St. Louis Blues Chris Pronger’s Jersey Retirement A Matter Of Opinion

The St. Louis Blues have quite a few numbers retired for a relatively short history. However, there are always quests to add more names to those hallowed rafters. Could Chris Pronger be the next?

It has come to the attention of this humble writer that there is a growing sentiment among St. Louis Blues fans to have the jersey of Chris Pronger retired. What is interesting is, not whether he deserves it or not, but rather that so many of us let it slip from our minds.

The legitimacy of Chris Pronger’s candidacy was presented by STL Blues History on Twitter. I suggest you check out the tweet for each bullet point, since we will only cover a few here.

On the surface and given the argument, it makes perfect sense to have 44 hanging up there. Pronger was one of only seven defensemen to win the Hart Trophy in the modern era. He is second only to Al MacInnis in goals scored by a defenseman in St. Louis. MacInnis, you will note, has his number retired.

There are also other small matters, such as winning the Hart and Norris Trophy in the same season, which only one other person has done. He’s got the record for plus/minus for the Blues in the regular season career and postseason and was also the team’s youngest ever captain.

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None of those things can be denied. They are stone, cold facts. You can ignore them, if you wish, but they stand the test of time and scrutiny.

For some reason, the idea of having Pronger’s banner up there just does not have the weight it should. I cannot put my finger on why and I think there are several out there that would be in the same boat if it were up to them.

I have no problem with Pronger’s number being retired, should the team go that route. It would be a fitting end to a player’s career that was so illustrious, yet fraught with less than inspiring moments.

Pronger almost single-handedly led the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup, only to fall to Carolina. He was a major factor in winning it all with the Anaheim Ducks.

The flip side to that was his ever growing temper, which could derail a team at any moment with an ill-timed penalty. His body started failing him as well. Post-concussion symptoms, a lingering vision problem after catching a stick to the eye and lingering injuries shortened his career. He lasted until 37, but was healthy enough to play into his 40’s had he not fallen on bad luck.

It’s just hard to pinpoint Pronger. He was not an offensive defenseman, but he scored almost 700 points in his career. He was never a truly frightening defender, the way Scott Stevens was, but he grew to be someone you did not want to mess with.

The problem with Pronger is that we seem to forget him so easily, which should not happen with a player of his caliber. When you literally sit down and think about the 1990’s or early 2000’s, you cannot do it without talking about Pronger. However, if you’re listing off some of the best to every wear the Note, while his name should be there, it’s going to slip by you.

Maybe it’s because the personality was never quite there like some of the other stars. Maybe it’s because there was a chance to return to St. Louis after a year in Edmonton and he chose Anaheim instead. Perhaps it is simply because he has been gone so long and taken jobs with other teams.

That last one might be the bigger reason. While Brett Hull played for as many teams as Pronger, we always associated him with the Blues. MacInnis accomplished greater things in Calgary, but was still a star with St. Louis being his only other team.

With Pronger, it feels different. He only played with the Oilers for one season, but we all remember that season. We remember him with Anaheim and Philadelphia. Despite so many years with the Blues, it feels like he did more elsewhere, even though that’s not true.

When boiling all that away, or trying to, there is little doubt that Pronger deserves to have 44 retired. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t feel like it’s going to happen.

The facts are there, staring us in the face. Yet, individual opinion can vary by a great deal and it’s not yet 100% behind the idea.