Pronger discusses Olympics, 2nd career as broadcaster with NHL.com

In NHL.com’s Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. This week we feature Chris Pronger, the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman now working as a broadcaster.

Chris Pronger is as excited as any other hockey fan about NHL players taking part in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

He knows from experience what playing in the Olympics is like, having represented Canada the first four times NHL players took part (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010).

The 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan, provided some of the best moments of his hockey career. That team saw 14 of the 23 players on the roster inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame but also lost 2-1 in a shootout against Czechia in the semifinals, then lost 3-2 to Finland in the bronze-medal game.

Explore NHL.com's Coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026

"It was awesome," he said. "I was 23. (Wayne) Gretzky's on the team, (Steve) Yzerman, Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens. And then the young guys were me and 'Footey' (Adam Foote) and Rob Blake and Eric Desjardins. Just looking at the roster and the guys you got to play with, (Eric) Lindros was there, and 'Shanny' (Brendan Shanahan). ... It was a great learning experience at that point in my career. Certainly learned a lot from that experience and how we played. We played not to lose; we didn't play to win. I think there was a lot to gain from that."

What he learned paid off with gold medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Pronger talked more with NHL.com about the Olympics, what the teams could look like, his return to the rink as a broadcaster and more.

It's the first time since 2014 that NHL players are heading back to the Olympics. How excited are you to see this again?

"It'll be interesting. We're seeing some injuries maybe make decisions for the various countries. ... I think there's some players that have played their way onto these teams, and then some players potentially could have played themselves off the team. If we're just talking about the U.S. and Canada, I think both those teams will bring back most of the players that they had at the 4 Nations (Face-Off), just A) because they had success, and B) the comfort level with the same coaching staff and all the rest of it. But I do think, though, there will be some changes, just because of younger players coming up. We're looking at Canada, you've got , got hurt, but you don't know the extent of that injury. Tom Wilson wasn't there. There's a bunch of guys. Is going to be there? Is he not going to be there? There's a lot of guys that can play their way on or off those teams, and it depends on how they want to put the team together this time around. They may differ from the 4 Nations. And it's not only U.S., Sweden is going to be good. Finland is going to be good. It's not a two-team tournament, so it's going to be competitive the further out you get."

You mentioned Celebrini and Bedard. Those two and Matthew Schaefer seem to be drawing the most attention as to whether they should or shouldn't be on Team Canada. Bedard is 20, Celebrini is 19 and Schaefer is 18. Their talent level is high, but can there be three players that young in that environment?

"I think Celebrini has played his way on. I think just with his usefulness and utility of playing wing, playing center, killing penalties. Just the way he plays the game, it lends itself to being able to move up and down the lineup. So, they can use him in all kinds of different roles. And because he's such a great skater, he can play with whoever. I'm sure they have their eye on him, maybe with Sid, they might work together well. Showcased them last year in the World Championship. Bedard's injury ... he's probably on the outside looking in. He's had a great year. Certainly don't want to take anything away from him, but from a fit standpoint, do you want to take that many young guys and all these other players? Somebody has to get boxed out. And then Schaefer, there's two trains of thought. You take him as a backup, just in case all the injuries they had at the 4 Nations, and then that youthfulness and edge. Or maybe he wants a rest. He played [17] games last year. It might be better for him to take the break and come back for the stretch run."

You've played in the Olympics and played in the Stanley Cup Final. Is the pressure comparable?

"It's one game (at the Olympics), so when you get to the gold-medal game, it's one game. The team needs to be peaking at the right time. And I think that for us, that's in 2002 and 2010. The two other times, 1998 and 2006, were meltdowns and 2002 and 2010 we peaked at the right time throughout the course of tournament."

Everyone remembers how the 2010 Olympics ended, with Sidney Crosby's overtime goal against the United States. What was your vantage point of that moment?

"I was on the bench, Pierre McGuire was right here for NBC. My vantage point, I saw it go in. It was pretty cool to be a part of that, just from passing the torch to (Crosby) coming in and whatnot. Couldn't script it any better."

You're transitioned into broadcasting now. How has that experience been?

"It's been awesome. I do about half the Amazon games. I'm doing 12 of the 25, and then I'm doing 13 or 14 Blues games. I've done, or am going to be doing, three 'Hockey Night in Canada' games. And then we'll see what happens for the playoffs. I don't know. I don't have anything booked, but we'll see. That'll all play out."

You stepped away from the game for a bit. Are you enjoying the experience of being back in locker rooms?

"I obviously did the stretch in Florida, senior adviser to Dale (Tallon, former Panthers general manager) from 2017 to March of 2020, and then just kind of stepped away, had other things I wanted to do. I was building out a speaking platform and some other stuff. I went down the road of meeting when TNT and ESPN first bought the rights, met with both and just talked to them about what that would look like, and just wasn't a fit yet. And then as things kind of played out, it became a little bit easier. And my kids are a little bit older, my two boys, are out of the house. ... You get to see where everybody's at. You get a good look at people in that sense. It's been good to get back and kind of be around the rinks and get a chance to really immerse myself into what we're doing here with Amazon. It's been a lot of fun. Good group of people."

Are there any teams that have impressed you so far?

"You look at the teams that are rebuilding, you look at the teams that are retooling, you look at the teams that are in their prime, so to speak, and then teams that think they are, and you're like, 'Yeah, I don't think you're there yet.' So, there's the haves and have-nots, and then there's those that are kind of working towards that. Some are realistic in expectations of we're in a rebuild, we're in a retool, what have you. You can just tell by the standings the teams that are ... you look at Edmonton now, they're firing on all cylinders. They're healthier, is back, they've got more depth. Because of all the injuries that were in the league, you can see the teams that now are getting guys back, everybody slots into the right spot, so then players are in a position to succeed and they're not playing above their skill level."

One of the bigger surprises has been one of your old teams, the Anaheim Ducks. What have you thought about their rise in the standings?

"I talk to Joel (Quenneville, coach) a fair amount. Seeing kind of where they're at in their development curve, but again, another team that rebuilt. The trick is, you've got to have your top picks pan out. Leo Carlsson's a stud. That has been on fire. Mason McTavish. And then they've got two young studs, and , and then they've got some veterans with and . You get that good mix."

There's also a pretty big spotlight on one of your other former teams, the Philadelphia Flyers, and second-year forward Matvei Michkov. Michkov and Rick Tocchet had an animated discussion on the bench during a recent game, and then Tocchet got aggravated answering questions from the media about Michkov. What was your take on all that?

"We heard a lot of Michkov questions. One too many. Probably a lot too many. I think people have to understand that you have to develop. He's a second-year player. It's not like he's been in the League four or five years, and you're like, ‘Hey, this is what he is.’ He's developing. He's being taught the NHL game coming from Russia, and how they play over there in the international game. It's different. So, I think just understanding, him learning some English, and understanding what the coach is actually telling him and the feedback. Talking about him, talking to him about switching with and all that stuff. Making a big deal about it, that happens 15 times a game. (But) just because it's him, (it's spotlighted). You could go to that game and there would probably be talks like that with five or six other players. But that's the one you focus on. As I know very well, things get blown out of proportion here because that's what everybody's focused on. And, you know, he's supposed to be X-Y-Z player, and he's going to be the guy that they're going to ride to the promised land. Well, that remains to be seen, because he's developing. And you don't come in a league and ... look at in Montreal. Everybody thought he was going to be a 100-point guy. This is a very hard league; you're playing against the top players in the world. It's not easy. And so, you see the adversity players go through. Are they putting in the work? Are they getting better? Are they learning from all the mistakes and learning to mold and shape their game? And so that part of it is interesting to watch."