Former Oiler Chris Pronger makes major personal announcement

Now 52 years old, Pronger was selected 2nd overall in the 1993 draft and went on to play 1167 career games with the Whalers, Blues, Oilers, Ducks, and Flyers. He'll be continuing his hockey career now on the media side.

In a statement released on social media today, Pronger himself announced he'll be joining the Hockey Night broadcasts for this year.

Upon his official retirement in 2017, Pronger joined the Florida Panthers front office as a senior advisor to hockey operations and held the position until 2020. Last season he appeared on some American broadcast networks in limited capacity, but now is making the move back home to Canada for the full-time role.

Despite a reputation for being one of the best defenders of his era, he's still not too popular in Edmonton - the only Canadian team he played for.

Pronger played the 2005-06 season in Edmonton, leading the team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance, and then demanded a trade that offseason because his family didn't want to live in Edmonton.

It was an abrupt end to the Oilers having a competitive team, and deeply hurt the team's reputation attracting players afterward. That arguably kicked off the decade of darkness in Edmonton.

It's certainly a big addition for the Hockey Night in Canada crew, but it may not go over all too well with Oilers fans. We'll see how it goes beginning this Saturday night.