Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger was a giant on the ice. He stood 6'6" without skates and is known as one of the most dominant defensemen in the history of the National Hockey League.

Drafted second overall in 1993 by the Hartford Whalers, Pronger played for five teams over the course of his 18-year career, helping the Anaheim Ducks to a Stanley Cup victory in 2007. A native Canadian, Pronger also earned two Olympic gold medals (2002, 2010) as a member of Team Canada.

After his fifth season playing for the St. Louis Blues (1999-2000), Pronger became, along with Bobby Orr—who is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, hockey player in history—the only other player to earn the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) and the James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best Defenseman) in the same season.

Pronger's career came to an end early in the 2011-12 season when he was forced to retire due to post-concussion syndrome. In 2015, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and in 2017, Pronger was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players."

Pronger was big, indeed. But his career and his achievements were a testament to his mental toughness.

Pronger says, "Mental toughness is built by embracing discomfort. High performers thrive under stress because they've trained themselves to continually face adversity, knowing it's where the growth happens."

Fellow St. Louisan, Dr. Jason Selk, who we've mentioned in these pages several times, is an expert on the mental game, not only in sports, but in life. He was on staff as the Director of Mental Training for the St. Louis Cardinals, when they won the 2011 World Series.

A strategy Selk suggests trying to improve mental toughness is a 3-step process:

• make a winning game plan

• review it regularly

• evaluate or adjust as necessary.

These days, Dr. Selk charges thousands of dollars per hour for his help. Nevertheless, he has my full endorsement.

But, if you're not willing to go that deep into your wallet, I recently published an ebook on mental toughness called Mental Toughness – Mastering Resilience for Success that you can get for less than four bucks.

If you read it, you probably won't automatically become a world champion or a great hockey player, but we do provide a framework and some strategies to build your own mental toughness.

And it's a small investment. Like I said, currently less than four bucks:

As always,

Brian