George Parros, who racked up over 1,000 penalty minutes in 474 NHL games, has joined the league’s Department of Player Safety.
Stephane Quintal, the senior vice president of the department, made the announcement today, noting that Parros, in addition to being a retired hockey player, is also a graduate of Princeton University, i.e. a pretty smart guy.
It’s an interesting hire, mostly because Parros is a former enforcer and there aren’t many of his ilk left in the league. The 36-year-old also suffered multiple fighting-related concussions during his career. He retired in 2014, and now he’ll join in the DoPS a Hall of Famer whose career was famously cut short by a concussion, Chris Pronger.
“It’s definitely something that will come into play later on down the line, I think,” Parros said of his head injuries in a 2014 interview with the Montreal Gazette. “But right now my head has held up pretty well, all things considered. I’ve been bashing it against skin and metal and ice and glass and boards and everything for a long time. I’m doing OK now, we’ll see. Ask me again in 10 years or so. ... I know the consequences of this life, I could have some painful days ahead of me, but I’ll deal with it then.”