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George James Parros (born December 29, 1979) is an American professional ice hockey player, who plays right wing for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. He is known as one of the enforcers for the team. He was part of the 2007 Stanley Cup winning Anaheim Ducks.
Early life
A native of Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania of Greek descent, he grew up in Randolph, New Jersey. He lived with his father, Jim, his mother, brother, and sister. He attended prep schools in the area until moving on to high school. Parros played high school hockey at the Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, with whom he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1994–1995, followed by All-State recognition as an upperclassman.[1] After high school, Parros attended an offseason event where he was seen by Princeton scouts. He was given a chance to play hockey at Princeton University.
Playing career
Juniors
After graduating high school in 1998, he deferred admission to Princeton University to play junior hockey with the Chicago Freeze in the North American Hockey League during the 1998–99 season. Playing in the juniors gave him a chance to improve his play and get a bit bigger. During his 54 games with the Freeze in Juniors, Parros nearly averaged a point per game.
College
Parros played four years at Princeton University, where he totaled 52 points and 119 PIM in 111 games. He was named team captain for his senior season in 2002–03. While at Princeton, Parros majored in economics and wrote his senior thesis on the West Coast longshoremen's labor dispute.[2] He was recently named the 4th smartest professional athlete by the Sporting News.[3]
Pro career
Parros was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the eighth round (222nd) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He had attended college before going professional. Upon graduation, he joined the American Hockey League's Manchester Monarchs, a Kings affiliate. Parros remained with the team through the 2004–05 season. His best season was 2004–05, when Parros had 22 points (14 goals, 8 assists) and 247 penalty minutes. He was second on the team in penalty minutes that season. He also appeared in three games with Reading the Los Angeles Kings ECHL affiliate.
In high school and college he had been an offensive player but he noticed that he needed to become a fighter to make it into the NHL. While in the Los Angeles system he took guidance from Ryan Flinn. Parros learned when to fight an opponent and how to fight while with Los Angeles. He also took boxing lessons to become a better fighter.[4]
He made the Kings' roster for the 2005–06 season. When Parros made his NHL debut with the Kings on Oct. 5, 2005, he became the seventh Princeton Tiger to play in the NHL. He scored his first NHL goal October 20 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas against the Dallas Stars. He recorded a goal, an assist and a major fighting penalty in the same game, an achievement known as a "Gordie Howe hat trick." He missed a total of 21 games over two different stretches between November and January of that season. However, he finished the 2005–06 season with two goals, three assists, and 138 PIM in 55 games. He played in the most games for a Kings' rookie during that season, as well as leading all Kings' players in major penalties.
On October 2, 2006, he was waived by the Kings and picked up by the Colorado Avalanche. He would play in only two games for the Avalanche. Just a month later, on November 13, 2006, Parros was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2nd round draft pick and an option to swap 3rd round picks. During the 2006–07 season he scored just one goal against the Chicago Blackhawks. Although not a player who scores a lot of goals, Parros has developed a rabid following amongst Anaheim Ducks fans. Fans attending games can be seen wearing false mustaches and signs reading "Parros Nation", "Respect the Stache", "Beware of the 'Stache", "Manly" & "Tough", amongst other things. He led the Ducks with 18 fighting majors during the regular season.
Parros was a member of the Anaheim Ducks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2007. George spent his day with the cup taking it to his high school where he played hockey. Later in the day he took it to Princeton University. He had a friend of a friend to fly him to his uncle's dairy farm in Pittsburgh, where his family was, and hosted a large bonfire. He put some moonshine in the Cup and had a pig-roast.[5] On June 12, 2007, coming off of the Stanley Cup win, George Parros and the Anaheim Ducks agreed to a two year contract.[6] The contract was worth 1.1 million dollars for two years. Parros had 183 penalty minutes during the 2007-08 NHL Season, at the conclusion of which the Ducks would be eliminated in the first round of their Stanley Cup defense by the Dallas Stars. His penalty minutes would drop to 135 the following season despite playing in an additional five games, while contributing five goals and five assists.
Awards and achievements
NAJHL All-Rookie Team - 1999
NAJHL Rookie of the Year - 1999
Stanley Cup - 2007
Transactions
June 26 1999 - Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 8th round, 222nd overall.
October 2, 2006 - Waived by Los Angeles and picked up by the Colorado Avalanche.
November 13, 2006 - Traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 2nd round draft pick and an option to swap 3rd round picks.
June 12, 2007 - Signed Two Year contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
January 29, 2009 - Signed Three Year extension with the Anaheim Ducks.
Mustache
Parros is known for the large mustache that he often grows during the season, which he has said was inspired by a musician named Sean "Greazy" Bryan, known for his elaborate facial hair. According to a Denver Post article on November 7, 2006, Parros received grief from teammates in Colorado for shaving the mustache. Parros grew the mustache back, but his short time as a member of the team ended. According to an OC Register article on Jan. 28, 2007, while in college Parros had a fantasy hockey team called the All-Star Mustaches. Growing up, Parros and his brother Jeff would have mustache-growing competitions.[7] "George Parros Mustaches" are also sold at the Anaheim Ducks team store inside the Honda Center, with the proceeds going to charity.[8]
Parros has a line of apparel called "Stache Gear" that benefits The Garth Brooks Teammates For Kids Foundation. In addition to his mustache, George Parros is known for growing his hair long. Parros did not always have long hair. He decided to start growing it out when he graduated from Princeton. As a representative for the school he had to keep himself well groomed. He decided to grow it out all summer until the first day of training camp with the Manchester Monarchs. According to an article in USA Hockey magazine Parros' hair got out of hand. Word got out that he was planning on cutting his long hair. An employee of the Monarchs told Parros of "Locks of Love."[9] Locks of Love is a charity organization that makes wigs for children that have lost their hair due to medical conditions. When his hair reaches the appropriate length, he donates it every Christmas.
Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1996–97 Delbarton Green Wave NJ-HS 14 15 8 23 — — — — — —
1997–98 Delbarton Green Wave NJ-HS 15 22 17 39 — — — — — —
1998–99 Chicago Freeze NAHL 54 30 20 50 126 — — — — —
1999–00 Princeton University NCAA 27 4 2 6 14 — — — — —
2000–01 Princeton University NCAA 31 7 10 17 38 — — — — —
2001–02 Princeton University NCAA 31 9 13 22 38 — — — — —
2002–03 Princeton University NCAA 22 0 7 7 29 — — — — —
2002–03 Manchester Monarchs AHL 9 0 1 1 7 — — — — —
2003–04 Manchester Monarchs AHL 57 3 6 9 126 5 0 0 0 4
2004–05 Manchester Monarchs AHL 67 14 8 22 247 6 1 1 2 27
2004–05 Reading Royals ECHL 3 0 0 0 9 — — — — —
2005–06 Los Angeles Kings NHL 55 2 3 5 138 — — — — —
2006–07 Colorado Avalanche NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Anaheim Ducks NHL 32 1 0 1 132 5 0 0 0 10
2007–08 Anaheim Ducks NHL 69 1 4 5 183 1 0 0 0 0
2008–09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 74 5 5 10 135 7 0 0 0 9
2009–10 Anaheim Ducks NHL 57 4 0 4 136 — — — — —
2010–11 Anaheim Ducks NHL 78 3 1 4 171 6 0 0 0 16
NHL totals 367 16 13 29 865 19 0 0 0 35
References
^ Gulitti, Tom. "Devil's Jim Dowd paves way N.J. hockey players", The Record (Bergen County), February 10, 2007. Accessed May 29, 2007. "George Parros, RW, Anaheim: Born in Washington, Pa., the heavyweight moved to Randolph and played at Delbarton and Princeton."
^ Parros, George J. "Trouble on the Docks", Princeton University Senior Theses Full Record
^ http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/feed/2010-09/smart-athletes/story/sporting-news-names-the-20-smartest-athletes-in-sports
^ Brady, Adam. "George Parros Q&A"
^ Perez, A.J. "Q&A: Anaheim Ducks tough guy George Parros"
^ Associated Press "Ducks lock up Travis Moen, George Parros"
^ Miller, Jeff. "'stache back"
^ Woodburn, Graig.For Ducks' Parros, games are tough to watch
^ Stancher, Craig
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