Pronger still hopes to return
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren strongly refuted a Facebook rumor that defenseman Chris Pronger was retiring and moving to St. Louis with his family.
Pronger still hopes to return
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren strongly refuted a Facebook rumor that defenseman Chris Pronger was retiring and moving to St. Louis with his family.
Holmgren said on Thursday night that Pronger, who missed most of the season with post-concussion syndrome, is hoping to get better and return to action next season. He is still experiencing headaches, the GM said.
“There’s no truth to him retiring,” Holmgren said.
Because of an illness in his wife’s family, the Prongers are apparently going to spend some time in St. Louis, Holmgren said.
Fans on Twitter and Facebook reported seeing a huge moving van in front of Pronger's Haddonfield house on Wednesday.
If Pronger retired, the Flyers would not get any relief from his $4.9 million cap hit.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Comments (66)
While I'd love to see him back its pretty obvious what the out come is going to be. The answer is in his facial expressions. The guy is lucky to have both eyes right now why risk another season at his age?
If the Flyers brass had brain one in there heads, they'd work a deal out with Chris to mentor the young defensive core and maybe teach them a thing or two since they need a lot of work.
Pronger done...face it.— dogman5- Yea I think pronger is gonna try to come back. Idk if it`s a good idea but I think he will try to play again. Also lets not forget what happened to Crosby, and his year and a half long lay off, and how he was able to comeback and play. I could see Pronger doing the same thing, maybe in January of next year or something. This is not Keith Premeau situation bc pronger shut it down after he got his major concussion much like Crosby did. Premeau kept playing and made his problem worse. I think Pronger will be back mid way through next year.— Dangles 28
- He is done.— Poppys
- Please scott-stevens-is-god, your handle namesake is perhaps cheapshot emeritus in the history of the NHL. Out to injure his NHLPA mates every shift. I watched that Ducks team carefully on that Cup run and Scott N. made a huge difference, but so did Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry who I saw play in Hartford for the Portland Pirates of the AHL during that season, wondering why they weren't in Anaheim yet. I remember Pronger looking lost on the ice in Hartford for the Whalers early in his career and no one was as shocked as I that he became a nasty capable and strong elite defender. He administered nasty borderline hits after Hartford, regularly. He is close to a 1st ballot HOFer. I only took the shot in this post at Stevens that I did because I watched him from the start of his career in Washington and he played every shift mean and on the edge of dirty, like Brad McCrimmon with rabies. And Beast,rip, finished every check his whole career.— RI_Flyrs_Guy
- As awesome as it was to watch Pronger play in Philly, I hope he retires. After 6 months, it may already be too late. The mind is a terrible thing to waste. No need to risk further damage.— drog
- “There’s no truth to him retiring,” Holmgren said.
In other news, The Flyers also will not be trading forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.
Holmgren lies more than any lawyer or politician combined...
— 7xChamp - This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
- If not for Martin Brodeur,nobody would know who Scott Stevens was...as far as cheap shot is concern,I would not
pass it by Scott Stevens,he would never come across as a cheap shot artist in my book...that's why he racked up all those Lady Bings....Right?— mean mean pride,mean mean pride. - He's fleeing the area because he knows that Carter and Richards were gonna swing by the house with the Cup to remind him that they were better before he got to Philly and are even better now without him in LA.— Hector Gonzales
- Just FYI...prongers contract is 35+, which means his cap hit counts no matter what. If he retired, it doesn't count but can't be used so it cancels out. Same goes with timonen and eventually bryz.
That having been said, pronger will make the best choice he can. Personally, he ought to retire...it isn't worth it given age and how severe his concussion is. Best wishes to him either way...— ruthlezzone - With a Stanley Cup ring, gold medal and three kids to watch become adults, why come back? Why chance it? He has nothing left to prove.— Sean_King
- There are more important things than hockey (sports in general) and/or pleasing a pro team's fan base by putting your well-being on the line. He doesn't have to retire, but he should certainly not play again.— toph314
- Lets not forget one big reason he's not retiring. He will continue to get paid. As some of you already said, this will be like other situations (Lappy, Rathje, etc) He's basically retired, but not doing it officially so the team gets the cap relief and he gets paid.— FlyerAdam30
- If he is getting better I think he should give one more shot. I know I would.— Nitroglycerin
- flyers should p/u dwight king---he is a beast— pa2cp
- When will philly.com remove that ugly 3-1 score at the top of the page? It's like a dagger to the heart whenever I sign in.
As for Pronger....love him, but don't want to see him come back and ruin the rest of his life. Stay on IR so the salary won't hurt the Organ-I-zation.— NHLfan - Agreed, terrible — SayHello2MyLittleFriend
- As many of you I am a huge Captain Chris Pronger fan! It wouldbe wonderful to see him playing again....but at what cost ot his family qand his life after hockey? If he isn't 110% healthy than he should nevert play again it is that simply. Are the FLYER Sa better team when he plays YES they are does he give the lead a leader who is well respected by his teamates and when he speaks do they listen YES they do! Even the players know as muchas theywqant him back if it means having him injured to the point of not being able to live a life that he can enjoy his family than he need NOT to PLAY! I as a fan wish Captain Chris Pronger nothing but good health for the rest of his life and I do hopeand pray that he will one day be able to play again even if it is in alumi games for the organge and black. NOW for HEXY!!!! please do not ever lump aplayer like Capt. Chris Pronger and Matt Carle together Carle is without a doubt well below the play of Capt. Chris Pronger! If yo uwant ot compare thenlook at thecareer of both players.... Carle couodn't even be called a #6 Defenseman until he played with Capt. Pronger and without him Carle is nothing but a huge turnover machine who makes huge mistakes every shift he plays. Matt Carle on his best day couold not even hold a candle to Capt. Pronger. As for wgho will be the next Captain of the FLYERS... Kimmo is the choice for the next season or two. Why because that give Giroux more time to continue growing into the leader he is becoming and it doesn't add extra pressure to him either. After Kimmo hangs up the skates Giroux will be totally ready to lead this team by wearing the "C" on his chest. Hey HOMMER go get usa stub to help replace Prongers minutes and help bring homethe CUP! Also THANK YOU CAPT. CHRIS PRONGER FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS AND TO ALL YOUR FANS AROUND THE WORLD IT HASBEEN AN HONOR TO WATCH YOU PLAY GET HEALTHY MUCH RESPECTED TO YOU!— srcdaddy1216
- His best days were behind him when he came to philly, go on LTIR for cap hit. game today is about Big Defensemen with Speed something we dont have— bigtom blew3
- Hey Chris, I'm sure you've managed your $$$ well; it's not worth the risk so RETIRE! Best of luck to you!— JBinPA
- Please let there be an amnesty clause in the new CBA. Pronger is done and it's unfair that the flyers have to absorb his $5 million/year cap hit. That money can be used to try and go after Weber.— the sichee-ation
- Would love to see a healthy Pronger back but I don't think that's going to happen. Sad to say his run may end like Lindros and Primeau.
- Pronger's rash of injuries after the Flyers 2010 Cup Run were brought on by the bad karma he drew by playing "steal the puck" in the Flyer's Game 1 & 2 losses.
the FSM doesn't like bad sportsmanship.— ekw555 - hey, you don't mess with the FSM.
btw - did you mean "Norman Einstein" ?
— ekw555 
Comment removed.- Guys like Pronger have the need to compete to the point of irrationality. It is what makes them willing to play 30 minutes, blocking shots, taking checks... absolutely brutal stuff. Heck yeah he still wants to play.. but it would be a bad move for him. Just as everyone said here.. if there is no change to the CBA, he'll go on long term IR so he doesn't affect the cap...have some made up role within the Flyers and cash his 5 mil a year. He'll be frustrated, but happy in 10 years.— Freddy
- PhilaLogic: Great points. Mostly lost on PHilly fans who grow up with tons of passion and little knowledge of the game outside of college basketball or maybe baseball from little league. You cannot measure or replace Pronger. Stats aside, the guy took the Ducks to the Cup, then took a young team for the Oilers to the Cup (should have won it if Lappy's team hadn't cheapshotted Roloson out of the game) and then took the Flyers to the Cup. He did it by playing 20-30 mins EVERY game, special teams, and simply dominatnig size/reach, puck control, and great first passes. Watch Doughty play for the Kings and will see a "new" style future elite defenseman. I doubt there will be another Pronger-esq D-man once Chara finishes playing. The last of a dying breed. The guy simply logged tons of ice time, made few mistakes, and was nearly perfect. Sure, he slowed down the past years. Bodychecks were minimal. Dirty play calmed into quiet professionalism. He was still a monster logging tons of ice time with positive results. You DO NOT replace him with Mezaros, and you certainly don't replace him with Grossman and Kubina.— MichaelZoe
- Thanks, but the GF/GA/PP/SH stats came from the Boop Stats blog here. They were from December 2011, but represented a huge sample (116 games) and probably didn't change much as the Flyers played mediocre hockey from then until February 16, 2011... It's astounding how there's a marked or even dramatic difference in every major stat -- winning percentage being the big one -- when Pronger was in the lineup versus out of it. But anyone who has followed hockey understands how a dominant defenseman influences every aspect of the play when he is on ice. I see it with Doughty so clearly, saw it with Pronger (wherever he played) so clearly, saw it with Mark Howe and Ray Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom and so on. When the Flyers were set to play Chicago in the '10 finals, I saw how Duncan Keith was performing (and to an extent, Brent Seabrook) and I knew that that more than anything made the Hawks a tough team to beat. Defensemen who constantly make the right decision are rare and they subtly but relentlessly dictate the play in their teams' favor. That's why the Flyers' stats with & without Pronger are so dramatically different, even as he was slowing down. — PhilaLogic
- This comment has been deleted.— cookin63
- Great post, bro. But Hexy will tell you that he's right and everybody else is wrong because he uses "Corsi Stats."
The great Hexy used Corsi Stats to determine that Wayne Gretzky had a bad season in 1993-94, when he was NHL scoring champion. - Even if the headaches left, I'm not sure that arthritic knee of his is in any shape to continue skating on for 9 months of the year. And what about his back or his foot? Don't you think this guy wants to be able to walk and remember his name when he's 50?— Mark1npt
- I hope Pronger does not end up in a vegitated state later in life because of some sence of pride or obligation. His family should tell him to pull the plug. Surely coaching or scouting opportunities exsist for someone of his stature in the NHL.— Jiminfl
- I hope Pronger does not end up in a vegitated state later in life because of some sence of pride or obligation. His family should tell him to pull the plug. Surely coaching or scouting opportunities exsist for someone of his stature in the NHL.— Jiminfl
- If he was in his 20s I'd say give it another go, but Pronger's in his late 30s- retirement age- and quite frankly as much as I love him on our team I hope he retires because his health is more important than another year of getting banged up in front of the Bryzaster. I don't know how he is now but as of a couple months ago he still couldn't even walk without feeling wobbly. This is not a person who's going to be ready to play hockey in a few months. Family first, everything else second. Thanks for the memories, thanks for all the hard work, but it's time to hang up the skates. Best of luck to him whatever he decides, but I'm pretty sure we've seen the last of Pronger in a Flyers jersey.— Fly Guy
- He couldn't even make it through a game in the stands, let alone on the ice....he's not playing, nor coaching anytime soon— philly thug
- Blues need an asst coach, hmmmm— largato
- Real easy folks- he will not return and should not return. Time to move on from this.— rwolffd12
There's no question that Chris Pronger should retire. I couldn't care less about a salary cap hit. It's the hits he'd take on the ice that I'm worried about. If he goes down he may not get back up. Do any of us want to repeat the scene of a catatonic Eric Lindros with Chris Pronger? We all love hockey but at the end of the day it's still just a game. We're talking about a beloved man's, husband's and father's life here. Thank you, Prongs, for the great plays and leadership while wearing the iconic winged "P". Hang 'em up proudly and please take care of yourself while spending the rest of your life as healthy and happily as you can with your wonderful wife and family.- You don't care about the Flyers flushing $4.9 million of their $30-something million cap down the toilet for however many years there are left on Pronger's contract? Glad you're not the GM. This is a non-story... Homer HAS to say that Pronger isn't retiring because there's NO WAY he's going to retire until after the contract's up. It's basic NHL Business 101. Any talk on this subject from the front office is just a smokescreen. — wmichael
- Your kindergarten teacher didn't read you my whole post. I care more about the man than some cap hit. I'm glad you're not the GM, either, or anyone else important for that matter.
- Chill out, StayOnMyMom'sCouch. First, thanks for the personal attack -- it says plenty about you and nothing about me. Second, I did read your whole post, but you obviously didn't understand mine. Just as you evidently don't understand how the NHL salary cap works. NOBODY is suggesting that Pronger EVER plays another shift. You, me, his wife, and his kids don't have to worry about him ever suffering another hit. But that DOESN'T mean he should officially retire. "Retire" means sending a notice to the league that you are retiring. The minute he does that, his salary counts against the team's cap for years and years, I believe. Instead, because he has the good of the team in mind, Prongs will stay on longterm IR, he will hopefully recover from the effects of his concussions, he will collect his full salary, and the team will have $4 million cap relief every year to use for another player. He wins. His family wins. The team wins. Pretty basic, huh? — wmichael
- Again, your insightful, well-reasoned response demonstrates the level of intelligence we're dealing with here. Stay on your meds. — wmichael
- Your kindergarten teacher didn't read you my whole post. I care more about the man than some cap hit. I'm glad you're not the GM, either, or anyone else important for that matter.
- I'm not really pro or con but, if anybody can return from this injury it would be Pronger!— quigly46
- I had post concussion syndrome and had headaches for almost 9 years he is crazy if he comes back he should just sit back and enjoy his family. Chris you had a great career and thank you for playing your heart out.— angrywhtguy
- There is absolutely no shot he and his wife risk him playing again even if headaches go away. He is finished and quite honestly with his injury history the last few years and his slowing down its no big loss especially if they get cap relief. Injuries are part of the game and the Flyers need depth and some young developing defenders . And of yes we need a quality GOALIE!!...That hasnt changed in 25 years..Kimmo at the end of his rope also as well as Briere and Jagr. Go Young!!— flyers1000
- He could easily come back and play. I mean, Marc Savard came back after his concussion........well, technically, he did come back.
Pronger has been slow for years. He doesn't have the rich history of concussions that some others have had, but at his age, why would he bother? He is not able to exercise due to this brain trauma. Therefore the likelihood of him returning to a physical condition that allows him to be an NHL player, is low.
Past three seasons for Chris Pronger- 92pts, +30
Past three seasons for Matt Carle -113pts, +53
Yet Pronger is revered, while Carle is reviled.
Must be the goalies fault, huh.— Hexy4GM - Chris Pronger carried the Flyers in the 2010 playoffs, following a great regular season. He was the likely Conn Smythe winner had the Flyers been able to defeat Chicago. (Argued widely; in factual detail here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-Conn-Smythe-case-for-Chris-Pronger-win-or-l?urn=nhl,246514)
Yes, he struggled with injuries the following two seasons. But the Flyers were SO much better in every aspect of the game with Pronger in the lineup. From the start of the 2010-11 season until February 16, 2012 -- when the Flyers acquired Grossmann (and then Kubina) to shore up their defense -- the Flyers were 41-18-7 with Pronger (a .621 winning percentage) and were 41-30-12 without him (a .494 winning percentage).
Further, in the first 116 of those 149 games (sorry, that's all I had the stats for, but the trend is clear), the Flyers scored 3.29 goals per game with Pronger, 3.02 without; they allowed 2.64 goals per game with Pronger, 3.06 without; their power play was 19.9% effective with Pronger, 12.3% without; and the Flyers killed 84.1% of penalties with Pronger, 80.4% without... Unfortunately, these were over several absences, so they don't reflect just one or two trends for the entire team. Pronger was, even in decline, the biggest factor in the Flyers' performance level over the last two seasons. Sadly, his career is almost certainly over.— PhilaLogic - As usual, people leave out the first year he played in Philadelphia. Remember when they scraped into the playoffs in the last game of the season? That was the year he played a full 82 games. Pronger is a strong presence, I am just not too sure how relevant he is, anymore. Physically, the likelihood of him being an effective player, is low. With his cap hit, balanced with what he adds to the team, I am hoping to never see him in a Flyers jersey again. If the Flyers still wish to play a high-tempo, high-risk game, I really doubt that Pronger would be able to miss a year and a half of play and still keep up. Especially without being able to work out during the past year. Pronger used to have the best first-pass I had ever seen, but his footspeed is so diminished that it would be outweighed. — Hexy4GM
- The Kings scraped their way to the playoffs this year
Hexy, got a playoff birth on the last weekend of the season,home and home with the Sharks if I recall,the Kings were not world-beaters during the season,far from it,we could advance all type of statistic,reasons,
excuses...without the goaltending...there Quickly out to
pasture...— mean mean pride,mean mean pride. - Pronger was a great one and will disappear into the night— shawnmac
- Hard to imagine coming back next season if he STILL has headaches.
This is still hard to believe when you look at the one or two hits that apparently caused this. Must have been that puck to the head.— VicM - He needs to think about quality of life at this point. The whole reason you put yourself through the NHL meat grinder is to make a nice life for your family.— hillbillybirdsfan
- All Pronger needs to do is ask Keith Primeau about the prospects of coming back and what the next hit could mean. For the sake of his health and for the sake of family, call it a career. If you want to stay in the game, I'm sure the Flyers will help as they take care of their own.
Has there ever been a sports town more snakebit with long term injuries like Philadelphia? Lindros, Pronger, Primeau, Utley, Howard, Peters........— DelawareRiverRat - 6 months and still headaches? Come back? Why? Gonna pull an Utley and start the season on the DL still feeling pain with no timetable for playing a single game?— GreenWing
- Please try to imagine sticking Pronger out on the Kings or Devils Saturday night. Who would you pull out? I picture forwards blowing by him like 18 wheelers. Love Pronger, but he was shakey before going down. Stanley Cup against Chicago was the last chance for Flyers to win with Pronger. Work with our prospects, help coach, great guy, hope he proves me wrong.— NYPHILLYPHAN
- I can't imagine there is any way he plays again. Any doctor that allows someone with Pronger's concussion history to play again would be begging for a malpractice suit. I suspect Pronger is holding off on an official retirement announcement only to help the team spare the cap hit.— jjs0101
- I got the first vote down on the poll connected with this story. Would there be a better comeback story ever if Pronger were able to make it back this coming season or the next one? Everbydo writes him off and thinks about his cap hit. The best antidote to the Devils forecheck is Pronger standing up forwards at the blueline or making the sharp outlet pass that gives the Flyers the odd man rush coming out of their zone. It's a longshot I realize but one that I hope for.— Claudio Vernight
- They have a legit shot to get out from underneath that awful contract he signed and they pass. No wonder it's been 40 effin years since they last won the Cup.— Jerome99RIP
- Jerome, what are you talking about? If he officially retires, the Flyers are on the hook for the remaining years on his contract due to his age when it went into effect. They will do what they did with Hatcher, Rathje, Lappy, etc. They won't play again and will just go on long term IR so we get the cap relief. — max-power
- One drawback for Prongs....delays Hall of Fame nomination since he technically is active on long-term IR. — Romus
- You're right, man. Even aside from the concussion, with all the other injuries and operations, I don't see how Pronger could make it through another season at his age.
- ... and how many more years is he on the books? I guess he'll just be injured for the remainder of the contract to not impact the cap as much?— Dish
1
Popular Posts
About this blog
Broad Street Bull is the Inquirer's blog covering the Philadelphia Flyers and the National Hockey League.
Reach Sam at scarchidi@phillynews.com.
Sam Carchidi
Inquirer Staff Writer
Search this blog:
Blog Roll
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
