Chris Pronger Has a Message for Bills Safety Damar Hamlin after Freak Accident
For any who missed it, during Monday Night Football Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed to the ground suddenly, sending a wave of fright around the sports community. Hamlin had to be resuscitated on the field and intubated at the hospital, leading to the game's postponement.
Athletes and other prominent sporting figures have submitted their thoughts & prayers to Hamlin and his family, showing that people come before sports every time. One individual with a unique perspective is retired NHL defenseman Chris Pronger.
In the spring of '98 - amidst a heated playoff battle with the Detroit Red Wings - Pronger was struck by a Dmitri Mironov slapshot, which led to him collapsing to the ice. Pronger's incident was nearly identical to Hamlin's in that sense:
Due to its sensitive nature, you may need to open the video in a separate browser to view.
Pronger said that he was able to play in the next game, which sounds absolutely insane. He said after wearing a heart monitor and undergoing tests, doctors cleared him to play.
Due to his prior experience, Pronger is as qualified as anyone to know and feel what Hamlin and his family experienced on Monday night. Naturally, his sentiment likely resonates at a higher frequency given the similarities to their frightening episodes.
Update on Hamlin
As of 1:48am on Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills confirmed that Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after performing a routine tackle in which his chest bore the blunt impact. His heartbeat had to be restored on the field, and the safety is sedated and in critical condition as they perform a range of tests.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Cam Atkinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Simon Holmstom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Victor Hedman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Scott Mayfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Dmitry Orlov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ondrej Palat | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Damon Severson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Shea Theodore | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||