Pronger: 'Would you pay money to watch that?'
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Pronger: 'Would you pay money to watch that?'
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
TAMPA _ Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, back in the lineup after missing six games because of an eye injury, called Tampa Bay’s defensive style “embarrassing'' after the Lightning’s 2-1 overtime victory Wednesday.
"It's not hockey in my book,'' Pronger fumed. "But whatever. The league is letting them do it. Would you pay money to watch that?''
The Lightning trapped and the Flyers stalled in their own zone for most of the first period.
It was about as exciting as watching paint dry.
But the bottom line was this: The Flyers, coming off a 9-2 romp over Columbus, never got their offense untracked.
Six. Four. Four. One.
Those were the shots on goal the Flyers had in each period Wednesday, including the overtime.
Playing against the Lightning’s annoying-but-effective trap, the Flyers managed just 15 shots in the 62 minutes and 30 seconds. Only 10 of the shots came in even-strength situations.
Ten.
They had little attack time, and Ilya Bryzgalov (22 saves) needed to be perfect for them to win. Bryzgalov was solid for the fourth straight game, but it wasn’t enough.
The Flyers nearly set a record for fewest shots in a game _ 13, which they managed in Washington on Dec. 11, 1990.
It was the Flyers’ fewest shots total since they had 15 in a game in New Jersey last Feb. 10.
The Flyers had more shots miss the net (19) on Wednesday than on the net (15).
“It was the type of game where one team was just waiting ….for their chances,” Bryzgalov said. “It’s part of hockey. This team has their own style, and we have to play against them and find the keys to get through and score the goals and get the chances.”
It was not a good start of a three-game trip. They were facing a Tampa Bay team that used a struggling goalie, Dwayne Roloson, and had two of its top defensemen sidelined with injuries.
The game was shown on national TV, on Versus.
"Way to showcase the product they got over there,'' Pronger cracked. "That's the way they play. Whether it's us or anybody, that's the way they play.''
Breakaways. Pronger played a team-high 25:22 and committed two penalties in the game…..Matt Read won seven of nine (78 percent) of his faceoffs.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA @ soccer being better than hockey. Soccer is the single most boring sport in the world. They don't wear pads because why the hell would you need to? There is not hitting in soccer (it would make it better). I tried to watch a Union game once. I fell asleep 20 minutes in and woke up at the end and it was still 0-0...thrilling lol Soccer is for Europeans and girly men.— Flyers2822- Hockey is for thugs and goons who are unable to run fast and need Dorothy Hamill's ice skates to be athletic. I understand soccer is difficult for certain groups of people to understand, not everyone is intelligent. Also, the fact is that the Philadelphia Union have as many season ticket holders as the Flyers.— albanykey
- Ah the classic soccer fan arguement. If you don't like soccer, you must not be intelligent. I guess it takes lots of brains to run up and down a grassy field and kick a ball with your foot. PHDs, all of them I tell you.
- I've lived in Florida most my life and never played hockey, so someone correct me if I'm wrong - the goal of the game is to put the puck in the net, right? Not to sit in your zone with your tail between your legs, whining that the other team isn't playing right and you're not even going to try to beat it and you're just gonna take your puck and go home. I can't believe how the Versus losers were championing that terrible "tactic" of the Flyers. But I'll give them this, they're consistent in that they praise anyone playing the Lightning, no matter who pathetic they are. I love the points made about the Flyers having the best offense, we were short two defensemen and they're best idea was to not even try to attack.— hockeyray
- You are right about the point of the game. Putting the puck in the other team's net is the idea. That is exactly why Tampa was in the wrong in this game. They refused to pursue the puck at all. They were willing to stand by idly while Philadelphia played with the puck. By having the puck, the Flyers were playing hockey. By standing static and not attempting to check the Flyers, nor create any offence, Tampa was willing to let the clock run out and call the game a tie. That is not hockey, that is not sport. — Hexy4GM
- me not thinks you smart very.— albanykey
- soccer is just "run up and down a grassy field and kick a ball with your foot." like I said some people don't get it.— albanykey
- I know how to break that trap. You skate up to a trapping winger and drive a slap shot right into their body. We will see how long they hold their positon on the boards doing that nuetral zone bullsuger trap. I thought that nonsense had gone away from the NHL. Makes me want to puke.— Atlee
- Aside from Jonesy I can't stand versus commentators. After last night though, I gained respect for them to call it the way it was and "take the Flyers side" as some on this board have put it. Props. It's also amazing that a team that won a cup in recent memory has so many fans who don't understand the game, or why the knowledgeable hockey world dislikes their team's style of play...— finalsay665
- Hockey and soccer - or as I as a European would have it, football - are both great sports, I have loved them all my life. No sports event compares to a World Cup Final, not even the Stanley Cup, which, however in my eyes is the greatest, most difficult to win trophy in all of club sport. One of the advantages of soccer is it's the number one sport in more than half the world, not just in Canada. The talk of soccer being 'girly' or something is both misogynist and out of touch with reality.— flyerdommo
- One game. And the Flyers, regardless of shots, looked pretty much in control throughout the first and second periods...and I'm not talking about the stalling tactics. Not as many turnovers as last year because Jeff "I"m going to take a shot every time the puck touches my stick" Carter is gone and in return we have two of the best set of hands in the world with Yagr and Giroux and the defense to match. AND IT'S NOVEMBER SO CHILL OUT!!!!!!— girouxforpresident
- The trap is boring and not much fun to watch, but no team goes 82-0 so obviously teams find a way to beat the trap defense. Flyers need to find a way to beat them too. Since last year we're 1-4 against Tampa and that one lone win is a lucky shootout win. Not good.— Kanayd
- They should dismantle the Tampa bay team - they have no fans and now this...the trap. The trap must be outlawed in hockey fir the good of the game
