George Parros to be leading voice in NHL player safety

SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman reported earlier today that former NHL forward George Parros would be named as a leading voice in the NHL Player Safety department. There has yet to be an official announcement, and Parros declined to comment on the move as well.

Parros, 37, looks set to join the Department of Player Safety for the NHL. Despite the report from Elliotte Friedman, there has been no official statement as of yet. Parros also declined to comment on the move.

Friedman states that current vice president Stephane Quintal would likely stay on to help the transition period. It is unlikely that he would stay on after that.

A source of Friedman’s said this about Quintal possibly leaving,

"“Three years was enough for him. That job eats away at you.”"

Parros was well-known for dropping the gloves during his career, with 1,092 penalty minutes over the course of his 474-game career. He spent most of his time with the Anaheim Ducks, but also had stints with the Los Angeles Kings, the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens.

Parros never played in a full 82-game season, with his highest game totals coming in 2010-11 (78), 2008-09 (74) and 2007-08 (69), all with the Anaheim Ducks. Unsurprisingly, Parros only broke into double digit points on a single occasion, with 10 points (five goals, five assists) during the 2008-09 season.

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Despite not ever being a scoring threat, Parros did serve a purpose during his time in the league. In a time where fighting was much more prevalent than it is now, Parros was among the best of those who chose to drop the gloves.

It was because of his willingness to drop the gloves that the Pennsylvania-born tough man broke the 100 penalty minute mark on five different ocassions, all with Anaheim. He finished his career with 18 goals, 18 assists and 1,092 penalty minutes in 474 games.