Chris Pronger nearly died on the ice in Detroit. How he survived

It was Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit between the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and Chris Pronger's St. Louis Blues on May 10, 1998. Pronger was the captain of the Blues, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound intimidating defenseman and future Hall of Famer, who played 30 minutes with an assist in Game 1 in a 4-2 victory at JLA.

In his book, "Earned: The True Cost of Greatness from one of Hockey's Fiercest Competitors," Pronger described what happened next, how "my heart stopped, literally" when he was hit in the chest by a slapshot from Dmitri Mironov in the third period. He also highlights the importance of rapid medical intervention, which also saved the life seven years later, of Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, who suffered cardiac arrest on the bench against the Nashville Predators in 2005. "I remember getting hit and it stinging a bit," Pronger said on The Detroit News' OctoPulse podcast.

"When I went down, as I'm sure all Red Wings fans would know, as a member of the arch-rival Blues, I didn't want the fans to see me laying on the ice. "I must've blacked out because I kind of get up and, you can see on the video, I start trying to go to the bench but kind of stumble and collapse. My eyes rolled back and the next thing you know, I'm looking up at the rafters and I'm like, 'How the hell did that happen?

'" Pronger lost consciousness for about 20 to 30 seconds as St. Louis trainer Ray Barile and the Red Wings' medical staff rushed to the ice, cut off his jersey and began to check for a pulse. Just as they were about to start chest compressions, Pronger woke up without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).