Chris Pronger was drafted second overall in the 1993 Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers. He made his NHL debut that season on October 6 in a 4-3 loss to the Canadiens. One month later on November 6, Chris scored his first goal in a 5-3 loss to the Islanders. That season, Chris scored 30 points as a teenage rookie, was an All-Rookie Team defenceman and won the Whalers' Most Valuable Defenceman Award. In the shortened 1994-95 season, Chris scored 14 points in 43 games.
On July 27, 1995, Chris was traded to the St. Louis Blues for all-star forward Brendan Shanahan. In 78 games with his new team, he scored 25 points. In the playoffs, he helped the Blues come within an overtime goal of reaching the Western Conference final. In 1996-97, Chris scored 11 goals and 35 points and paced his team with a +17 plus-minus rating. In 1997-98, he scored 36 points and won the Bud Ice Plus-Minus Award with a +47 rating. He was a Second Team All-Star and finalist (third place) for the Norris Trophy.
In 1998-99, Chris recorded 46 points, 132 hits and 119 blocked shots in 67 games. He also averaged 30:36 minutes of ice time per game and played in his first mid-season All-Star Game. At year's end, he was ranked eighth on The Hockey News' Top-50 Players list. In 1999-2000, Chris led the Blues to a Presidents' Trophy championship and a team-record 51 wins and 114 points. He played in his second mid-season All-Star Game, recorded 106 hits and 185 blocked shots and led the Blues with 48 assists and a +52 rating. He also became the first defenceman since Bobby Orr (1972) to win both the Hart Trophy (league MVP) and Norris Trophy in the same year. In the playoffs, he scored seven points in seven games. At year's end, he moved up to fourth on The Hockey News' annual Top-50 NHL players list.
In 2000-01, Chris scored 39 assists and 47 points despite being limited to just 51 games. He was voted a starting defenceman for the mid-season All-Star Game but missed the game with an injury. In the playoffs, he helped his team reach the Western Conference final before losing to the Avalanche.
In 2001-02, Chris led the league with 29:28 minutes of ice time per game as the Blues finished second in their division. He ranked second on the team with 40 assists and 120 penalty minutes while his +23 plus/minus rating paced the team. His 47 points tied him for eighth place amongst league defenders. In the playoffs, Chris scored eight points in nine games as the team reached the second round before losing to the Red Wings.
In 2002-03, Chris nearly all of the season with a broken wrist before making his season debut on March 29. In that 6-2 loss to the Red Wings, he scored his first goal of the season. He played five games in all and scored four points. In the playoffs, Chris scored four points in seven games as the Blues lost its opening-round match-up against the Canucks.
In 2003-04, Chris repositioned himself as one of the best defencemen in the league by scoring 54 points in 80 games, tied for second amongst all league defencemen. More importantly, he captained the Blues to a playoff berth for the 25th straight season.