The Ivy League is not the traditional route to the NHL. With no athletic scholarships and tuition in the mid-five figures per year, most who exit such hallowed educational institutions do not immediately think of a life in hockey.
George Parros is different. Then again, a lot of things are different about the Avalanche’s recently acquired enforcer.
Parros has a Princeton pedigree and a bare-knuckled, blue-collar approach to his job. He can talk one- or two-syllable trash on the ice to opponents, then solve his teammates’ toughest crossword puzzle problems off it.
His father was an executive at Toys ‘R’ Us, and the only hockey he or anybody else in his family played was in an arcade. But despite a prep school education at one of New Jersey’s finest private schools, followed by four years and an economics degree at Princeton, Parros dreamed of a life banging into boards in hockey rinks – not in the boardrooms of the business world.
“I love the game and I developed a real passion for it,” said Parros, who hopes to play against his old team, the Los Angeles Kings, tonight at the Pepsi Center. “I just wanted to pursue a career in hockey, and so far I’m doing it.”
But Parros is smart enough to know he faces a few obstacles in making a long career of it. Enforcers are becoming more of an endangered species in the NHL. One recent cover story in The Hockey News was headlined “The Death of the Goon,” which detailed the decline of fighting and the need for “tough guys” in the game.
Parros, 6-feet-5, 232 pounds, has played two games for the Avalanche so far, with limited ice time.
He thought he had played well enough last season for the Kings to warrant at least another one, but he was placed on waivers in the preseason and claimed by the Avalanche.
“I was pretty upset by it,” said Parros, who played 55 games for the Kings, with two goals, five points and 138 penalty minutes. “I didn’t think I got much of a chance in preseason. I was upset, but Colorado picked me up and I’m happy here now. It’s a good bunch of guys and a great organization, and (general manager) Francois Giguere has been real good to me. I just want to do anything I can to help this team win, whether it’s getting in a fight, scoring a goal or whatever.”
Parros sports a wide, dark mustache – a kind of Snidely Whiplash look that fits his on-ice persona.
Off the ice, he is Dudley Do Right, but knows he must swing his fists as much as his stick at times.
“It’s still a part of the game, and I won’t hesitate to do it if needed,” Parros said. About the mustache, Parros said he grew it back a few weeks ago, after shaving it off and getting grief about it from teammates.
“He’s a good guy to have in the dressing room and he can help us on the ice,” said Avs veteran Ian Laperriere, who played with Parros at a couple of Kings’ training camps. “And yes, he’s very smart. I’m not a crossword guy, but he helps other guys out a lot.”
Parros battles the fighter stereotype, that they can’t do anything except drop the gloves on the ice.
“I have no doubt I can play in this league,” he said. “I’ve done it and I know I can keep doing it. I just hope I can get the chance to keep playing, and it’s up to me to make the most of that chance when I get it.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
