OverDrive - Pronger on the mindset towards the playoffs, the physicality aspect and the Maple Leafs' team stance

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

Hockey Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup Champion Chris Pronger joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs and Panthers' matchup, the physicality aspect of his game in his career, Alex Ovechkin's goal scoring with the Capitals and more.

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Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. Here's our good friend joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Long time on each other. Hall of Famer, there he is, Chris Pronger. What's happening in Bronx? Not much, just in the midst of a tornado warning, big storm, but I understand you guys are getting pelted with some not too fun weather. Frozen rain.

No, it's got a Dryden, Ontario vibe outside right now. That's what it feels like. Do you ever go back there, Prongs? Do you go back in the summer anything or no uh... i've been back a couple times uh... over the last three or four years but uh... one of my friends moved away they live in winnipeg or they live and outrout or uh... don't know who lives in kenora now this kind of moved all over the place

well we got a big hard to get away together as you know i hear you we hear you that's that's life as you get older Unfortunately, it's the truth, but it does feel like hockey weather is still here And we got a big one. You know with the Panthers in town tonight And you know players on both sides paying lip service to it that it'll have a playoff feel to it etc etc Is that like how close can it actually get it's not going to have a playoff atmosphere It just it can't the physicality the pace But you've been in scenarios like this less than ten games to go fighting for a position could play each other in the first round

Like how how how crazy energy wise physicality wise kind of hatred on the ice wise could we be expecting tonight? Well, I would ask you why can't it could we be expecting tonight? Well, I would ask you why can't it? I'd like to see it. If I'm either team, I'm setting the tone. If they do have a good chance of meeting each other, then this is the chance to set the record straight and explain to one side or the other

exactly what this matchup's going to look like and how this series may play out. What would that be for Toronto prongs? For a team that doesn't run you over, they don't really fight, and they've not been known as a physical team throughout their history of this group, what would they want to show Florida that they can outpace them, that they can outskill them and make them pay in the power play? What kind of message would you like to see from the Leafs or could you say?

I would yeah I would just like to see just maniacal compete in the sense that board battles not the physicality or the physical nature of the game but more in just the will to win the puck battles and just want to control the puck, want to control the play, play more on offense, which I believe they would want to, less in their own end, and just get on the attack more and not be so reactionary, whether it be to the physicality of Florida,

the punches in the face, the face washes, all that type of stuff and just Start now with the edict. We're just gonna turn the cheek We're gonna just we're gonna play between the whistles and we're not gonna get involved in the shenanigans that we've seen Florida Do from time to time? So prongs you've been in these battles you also were a master of getting in the head of an opponent so if you wanted to send a a master of getting in the head of an opponent. So if you wanted to send a message, whether you're playing either for Toronto or you're playing for Florida, do you go after the big boys? Do you go after and it's, hey, I'll waste the, I'll take a two minute penalty

for a slash letting the guy know like, hey, this is going to be, this is what you're going to be in for either not only in this game, but down the stretch and into the playoffs. If we see you, you kind of, of you try and send that message like physically you were a guy that wasn't shy to to take a penalty and send a message yeah I think the loss of Matthew Kachuck here really hurts Florida and this he seems to set the tone for that team from the from that aspect you can have Bennett play a physical brand now Now with Marsh on there, he can be doing a lot of that in the absence of Matthew Kachuk.

I think if you're Florida, you're sending a tone, okay, we're the Stanley Cup champions, we're going to get our swagger back. They were on a nice little run and they've kind of been a little, lackadaisical for lack of a better term over the last 10 or 15 games since the Four Nations. They've had some good games and they've had some lackluster games. I think if you're them, you're kind of really sitting there thinking, okay, we've got to really turn the tide here. No Eklad, no Kachuk. You've got Seth Jones in the mix and trying to get him acclimated and really solidify his role within the team.

So they've got some question marks that they really need answered. Prongs, back in the day when you were sending messages, hurting people's arms and things, did Billy McCreary or anyone ever come up to you saying, ah, let me watch your stick tonight? You've been seeing some stuff that's been going on back there that's a little bit eerie.

Did any of those guys ever say anything, or was that just standard business protocol back there? I think it was so egregious that it was more just, it got to a level where they were just like, okay, that's enough. And I'm like, okay, okay. And if I felt like it was the time and place to maybe go cross that line now

and not listen to the official and maybe take that penalty or really send that message, then I might really say, all right, the referee understands the line I'm on right now, so I'm just gonna cross it and make this guy that maybe wants to stand a little too close to the crease or may want to try to park himself in an area where I don't really want him to be, I'll take a two. But as a forward, I have to tell you, I would go up to the ref and show them my throbbing

wrist and fingers and say, that's what maybe lay off that stuff means. My hand's broken and you're telling the guy to maybe lay off a little bit I'm like, how about a five-minute major or a two-minute minor? I remember a time in Philadelphia during the right before the playoffs my first year Somebody came in the front of the net. So I'm like, all right I started cross checking them in the low back and then my stick slowly started creeping up and right about the time I got about to the shoulder blades the referee's like, that's too high! Yeah your A cross checks deep.

I remember being in the net one time because it would be pronger and then it would come out it's McInnis and Al was sneaky dirty too. Oh he was no angel either. He came across as Mr. Slapshot guy. That guy was dirty. He was fish hooking a guy in the corner. He had his finger in his mouth and was fish hooking him, screaming at Richard Trache that the guy had slashed him.

And meanwhile he had his finger basically twisting his head off and yelling for the guy to get a penalty like that's you see That every shift in st. Louis between these two guys. It was a penalty every shift. That's really what it was Well, I mean I call it every shift. So exactly I don't know you gotta put the whistles away at some point and I'm sure you ran into other teams that were willing to Play that game too. And I'm curious how you would feel about that pr like I'm sure you'd love to send a message and the guy gets it He's like, all right. I'm not coming by the crease anymore I'm not gonna battle for you in front of in the corner or wherever it is

But when you face your steepest competition back in the day and you knew they were coming back for you I mean, what was that like to maybe be on the other side of it where it's like you'd be hacking a guy hacking a Guy and that guy was like, all right, I'm getting you this time. Did you feel like you had to... You knew it was coming or what? Yeah. It's a process.

It's a process, and ultimately, the top guys, the power forwards of that era, they're going to push back. They're not just going to stand there and take it. There's going to be moments. They're going to try to get you in the corner in front of that turn the tables as he suggested uh... but it is a war of attrition and ultimately over a long seven game series my goal was to try to wear on your grind on you and

slowly see you move from the the top of the blue paint to the hash marks to the top of the hash marks to then the top of the circles and then by that point i've done my job and you can go stand out there. With Chris Pronger, in terms of that war of attrition and how much energy is necessary to get up for the playoffs every single year, where do you stand on Florida finding that energy and finding that exuberance and the ability to start fresh and do it again considering they've been to two straight cup finals.

Well, I think that's one of the reasons why we don't see so-called dynasties in this era. It is so incredibly hard to win the Stanley Cup. They were fortunate enough, they got right back on the horse and were able to accomplish it, albeit it looked like it was slipping away in Edmonton for a little bit and then pulled it back in game seven back in Florida. I think you get new bodies. You kind of turn over your roster a little bit.

You put players in different roles and positions to kind of keep it fresh. But they still have the same stalwarts, the same key guys. It's a lot of the third and fourth line guys, the younger guys coming up that are maturing and developing that take on bigger roles. They've now got the experience of whether they went to that first cup final or they were part of the team last year and really have a unique understanding of what it took to be successful and ultimately win the the cherished prize the stanley cup

are they your your pace car still in the east of the the the team you think is you know best suited for a cup run uh... well they they've got arguably the best center to a center in the game barkov uh... my question mark would be their health the best center, two-way center in the game, Barkov. My question mark would be their health. You know, what's the mindset of Aaron Bechlad when he comes back from his suspension?

How healthy is Matthew Kachuck going to be come playoff time? They're a different team when he's not in the lineup. You know, again, as I mentioned earlier, the addition of Marshawn helps, and once he gets a little more acclimated and more familiar with their system and style of play, albeit it's fairly similar to Boston in the physicality nature, but there's still new teammates and systems that you've got to learn. I don't know. I probably wouldn't pick them.

Three years in a row going to the finals, that's a lot of tax on the body. I'm not sure. We've seen how many injuries they've accumulated, not only last year in the cup run, but now this year. I think it'll be a fresh face, to be honest with you. I think Dallas will turn the corner. I think the whole Ranton and things kind of taking on a life of its own. And now they look like they're starting to find some chemistry and figure out what he's

going to do in their lineup. Sometimes it's an adjustment for the coach with a player like that trying to figure out where he fits in the power play. You don't want to disrupt all the chemistry that you had. They were humming on all cylinders and now they kind of lost a step after that transaction. So we'll see how they do. Colorado looks good. I think it's a question mark how well can they play defensively. And then Washington, I mean, they just keep humming along. I mean, it is incredible to see their young guys how they've developed.

You know obviously we're on a Ovechkin watch but you look at some of the players they just added Leonard. They're adding guys non-stop to young youthful presence to the lineup that you know they're getting quality goaltending. Their defense core really seems pretty solid back there so it'll be interesting to see how they uh... they do they're gonna get a little their matchup in the first round might be auto-odd might be much for also we'll see how that plays out where do you stand on uh... this this reality of what's gonna happen here with a batch can score again last

night these four goals offsetting a new record it's going to happen i think likely this year if not early in the next season so what happens this year yeah it looks it feels like it's gonna happen Like he's getting way too many chances not to score four goals and wide open like last night He just he's got a nose for it. Like it just Wide open cage But you you know, you played against Gretzky you grew up as a Canadian

I'm sure kind of idolizing what Gretzky was doing and the stats and you played against Ovechkin when he came into the league This is this is a statistically 894. I just never even thought anyone would come close. And here we are. Not even close, Hayes. No, exactly. Like when Gretzky passed, how it was like, all right, that's it. Like, see you later. Yeah. And Ovi's going to do it here. How do you put it into perspective playing against both guys and having an understanding of the history of the game? Well you think of the consistency that it takes and the style of play that he has. Running guys and getting banged on in front.

It's not like, yes he goes and stands in that spot and finds the quiet area, but he also in in other parts of his game crashes the net gets to the dirty areas five on five play uh... so it's not like he's not bangin bodies and taking a physical toll out there and and just that he has not missed very many games wrote his career which speaks to the consistency in this record you know you got a score forty plus goals a year for 20 years.

It's incredible, man. It is. And he had that little dip where he scored like 32, 34 in back-to-back years, and that was 15 years ago. And you think he's on the decline. And he's just getting cooking just get cook at that point he's hit sixty i think once in his career but that's another that let's get a different career but gretsky had seasons were scored eight ninety two into the seventies eighties likey all these just been like fifty every year

for twenty years you know it's just it's crazier than i played in a alumni game with mike art and we're just talking before one out of the ice and he asked me how many times i scored thirty goals and i said i think four times and i was like what about you he goes seventeen yeah yeah

because i was a thirty goals seventeen years and all these like trump that like forty goals for twenty years that's. That's insane. It's amazing. Yeah, it's amazing Well, listen, we'll see the Leafs Panther game tonight. We got a few games tonight We're getting close to the real stuff in a couple of weeks So it's gonna be a good stretch run and I'm sure we'll catch up with you again real real soon Thank you for doing this Chris. We appreciate it. Yeah my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Good luck your leaf So Doug, there you go Chris, we appreciate it. Yeah, my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Good luck to your leafs, oh, Doug.

There you go. There he is, Chris Pronger. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. All new, all Canadian. The best of our great nation, one song at a time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi, this is Terry Clark.

We are Nickelback. Made in Canada on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip hop, and when it comes to country, it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all-new digital radio station from coast to coast. Made in Canada, played in Canada on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. It's gonna get loud.