Pronger may turn to Primeau for recovery guidance

Chris Pronger is on the verge of reaching out to former Flyer Keith Primeau to help him get through the most difficult period of his career - and perhaps his life.

Pronger, the Flyers' star defenseman, whose Hall-of-Fame career may be over, has been sidelined by a concussion and has not played since November.

Primeau's career was shortened because of a concussion.

"That has been brought up lately; there are a lot of parallels between the two," Lauren Pronger, Chris' wife, said during the Flyers Wives Carnival on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center. "I think Chris is now starting to realize maybe he should be in communication with him to know what's ahead of him. The more information you get, the better off you are. You kind of know what to expect and what you're going to be going through.

"Obviously, there will be differences, but if you have somebody that's been through it," it will help.

Primeau could not be reached for comment.

Lauren Pronger said her husband has "good and bad days. Unfortunately, I can't report any major improvement. It's very disheartening. . . . He's not himself, and it's not in a good way."

She said she sees "a lot of difference in Chris" since he was injured. "We're just hoping to have a couple of good days in a row and see him back to his normal self again. I know he wants that, too. It's very frightening for him as well."

Lauren Pronger called her husband's recovery "disheartening" and said he wants to be on the ice "more than anyone. This is what he loves. This is his passion."

The Prongers live in Haddonfield with their three children.

Chris Pronger, 37, "rests a lot because he needs that brain to heal," his wife said. "He does as much as he can, but he's pretty much homebound."

As for the well-attended carnival, Lauren Pronger served as cochairman with Nadine Coburn, wife of Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn. Before Sunday, the event had raised $23 million since its inception 35 years ago.

"To see the support in the city and see how much we raise and give back to all these charities, it is very special," Lauren Pronger, 34, said.

During the event, a young boy asked for her autograph.

"Really! You want my autograph?!" she said.

She complied.

Later, she said it was awkward.

"I guess I'm second-best to Chris," she said with a smile.

Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at scarchidi@phillynews.com or @BroadStBull on Twitter.