessary two-minute trip to the sin bin.

However, when a player like Brayden Schenn or Danny Briere is being called out by an opponent, the Flyers know the Pronger will be the first one coming to his teammate’s aid.  Hockey tradition has shown that skill players that are protected by bigger, tougher teammates have more success against opponents than those who are left to fend for themselves.

Motivation for a Championship

Chris Pronger won a championship as a member of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, so he may not have the same unstoppable drive as Ray Bourque did when he sought his first Cup before retirement.  That said, Pronger is very accustomed to competing for a championship, and it seems that his desire to drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup is as strong as ever.

Aside from his time in Anaheim, Pronger was a part of a St. Louis Blues franchise that made the playoffs 25 straight years, helped lead Edmonton to Game Seven of the Finals as an 8-seed in the West and took a Flyers team that qualified for the playoffs in their 82nd game on an amazing 2010 playoff run as well.

During the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, Pronger aggravated the Chicago Blackhawks by stealing the game puck after the first two games of the series, either as a tactic to get under the Hawks’ skin or as a way of expressing his own displeasure about losing. 

This long resume of success means that Pronger uses his toughness at the right times.  He is not an out-of-control wrecking ball fighting for the sake of fighting.  Pronger is tactful, intelligent and he is a better enforcer for picking his battles in such a way that it benefits his team’s chance at a Cup.

Leadership

Few fighters are true leaders during their NHL careers.  Many understand the game well and make terrific coaches, but on the ice the leaders are typically the players being protected, not the ones doing the protecting.

Chris Pronger is an exception.

Pronger will drop the gloves when his team needs it.  He may not fight every opponent who throws him a cross-check after the play, but he will provide a needed boost when his team is playing poor hockey.

The best enforcers are the ones that make every jab, every face-wash and every fight mean something.  No player in hockey does more to make his team seem intimidating than Chris Pronger.