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Bash With The 'Stache
Thursday, August 07, 2008
By: Craig Stancher, USA Hockey Magazine Contributer
Sprawling hills nestled into a scenic suburban setting is not what most people
picture when they think of New Jersey. Then again, an all-academic performer
from Princeton University isn't typically associated with the title of NHL enforcer,
either.
But so goes George Parros, the mustachioed, longhaired NHL tough guy with an
Economics degree from an Ivy League university. Intelligent and articulate in
conversation, Parros may just have the vernacular to trash talk circles around
opposing enforcers when he takes to the ice for the Anaheim Ducks.
Though born in Pennsylvania, Parros spent the majority of his childhood in Randolph,
a suburb located within the New Jersey Highlands and a town where, according
to Parros, hockey was more of an afterthought in comparison to football.
Parros played high school hockey at the Delbarton School in Morristown during
his teen years, and while he won Rookie of the Year honors followed by All-State
recognition as an upper classman, he admits that he didn't expect to play after
graduation due to a lack of exposure and emphasis on hockey in his area.
As fate would have it, Parros lived only an hour from Princeton University and
caught his big break when he was noticed during an offseason event.
"I was in a summer tournament, and one of Princeton's goalies was working the
camp and they told him to watch me play," said the 6-foot-5, 229-pound forward.
"They happened to like what they saw."
To read the rest of Craig Stancher's story - including how George Parros
is using his trademark long locks to give back to a worthy cause - please
click here.
