When Chris Pronger was a rookie, he was playing for the Hartford Whalers and said it felt as if every game his team played was against the Boston Bruins. It was only five times, actually, in that season of 1993-94, but Ray Bourque was a dominating figure behind the Bruins' blue line and was on his way to his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

Pronger, who had been taken as the No. 2 pick overall in the 1993 entry draft behind Alexandre Daigle after then-Hartford GM Brian Burke finagled to move up in order to take Pronger, was a gangly teenager about to turn 20.

	Pronger has grown into his big body and the role of an elite blueliner.

This year, at age 25 and a solid 6-foot-6, 220-pounder with the St. Louis Blues, he is about to go to his second All-Star game -- his first was last season -- and he is becoming the dominant defensive force that he so admired in Bourque so many years ago.

In contrast, Bourque will be making his 18th, and likely last, appearance in the All-Star game. Bourque has proven everything there is to prove as a player, and the Bruins aren't exactly knocking on Lord Stanley's door.

As the defensemen of Bourque's generation fade, the next generation of excellence has emerged with Pronger at the forefront.

"In any sport, there has to be a passing of the torch or moving it on to the younger players," said Pronger. "You still see the elite players being guys like Ray Bourque and Chris Chelios and Al MacInnis, players who have been in the league 15 years if not more. At some point, young players have to either have a chance or develop into players who are all-star caliber, and I think we're starting to see that a little bit."

Pronger said his first experience as an All-Star was very special not only because it was his inauguration into such an event but also because of its significance beyond that.

"It was a pretty big deal," he said. "Having a chance to play in Wayne Gretzky's last All-Star game and just getting a chance to be a part of it and seeing all the players you grew up watching, like Ray Bourque, it was an awesome experience. The game itself, in talking with Al MacInnis, he said it was the best one he'd ever played in. Guys were backchecking, they were really working hard out there, something that he said hadn't really happened much in previous games."

On the flip side, 39-year-old Bourque said for the last few, he realizes his time in the league is winding down with most people believing that he will not return to the All-Star game next year. "The last few, I've got to say that every one I'm in I say, 'This might be my last one,'" he said. "This year, I'm saying the same thing, it's probably my last one, so just enjoy it."

	“	In any sport, there has to be a passing of the torch or moving it on to the younger players. You still see the elite players being guys like Ray Bourque and Chris Chelios and Al MacInnis, players who have been in the league 15 years if not more. At some point, young players have to either have a chance or develop into players who are all-star caliber, and I think we're starting to see that a little bit. ”
		— Blues defenseman Chris Pronger

Bourque has spent his entire career with Boston. Pronger, who played two seasons in Hartford, didn't blossom until his second season with the Blues, to whom he was traded for Brendan Shanahan in the offseason in 1995. What's ironic is that Pronger said the reason he believes he made the jump to the next level is because of controversial coach Mike Keenan. Where some players have recoiled against his mean-spirited style, Pronger embraced it and profited from it.

"Moving out of Hartford was the best thing that ever happened to me," said Pronger. "Mike Keenan was hard on me, but at the same time, I think he really helped me out. He harped on me about conditioning and how valuable it is and how much you can improve your game. I think I've taken that to heart and trained very hard in the offseason."

Pronger said Keenan challenged him, and he understands why there are few people who have a middle-ground opinion on him. His style either seems to work for a player or it doesn't.

"It's because he is tough on players," said Pronger. "You've almost got to kind of look through that. He is a little squirrely, but sometimes that's good. He's a tough coach and he tries to enforce things through negatives instead of positives and some guys don't react very well to that and other guys do."

Bourque has mentored many a young defenseman in his distinguished career and said he's enjoyed watching Pronger and some of the other young stars such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Robert Svehla and Rob Blake really come of age.

"Pronger, Blake and Lidstrom are very special players," said Bourque. "Being in the league at such a young age, and seeing how they've matured over the years, they're really solid in all areas. They're big guys who play a lot of minutes and do a lot with the puck offensively and defensively they're very strong. I'd put Eric Desjardins in that class as well. For awhile there, I remember being asked, 'Are they the next (generation)? Is this the changing of the guard? Is it going to happen, and are those going to be the guys?' Well, they are the guys. You see it now."

Because of the schedule, the Bruins don't see Pronger more than twice in the regular season. But Pronger remembers Bourque very well from the early years ... just like Bourque remembers him.

"He came to Hartford and was a high pick with a lot of pressure and a lot of hype, and he was really a tall kid who had to grow into his body," said Bourque. "He had to learn what it takes to compete and be the best and how to have the work ethic every day. He figured all those things out and going to a place like St. Louis, maybe getting away from those expectations in Hartford and just giving him a fresh start, takes a lot of pressure away and he can focus on going out and doing your thing."

Pronger, on the other hand, said he didn't mind not having to see Bourque all the time, as much as he admired him.

"I remember one game he played 40 minutes and he was stronger in the last five minutes than he had been in the first five minutes," said Pronger. "Just watching him out there and seeing him able to dominate the game and control the play, it was a lot of fun. It wasn't too fun to be on the opposite side but it was just fun watching and hoping you get a chance to become that type of player."

Now, Pronger has become that player. And he and the other young defensemen have taken the torch from Bourque's generation.

"There are still a lot of things I need to improve on," Pronger said. "I think everybody is striving to be perfect, and you're never going to attain it. But if you keep working on your weaknesses, you're only going to get better."

At 25, that's a little scary.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe writes a weekly national NHL column that appears on Fridays.