Pronger, Karmanos to be inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015

Tuesday June 30, 2015

Two integral pieces of OHL history have been recognized as being among the greats of the game as Chris Pronger and Peter Karmanos Jr. will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015 announced on Monday in Toronto.

Arguably one of the best defencemen to ever don an OHL jersey, Chris Pronger left his mark on the league as a member of the Peterborough Petes from 1991-93, appearing in 155 regular season and playoff games, recording 48 goals, 140 assists, 188 points, and 277 penalty minutes.

Before being drafted by the Hartford Whalers second overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pronger was named an OHL First Team all-star and won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman while also capturing the CHL Plus/Minus Award, and CHL Defenceman of the Year honours. Pronger returned to The Electric City in November where he was honoured by the Petes in a special banner raising ceremony. WATCH.

Pronger’s NHL career spanned 18 seasons, including 1167 regular season and 173 playoff games. He scored 183 goals, 636 assists, 829 points and 1916 penalty minutes and appeared in six all-star games, won the Norris and Hart trophies in 2000, and captured the Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007. Internationally, Pronger won Olympic Gold with Team Canada in 2002 and 2010.

“Somebody briefed me that [the Hall] was talking about maybe changing the bylaws and allowing injured players who were still under contract to be able to go into the Hall of Fame. I knew at that point I’d been out for about three-and-a-half years,” Pronger said of a change that happened earlier this year. “It was exciting to hear the news. I got the call today from [Lanny McDonald] and [John Davidson] and was very excited to get it.”

Pronger was joined by fellow OHL contributor Peter Karmanos Jr. in his induction to the Hall of Fame. Karmanos has been involved in hockey for more than four decades, starting the Compuware youth hockey program in the late 70’s that helped produce such names as Pat LaFontaine, Mike Modano, Eric Lindros and Kevin Hatcher before building a long- lasting legacy in the Ontario Hockey League.

The founder and former owner of the Plymouth Whalers franchise began his time in the OHL as owner of the Windsor Spitfires in 1984 before playing a big role in OHL expansion into the United States. In 1989, Karmanos led an ownership team that was granted an expansion franchise, leading to the birth of the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors who, over time, evolved into the Detroit Jr. Red Wings, Detroit Whalers, Plymouth Whalers and are now the current day Flint Firebirds.

Karmanos won two OHL Championships during his time in ownership. The 1995 Detroit Jr. Red Wings and 2007 Plymouth Whalers both claimed the OHL crown before making appearances in the MasterCard Memorial Cup.  He is recognized as a tremendous builder in the OHL for over 30 years, aiding in the development of such modern day NHL stars as Stephen Weiss, James Neal and James Wisniewski. He was recognized by the OHL in 2010 as the recipient of the Bill Long Award for Distinguished Service presented in recognition and appreciation of outstanding contributions to the OHL.

Karmanos’ hockey legacy expands into the NHL as well, one that includes a Stanley Cup title as owner of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, a franchise he established in 1994 when he bought the Hartford Whalers, moving the team to Raleigh, NC, in 1997.

Pronger and Karmanos will be joined by fellow inductees Sergei Fedorov, Phil Housley, Nicklas Lidstrom, Bill Hay and Angela Ruggiero for the Hockey Hall of Fame’s induction weekend November 6-9 in Toronto.

For more information please visit hhof.com.