Former St. Louis Blues star Chris Pronger says he’s always had an interest in business.
“I think if I didn’t play hockey, I wanted to go into business of some sort,” Pronger said.
But an 18-year career in the National Hockey League and a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame didn’t keep the former defenseman from pursuing business.
Pronger early in his playing career started an investment company, and since his retirement from the NHL, he has become an entrepreneur, owning a travel agency with his wife. He’s recently added to his business portfolio, this time through a new venture launched with his brother, Sean, also a former NHL player.
The brothers have teamed up with Niagara Falls, Canada-based Niagara Falls Craft Distillers Ltd. to launch a new Canadian whisky brand, The JRNY (pronounced journey), which launched publicly earlier this month. For Chris Pronger, who lives in St. Louis, and his brother, the launch of The JRNY was a project in which the two say they were heavily involved, from helping develop the whisky’s taste profile to crafting the narrative around its brand.
“This isn’t a typical celebrity alcohol brand. Chris and Sean have been involved right from the outset even helping select the name – The JRNY,” sand Andy Murison, president and CEO of Niagara Falls Craft Distillers.
Why a distiller partnered with the Pronger brothers
Niagara Falls Craft Distillers wanted a little star power.
As the liquor brand, founded in 2016, sought expansion, Murison said it had a desire to seek out a partner that could provide name recognition while also being a “really authentic partner” who could resonate with consumers.
The Pronger brothers fit that profile, Murison said.
Murison said he previously read Sean Pronger’s book, “Journeyman,” detailing his career in hockey, which included a 260-game stint in the NHL. Sean Pronger said he and his brother connected with Niagara Falls Craft Distillers through Duncan Fletcher and John Hierlihy, executives with Game Change, an athlete development firm.
Bringing The JRNY to store shelves has been a year and a half process, one in which Sean and Chris Pronger have been hands on, involved in numerous facets of launching the new brand. Murison said he’s “never ever worked with partners who embraced a launch like Chris and Sean have.”
“Candidly, we didn’t expect them to be all in,” he joked.
The JRNY's creators say the Canadian whisky has a smooth taste and is being offered at an affordable price point for consumers. It has 44% alcohol by volume, an homage to Chris Pronger’s No. 44 that he wore during his NHL playing days. No. 44 has been retired by the Blues, for whom Pronger played from 1995 to 2004.
The making of JRNY involves aging the whisky in oak barrels for three years and a day and then putting it into used barrels for a shorter time period, which is designed to provide a “smooth finish unique to higher-cut alcohols," according to a product description.
The Canadian whisky retails for under $40 in Canada and $25 in the U.S. The JRNY is using Fenton-based Grey Eagle Distributors as its local distributor, with plans to sell it at area retailers including Schnuck Markets, Dierbergs Markets, Total Wine and Dirt Cheap.
The owners behind the new product said they didn’t have specific sales projections to share, but said they are optimistic about the brand’s potential, given positive feedback from those who have tasted the whisky.
The JRNY is structured as a joint venture, with Niagara Falls Craft Distillers having a 50% stake and the remaining 50% being held by Sean and Chris Pronger and Game Change.
Chris Pronger said the opportunity to create The JRNY appealed to him because of his fondness for whisky and it's ability to forge connections.
“We used to always sit around, having a whisky and talk about your day, talk about your failures, talk about your success, talk about what’s going on in your life,” he said.
For Sean Pronger, the venture is a win-win situation. Even if the brand doesn’t turn out as planned, he said he’s been able to learn a lot about bringing a product to market. It offers a best case scenario of building a successful brand and doing it with his brother, he said.
“The journey of the JRNY has been really fun,” he said.
How Chris Pronger built his business chops
Chris Pronger didn’t wait until retirement to start building his business chops. He began during his NHL playing days.
Pronger at age 22 launched Chaos Holdings, an investment firm he has used over the years to invest his own money into business opportunities. He said he’s been hands on with his investments, even early in his NHL career, seeking to understand why certain deals were best for his portfolio.
“I was making a lot of money and wanted to know where it was going and why we were investing in certain things and why we invested in certain stocks, etc., to always keep an eye on it so I knew where it was and what it was going toward,” he said.
Pronger said the investment company has been involved in eight figures worth of deals over the years across several asset classes, including real estate and venture capital. He said he’s participated in real estate deals with local firms Altus Properties and Summit Real Estate Group. He declined to disclose the companies he’s invested in, saying some have been successes, while others haven’t panned out as planned.
“You hope you get home runs that pay for the losers and get the returns you are looking for in that type of risky asset class,” he said.
Pronger also owns luxury boutique travel agency Well Inspired Travels with his wife, Lauren Pronger. The company works with high net worth clients, helping them plan trips.
“As much as potential clients are interviewing us, we’re interviewing them because the way we operate, we are very client-intensive in respect to high touch and making sure every need is covered and making sure they are happy,” Chris Pronger said.
Pronger said he’s currently focused on growing the new JRNY whisky brand and is excited for its potential, encouraged by positive reviews from those who have tried it. He likened his experience in business to sports, saying he has learned it often involves building a team and executing on a strategy to achieve success.
“If business was easy, everybody would do it,” he said.
