Blues to retire Pronger's No. 44
The St. Louis Blues announced Saturday they will retire former defenseman Chris Pronger's No. 44 next season.
Pronger will become the eighth Blues player to have his number retired. He'll join Al MacInnis (No. 2), Bob Gassoff (No. 3), Bob Plager (No. 5), Barclay Plager (No. 8), Brian Sutter (No. 11), Brett Hull (No. 16) and Bernie Federko (No. 24).
Former Blues defenseman MacInnis surprised ex-teammate Pronger with news of the honor during an event for season-ticket holders on Saturday.
"You look at the names up there, and they are synonymous with the St. Louis Blues, and to be up there is very special," Pronger told the team's official website.
The team will raise a banner displaying No. 44 to the rafters at Enterprise Center before a home game during the 2020-21 season.
Acquired from the Hartford Whalers on July 27, 1995, Pronger played nine of his 18 seasons for St. Louis. He played in 598 regular-season games with the Blues, compiling 84 goals, 272 assists and 931 penalty minutes. He also was a four-time All-Star and still holds the team's career plus-minus rating at plus-140.
Pronger helped lead the Blues to best regular-season record (51-19-11-1, 114 points) in team history and the Presidents' Trophy in 1999-2000. That season, he joined former Boston Bruins great Bobby Orr as the only players to earn the Norris Trophy (NHL's best defenseman) and the Hart Trophy (NHL's Most Valuable Player) in the same season.
--Field Level Media
