Dryden's Chris Pronger to become newest Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Pronger won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, and twice won Olympic Gold with Team Canada
The defenceman who hails from Dryden, has played for the St. Louis Blues, the Edmonton Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks, before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Pronger said he's proud to take his place among other hockey legends in the Hall of Fame.
He told CBC News he's "very happy and excited — not only for myself, but also for my parents and my family and my wife and kids and everybody who's supported me over the years and been a part of the long journey and ride to get to this point."
Pronger won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and twice won Olympic Gold with Team Canada.
In 2011, injuries forced him to hang up his skates.
"There's been a lot of ups and downs and a lot of good times, a lot of tough times, but we're all very excited and extremely stoked," he said.
Pronger's induction sets new precedent
But Pronger is still under contract as an NHL player, and his inclusion is the result of a bylaw change that allowed him to be eligible. He last played a game more than three full seasons ago because of post-concussion syndrome.
"Nothing I've done has been the easy way, so I guess this would follow suit," Pronger said.
Pronger won the Hart Trophy as MVP and Norris Trophy as top defenceman and capture the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. He also led the 2006 Edmonton Oilers and 2010 Philadelphia Flyers to the final.
Along the way, he built a reputation as one of the most fearsome defencemen in hockey history.
Pronger thanks his Finnish mother for his on-ice persona.
"I have a very short temper," Pronger said. "It wouldn't take much to set me off."
He now works for the National Hockey League's department of player safety.
The induction ceremony will take place tonight at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Pronger will be inducted along with Detroit Red Wings stars Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, American defencemen Phil Housley and Angela Ruggiero and builders Peter Karmanos Jr. and Bill Hay.