Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger Goes Into Detail About Suffering The Same Injury As Damar Hamlin

Earlier this month, not long after Damar Hamlin suffered a shocking cardiac event on the field, Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger talked about his same experience with a similar injury.

On Wednesday, Pronger tweeted a thread in which he told the entire story from blocking a shot with his chest, to overcoming the mental hurdles necessary to get back on the ice.

I played 18 years in the NHL.
I won an MVP, Stanley Cup and two Olympic Gold medals.
But in 1998, I almost died on the ice.

Here's the first-hand story of what happened on May 10, 1998. Second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs vs. Detroit Red Wings pic.twitter.com/8XS9eRvUij

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

The incident occurred in Game 2 of the second-round series between Pronger’s St. Louis Blues and the Detroit Red Wings.

I blocked an oncoming slap shot, that hit me directly on the heart. I quickly covered it to get a whistle. It stung and I had a little trouble catching my breathe.

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

I blacked out while on the ice but before passing out I was able to stand up and stumble forward a couple steps before collapsing.

When the trainer got me, my eyes had rolled back in my head and my lips were turning blue. He removed my helmet and felt for a pulse.

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

I blacked out while on the ice but before passing out I was able to stand up and stumble forward a couple steps before collapsing.

When the trainer got me, my eyes had rolled back in my head and my lips were turning blue. He removed my helmet and felt for a pulse.

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

Pronger writes that he was immediately taken to a Detroit hospital where he spent the night. The next morning he was on a plane and headed to St. Louis. There, he ran more tests and doctors determined that Pronger had suffered Commotio Cordis.

And at the time, 1998, I was one of only 4 people he had in his data base that had survived a documented commotio cordis event

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

Pronger says that he was given a 24-hour heart monitor. He went on to pass all of the stress tests that doctors threw at him, which meant that he was on the verge of being cleared to play in Game 3 against Detroit.

Pronger Made An Unbelievable Return The Following Game

Despite the seriousness of his injury, Pronger was on track to make a stunningly fast return to action.

Would I be more susceptible to injury? Are there any short term or long term ramifications if I was to return to play?

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

With all my questions answered I decided to head down to the arena to take warm up for Game 3 and see how I felt. Seeing the guys was a welcome site as was getting back to the arena that had become my sacred ground where I could slip away into my comfort zone.

Or could I?

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

Unbelievably, just 36 hours after collapsing on the ice inside Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena, Pronger took the ice for warm-ups ahead of Game 3. He said that the rush of adrenaline he got from hearing the fans when they saw him step on the ice.

Those are moments athletes dream of.

Was playing a hockey game less than 48 hours after a Commotio Cordis incident the “smartest” thing? Maybe not.

But here are a few things I learned in the process:

The human spirit is everything!

— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 25, 2023

Pronger closed by saying “There’s nothing I loved more than being on the ice with my brothers.”

It’s an unbelievable story. Obviously, Pronger went on to make a full recovery and played for more than a decade after the incident. His career was finally ended by injury, but not the one he suffered that night in Detroit. Instead, it came from an eye injury and a head injury.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle