Damar Hamlin Incident Reminds NHL Great Chris Pronger Of His Similar Terrifying Moment

As Damar Hamlin continues his remarkable recovery in a Cincinnati hospital, former NHL great Chris Pronger is speaking out.

Pronger famously went through a very similar situation back in 1998 when he was struck in the chest with the puck during a playoff game against Detroit. Pronger, an anchor for the St. Louis Blues, collapsed on the ice and lost consciousness, and it was later determined he suffered commotio cordis.

"I got hit with a slapshot literally right in the heart and in between beats and that's called commotio cordis where you get hit in between beats," the NHL legend told TMZ following Hamlin's incident.. "Your heart thinks it beat so it skips one beat. Sometimes the heart restarts, sometimes it doesn't."

Chris Pronger's 1998 incident was very similar to Damar Hamlin.

Damar Hamlin situation eerily similar to NHL great Chris Pronger

Pronger's heart started beating again on its own, which is where the parallels with Hamlin stop. The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills' safety collapsed after making a tackle last Monday night and suffered cardiac arrest on the field.

His heart stopped and medical personnel had to perform CPR on Hamlin for several minutes before performing what doctors later called a "textbook resuscitation."

"I kinda get up a little bit, stumble, couple strides and then collapse to the ice," Prongo recalled. "The next thing you know, I'm waking up and I got my shirt cut open, all my stuff's off. I'm looking up at the rafters and looking up at the banners in Joe Louis Arena and looking over to my right, I can see our bench - guys are crying."

"You don't really know what's going on. You're just kinda deer in the headlights talking to the doctor."

Damar Hamlin has been making steady progress all week. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Hamlin was rushed to a local hospital after doctors revived him on the field, and he's made steady progress throughout the week.

The 24-year-old woke up from sedation Wednesday, and had his breathing tube removed overnight Thursday.

He spent all day Friday FaceTiming friends and family, including addressing the entire Bills' organization.