Detroit Red Wings fans weren’t exactly fond of towering defenseman Chris Pronger. After all, the bruising blue liner battled the Red Wings constantly during the regular season and a whopping seven times in the playoffs.
And while Detroit fans’ angst towards Pronger was because he was so darn good against their team, Pronger nearly lost his life during a frightening incident during the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena while a member of the St. Louis Blues.
During Game 2 of the series, a shot from defenseman Dmitri Mirinov hit Pronger square in the chest. He appeared to shake it off at first, but soon lst consciousness and slumped down to the ice, suffering cardiac arrest.
Players frantically waived for paramedics, who came rushing to Pronger’s aid along with a stretcher. He was loaded into an ambulance and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he thankfully recovered in time to suit up for the next game.
