Chris Pronger

“Growing up, I ate, slept and breathed hockey. I got home from school, I shot pucks, played outdoor hockey, road hockey, go home for dinner... Remember this is pre-Internet, barely any video games, I had a Commodore Vic-20. If you weren't doing your homework, you were outside playing hockey, most likely.”

“You miss the routine. That's the biggest thing. That's probably the biggest thing that put me into a hole, that you don't have a routine, you don't get up and work out and then eat and then go to the rink and practice an all those things in a set schedule.”

“In the '90s, when I started, it was still a rough-and-tumble, physical league. You take the hook and holding and a little bit of the physicality out of the game, and the speed ratcheted up two-fold.”

“Unless you're dying, it's ingrained in our culture to play. Pain doesn't hurt; it's just pain.”

“I'm very interested one day in becoming a GM. I have a lot to learn and need to put some work in. But down the road at some point, under the right circumstances, it's definitely something I'm interested in pursuing.”

“If I don't write things down, good luck. I was talking to my mom last night. I take another call, tell her I'll call right back, 10 minutes. Think I remembered?”

“You want to be the guy to carry the Stanley Cup around and leave the game on a high note. As we all know that rarely happens.”

“Fans are fickle, it's the nature of the beast.”

“I'm from the middle of nowhere. I had to drive four hours just to find a city. It's a different upbringing. It was perfect for me. I love the small-town feel, where you know everybody.”

“Everybody wants to go out like a John Elway, where he wins two Super Bowls and is able to retire on his own terms.”

“I had a set schedule since I was 15, since I started playing junior hockey. When you don't have that sometimes you try to find something new and it's difficult.”

“Obviously, I played two years in Hartford and I have a lot of fond memories.”

“A lot of guys are missing teeth and don't get them fixed until they're done. I think that's pretty much the hockey trademark... guys figure, well, we're going to lose our teeth anyway, so we'll get them fixed when we're done.”

“My cognitive skills are a little suspect at times. It comes and goes on certain days. I can be sitting here and you might say what's wrong with him, and I'll figure out what I was saying and start going again.”

“We are a boutique luxury travel company that caters to elite athletes and C-suite executives who feel the same pressures and time constraints as elite athletes. Having been one, I understand the pressures and the demands on your time.”

“Sometimes, I actually feel good when I get a penalty, because I get to rest for two minutes - hopefully just two minutes.”