Chris Pronger comments on Damar Hamlin injury, reminisces about the slap shot that nearly stopped his heart

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Matt Garland
January 3, 2023 (1:46 PM)

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Former NHL star Chris Pronger is one of the few people alive who might know exactly what Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is going through. Pronger survived a scary on-ice incident similar to what happened with Hamlin on Monday, when the NFL player collapsed in the middle of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pronger's incident took place in 1998. He took a slapshot to the chest in the middle of a game. Pronger dropped to one knee after taking the blow, then got up and tried to skate off before falling to the ice. He was hospitalized after the incident and released the next day.

Hamlin took a hit to the chest and then went into cardiac arrest in the middle of the game, in a frightening moment broadcast to millions of NFL fans. "His heartbeat was restored on the field," the Bills tweeted, adding that he has been taken to hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Several doctors who saw the hit have suggested it was a case of commotio cordis, an often deadly phenomenon that happens when a person takes a sudden, blunt impact to the chest. The Bills and Hamlin's reps have not confirmed that commotio cordis was the cause of the injury, although the phenomenon is known to affect young athletes in contact sports such as football, rugby and hockey.

Pronger has Hamlin in his thoughts and prayers posting via his twitter account.

"Prayers that Damar Hamlin can have the same outcome that I was fortunate to have with my incident,"Pronger tweeted on Tuesday, along with a clip from his injury. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Damar, his family, teammates and the greater NFL community during this incredibly scary time."

Pronger told NHL.com a few years ago that he didn't realize how close he came to dying in that moment.

"My eyes roll back in my head and then I went down. At the time, you're young and you don't take it serious," he recalled. "But as time goes on, you read about these types of incidents and that kids die from it. I was lucky."

Hamlin is still in hospital currently. We send our thoughts and prayers to him and his family.