Flyers name Pronger as captain

The Flyers have named defenseman Chris Pronger as captain, the team said.

Pronger becomes the 18th captain in team history. He previously served as captain in Anaheim and St. Louis and has been among the Flyers' alternate captains.

He replaces Mike Richards, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason.

Pronger, 36, has undergone several surgeries in the past year and just resumed skating last Friday. He has skated twice since.

Earlier in the week, general manager Paul Holmgren said he had several conversations with coach Peter Laviolette about the captaincy, but the team was not in a rush to make a decision.

However, it seemed that Pronger was the logical and obvious choice as soon as Richards was traded. Both Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen had previously served as captains with other teams and will be the altnerate captains.

"With Chris's experience and presence, we felt that he was the perfect player to take over as captain of the Philadelphia Flyers," GM Paul Holmgren said in a statement. "Having Kimmo and Danny, both former captains in the NHL, serving as alternates, really gives us a strong, dedicated leadership group.

"All three of these players know what it takes to win and are excellent role models both on and off the ice."