Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Chris Pronger On His Injury

03/06/2013 at 12:59pm EST

from Frank Seravalli of Frequent Flyers at the Philadelphia Daily News,

Pronger, 38, has understandably not addressed the media or the public about his ultimate career-ending eye injury until now. There isn’t much he’s allowed to say.

He gave his first interview to close family friend, Rogers Sportsnet analyst Dan Murphy in a two-part series which will air beginning Wednesday night in Canada....

Pronger was struck in the eye on Oct. 24, 2011 against the Maple Leafs, when Mikhail Grabovski’s errant stick caught him. His reaction was not all that different from the one you saw Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, when Marc Staal writhed on the ice in pain. Pronger’s painful shrieks were audible from the press box, in an ultra-quiet Wells Fargo Center.

It was a sound you never forget as a journalist, one that still gives you chills. He never recovered from that stick to the eye, which may have resulted in an ocular-nerve concussion, and returned too soon.

“What happened was, I had 30-year-old eyes. I got hit and the doctor told me I had 60-year-old eyes,”Pronger said. “I don’t have very good peripheral vision. That so-called sixth sense? I used to have a really good one. Now, I couldn’t feel anyone coming around a corner.

“My kids scare me all the time.”

more

added 2:02pm,

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Speaking with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy in a two-part series to be aired on Sportsnet Wednesday and Thursday, the first thing you notice is the absence of Pronger’s trademark swagger. It is a time of weakness, a side of Pronger we have never been privy to — like Samson after the haircut. A guy who never gave an inch is now about 30 yards behind the battle, and unsure — that’s right, Pronger is not at all confident here — if he will catch up.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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