Hatcher is stronger and more physical. Hitchcock said Hatcher has lifted his play to a higher level in this series. Pronger has been St. Louis' security blanket. When you get into these kind of battles, stuff happens. Defensemen usually focus on forwards, but Hatcher and Pronger find each other on the ice.
Muggings usually follow.
In this era, the Hatcher-Pronger feud approaches the competition between Mark Messier and Eric Lindros. In this year's playoffs, Pronger won a similar confrontation with Phoenix captain Keith Tkachuk. When we got rested, we wanted to come out and play physical. I play that way with Hatcher just like I would with any player. There is also a history at work here.