Former bruising NHL defenseman Chris Pronger was the prototypical nasty and physically punishing blue liner that opposition fans absolutely loathed playing against, but would have loved had he played for their team.
Fans of the Detroit Red Wings are all-too-well acquainted with Pronger dating back to his days in the mid-90's as one of the best rising defenders in the NHL for the rival St. Louis Blues, followed by stints with the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks.
Not only was Pronger routinely a thorn in Detroit's side in multiple postseason battles, but he also caused more than a few controversies while battling the Red Wings beyond the regular season.
The Red Wings routinely frustrated the Blues in the postseason, overcoming them in four consecutive series from 1996 to 2002, including three straight from 1996 through 1998.
Pronger routinely ranked at the top of the list of playing minutes for the Blues during those series, the last of which resulted in a torn ACL after Detroit's Steve Yzerman successfully avoided what would have been a massive check in the neutral zone during Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Semifinal.
Following the infamous lockout that negated the entire 2004-05 season, Pronger had moved on from the Blues owing to the newly implemented salary cap restraints and was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton would eventually claim the final postseason spot in the Western Conference for the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, facing the No. 1 seeded Red Wings. Pronger scored twice while adding five assists in what was ultimately a six-game series victory for the Oilers, stunning the Red Wings and giving Pronger his first career postseason win over Detroit.
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It was Edmonton's first series victory en route to a run to the Stanley Cup Final, during which Pronger put on a Conn Smythe Trophy-worthy performance with five goals, 16 assists, and a +10 rating.
But immediately after the Stanley Cup Final loss, Pronger became Public Enemy No. 1 in Edmonton when he shockingly requested a trade.
He would land with the Anaheim Ducks, a longtime rival of the Red Wings. Anchoring their defense, Pronger helped the Ducks to the top seed in the Western Conference in the 2006-07 campaign, eventually meeting Detroit in the Western Conference Final, which they ultimately took in six games en route to their first championship in team history.
Pronger earned a suspension for his controversial boarding of Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom in Game 3 of the series:
As defending champions in their own right in 2009, the Red Wings would face Pronger one final time in the postseason, this time in the Semifinal.
Despite Pronger's best efforts which included a goal and five assists, Detroit ultimately prevailed in seven games, advancing to the Conference Final. That offseason, Pronger would be traded to the Eastern Conference's Philadelphia Flyers, effectively ending his personal rivalry with Detroit.
After Pronger was forced to retire because of complications from a frightening eye injury, he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.
Pronger was no doubt a complete nemesis to the Red Wings over the years, especially in the postseason.
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