George Parros
Encyclopedia
George James Parros is an Greek American
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...

 professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 player, who plays right wing
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 for the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

. He is known as one of the enforcer
Enforcer (hockey)
Enforcer is an unofficial role in ice hockey. The term is sometimes used synonymously with "fighter", "tough guy", or "goon". NHL players regarded as enforcers include Tiger Williams, Tony Twist, Bob Probert, Dave Semenko, Dave Schultz, Tie Domi, Dave Brown, Joey Kocur, Clark Gillies, Stu Grimson,...

s for the team. He was part of the 2007 Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 winning Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

Early life

A native of Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania
Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania
Scenery Hill is an unincorporated community in North Bethlehem Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It serves as the postal address for most North Bethlehem Township residents. The ZIP code is 15360....

 of Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 descent, he grew up in Randolph, New Jersey
Randolph, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,847 people, 8,679 households, and 6,804 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,185.2 people per square mile . There were 8,903 housing units at an average density of 424.7 per square mile...

. 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
Delbarton School
Delbarton School is a private all-male Roman Catholic college preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey, educating young men from 7th to 12th grade. Delbarton is a Catholic independent school directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey....

 in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...

, with whom he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1994–1995, followed by All-State recognition as an upperclassman. 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
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

.

Juniors

After graduating high school in 1998, he deferred admission to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 to play junior hockey with the Chicago Freeze
Chicago Freeze
The Chicago Freeze was a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's West Division. The team was originally the Detroit Freeze until it relocated to a Chicago suburb of Geneva...

 in the North American Hockey League
North American Hockey League
The North American Hockey League is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States 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
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, 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
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 and wrote his senior thesis on the West Coast longshoremen's labor dispute. He was recently named the 4th smartest professional athlete by the Sporting News.

Pro career

Parros was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the eighth round (222nd) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
1999 NHL Entry Draft
The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Sports Illustrated and other sports news agencies, at the time the 1999 draft was considered one of the deepest in talent in years, headed by Patrik Stefan and the Sedin twins. However, the...

. He had attended college before going professional. Upon graduation, he joined the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

's Manchester Monarchs
Manchester Monarchs
The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...

, 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
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

 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
Ryan Flinn
Ryan Patric Flinn is a former American football punter. He played college football at the Central Florida.-College career:...

. 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.

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
American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood, near downtown Dallas, Texas.It is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, and the Dallas Stars of the NHL....

 in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

 against the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

. He recorded a goal, an assist and a major fighting penalty in the same game, an achievement known as a "Gordie Howe hat trick
Gordie Howe hat trick
In ice hockey, a Gordie Howe hat trick is a variation on the hat-trick, wherein a player scores a goal, records an assist, and gets in a fight all in one game. It is named after Gordie Howe, well known for his skill at both scoring and fighting....

." 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
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

. 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
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 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
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

 team that won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 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. On June 12, 2007, coming off of the Stanley Cup win, George Parros and the Anaheim Ducks agreed to a two year contract. The contract was worth 1.1 million dollars for two years. Parros had 183 penalty minutes during the 2007-08 NHL Season
2007-08 NHL season
The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation of the National Hockey League . It began on September 29, 2007, with the regular season ending April 6, 2008...

, at the conclusion of which the Ducks would be eliminated in the first round of their Stanley Cup defense by the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...

. 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
    Stanley Cup
    The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

     - 2007

Transactions

  • June 26 1999
    1999 NHL Entry Draft
    The 1999 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. According to Sports Illustrated and other sports news agencies, at the time the 1999 draft was considered one of the deepest in talent in years, headed by Patrik Stefan and the Sedin twins. However, the...

     - Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings
    Los Angeles Kings
    The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

     in the 8th round, 222nd overall.
  • October 2, 2006 - Waived by Los Angeles and picked up by the Colorado Avalanche
    Colorado Avalanche
    The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

    .
  • November 13, 2006 - Traded to the Anaheim Ducks
    Anaheim Ducks
    The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

     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. "George Parros Mustaches" are also sold at the Anaheim Ducks team store inside the Honda Center, with the proceeds going to charity.

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." Locks of Love
Locks of Love
Locks of Love is a non-profit charity based in the United States. The organization accepts donations of human hair and money, with the stated intention of making wigs for needy children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition in Canada and the USA....

 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
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

.

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP G
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...

A
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...

Pts
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...

PIM
Penalty (ice hockey)
A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...

GP G A Pts PIM
1996–97 Delbarton Green Wave
Delbarton School
Delbarton School is a private all-male Roman Catholic college preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey, educating young men from 7th to 12th grade. Delbarton is a Catholic independent school directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey....

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
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

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
2002–03 AHL season
The 2002–03 AHL season was the 67th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first overall in the regular season...

Manchester Monarchs
Manchester Monarchs
The Manchester Monarchs are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Verizon Wireless Arena. They have been the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings since 2001.-History:...

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

9 0 1 1 7
2003–04
2003–04 AHL season
The 2003–04 AHL season was the 68th season of the American Hockey League. The league introduces the Willie Marshall Award in honour the career points leader in the AHL, and awards it to the annual top goal scorer....

Manchester Monarchs AHL 57 3 6 9 126 5 0 0 0 4
2004–05
2004–05 AHL season
The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season...

Manchester Monarchs AHL 67 14 8 22 247 6 1 1 2 27
2004–05 Reading Royals
Reading Royals
The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the Atlantic Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Sovereign Center located in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania...

ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...

3 0 0 0 9
2005–06 Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

55 2 3 5 138
2006–07 Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

NHL 2 0 0 0 0
2006–07 Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

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
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

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

External links

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