Pronger out for season
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Pronger out for season
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
MONTREAL _ In a stunning development, the Flyers will have to do without their captain and top defensive player, Chris Pronger, for the rest of the season and the playoffs because of post-concussion syndrome.
The club made the grim announcement in a statement during the first period of Thursday's game in Montreal.
Pronger, 37, met with concussion specialists Joseph Maroon and Micky Collins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
In a statement, general manager Paul Holmgren said Pronger will be shut down based on the recommendation of the doctors. "Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better," Holmgren said.
Long term, how will the injury affect a Flyers team that has excelled even though it has numerous key players sidelined?
"I don't think it's crippling," Peter Luukko, president of the Flyers' parent company, Comcast-Spectacor, said in a phone conversation. "We will certainly miss one of the better players in the league, but you see how the team has played without him. We'll just move on."
Entering Thursday, the Flyers were 11-4-1 without Pronger this season and 8-3-2 with him.
Pronger injured his right eye on Oct. 24 when struck by an inadvertent stick from Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski. He missed six games, returned to the lineup, and played five games. The veteran defenseman was then sidelined because the Flyers said he was suffering from a virus.
Eighteen days later, however, the team said he had concussion-like symptoms. That led to Wednesday's visit to the Pittsburgh specialists.
Pronger, who was not available to comment, does not remember getting hit in the head after his brief return to the lineup, but Douglas Smith, director of the center for brain injury and repair at the University of Pennsylvania, said "any kind of hit" to another part of the body could have triggered the problem since the head may have already been injured.
"Another hit can send spasms" to the head, he said on Monday.
Pronger underwent surgery on his left knee on Dec. 2 - a little over five weeks after his eye injury. It was his fifth surgery in 16 months.
For the time being, the Flyers defense will continue to include rookies Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall, along with veterans Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, and Andrej Meszaros.
Promising Erik Gustafsson, another rookie, is expected to return from wrist surgery in a week to 10 days. Gustafsson had been impressive in five early-season games, and he will likely replace Marshall.
The defense has played superbly in Pronger's absence, as have the defensively responsible forwards.
"Obviously, he's a big part of what we're trying to accomplish," winger Matt Read said, "but when you're missing a key player, you just have to get tighter as a group and play better as a team. Take more of his responsibility as a group and do as much as you can."
Asked if he felt a trade was necessary and if the Flyers would name a temporary captain for the rest of the season, Holmgren was blunt.
"I have not had enough time to digest the news where we could answer those questions," he said in a text message.
In addition to Pronger, the Flyers' Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn are sidelined by concussions. In the NHL, a total of 23 players are out with concussions or concussion symptoms.
Pronger has five years left on a seven-year $34.45 million extension. Now there are questions - big questions - about whether his Hall of Fame career will ever resume.
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In a surprise move, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said he will start backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on Thursday night in Montreal
Laviolette said Bobrovsky needs to get some work. He defeated the Canadiens, 3-1, earlier this season, while Ilya Bryzgalov dropped a 5-1 decision to the Habs.
Laviolette said those two games had no bearing on his decision to play Bobrovsky.
Bryzgalov has won six straight.
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Most of the Flyers did not see 24/7 yet because their hotel did not have HBO.
Those that did see it, including rookies Matt Read and Zac Rinaldo, gave it glowing reviews.
Laviolette, who didn't see the first episode on Wednesday, apparently was read the riot act by his wife. He said his wife texted him two minutes into the show _ after he had already dropped numerous f-bombs.
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Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
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Gotta like Lavy......the anti-John Stevens.— Mark1npt- No word on Pronger...sounds like the Flyers are holding back bad news. Laviolette is a far better coach than Stevens. I thought he looked human on the show.— NYluvsPhylers
- i just read update on NHL.com. It states that he is out longer than expected and that his season is in jeopardy— klove001
- Make no mistake, tonight is a showcase game for Bob to show his trade value for a Pronger replacement.— dave1walsh
- awesome— Curse of Billy Penn
- Pronger out for season...who cares...how is Giroux?!— Hexy4GM
- The headline does say Pronger out for season. Is he or isn't he?— RobertB
- I agree on the Bob showcase...really tough losing Prongs for the season. Must be really bad for them to recomend him not playing again this season, including playoffs. Hopefully the boys keep fighting I think at some point they need to make a trade for a solid d-man.— shanehockey28
- john Stevens and Mike Richards use to make me sleepy.— RobertB
- Pronger and his 4.9M cap hit go on LTIR - time to use that money right now and trade for a replacement.— CTL
- Out for season and playoffs. This really blows. Gotta make a deal.— brio
- Hahahahaha. what a joke. He's always hurt and misses half the season. Time to retire. he's as bad as Primeau and Lindros.— scootch
- By Chrissy, thanks for the cups you've brought.— Hector Gonzales
- You just knew this was coming.......but wait....aren't we better off with the young D-men we have? Seems that way to me considering how old and slow Pronger has looked out there this year....could it be he has realized his time has passed?— Mark1npt
- Is Giroux next.— Drew777
- God loves Tebow but hates the Orange & Black.— 5280philly
- Get well Chris. For those you who are giving the first ballot HOF a hard time and think the Flyers are better without him when he is healthy even at his age, I say go watch soccer or the WNBA as you have no clue about hockey.— Apache9
- "Time has passed." Sleep much during the games? Pronger has still been their go-to guy on defense, major minutes eater. You must see something Laviolette and the real hockey guys have missed. Laughable!— Claudio Vernight
- Can we officially acknowledge that there is a curse in this town! If you summarized each teams season over the past 25 years it would read like a horror novel !!!— schwenksville
- oncussion/Pain Mngt Dr Scott Greenberg, Cherry Hill, NJ, prolotherapy, series of injections.... 856-424-8222 --worked for Simon Gagne— Romus
- Lindros back in town. S**t Happens.— Drew777
- Make a deal, all they need is a defenseman that is at least decent.— n62
- I'm shocked he's done for the season...I mean it's December. If it's that bad is he done?— Badhog
- scootch - you are a moron. The guy is 37. His NHL career started in '91. I'd hardly say that he played that long and he is 'always injured'.
That being said, he should retire. Take the $$$ they save and find a way to get a guy like Shea Weber. This is a very bad thing for Chris, but it relieves the Flyers of a huge contract.— flyers87 - ouch— Ryan
- Pronger was a major reason the Flyers got to the finals against Chicago. Sorry to see he won't be part of this year's playoff team that is off to a great start.— mikemaddog
Pronger a Gigantic Ed Snider Bust!More time on Ir than he will have played— Kevinmac- 37 and nothing more to prove. Get out before your egg gets scrambled.— beegal99
- big loss in the sense of leadership for this young team. can his salary be freed up now? that would be 5 to 6 mil used to go after a good defenseman via trade.
- Prayers for Chris and his family. Get well soon.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- He hasn't played a full season for how many years now? Breaking down at that hockey age.....— mrjarn
- Year before last he played 82, and the year before that, 82 dummy. — Sidewinder7
- Agree with schwenksville. This team is cursed. Someone made a deal with the devil and our only hope is THIS is the final payment.— dri_as_a_bone
- ANAHEIM TRADES PRONGER TO FLYERS!
The Flyers gave up Lupol, defenseman rookie: Luka Sbisa and two future first round draft picks in 2009.
The Flyers were robbed!
Fans here in Socal knew Pronger was having physical problems the prior season and he was also getting older and asking too much salary and was hitting less and being hit more. He was slowing down quickly.
Sbisa is finally playing great for Anaheim, he does not get hurt is among the "League" leaders in hits and is getting much better defensively, but he's was too tentative on offense and rarely shoots the puck. That's his main weakness, but he skates great.
The guy is like a young Chris Therien, with a much higher upside offensively.
The Flyers should try to reaquire him fast!
The Ducks recently resigned him in March to a 4 year contract extension after he pounded Ovechkin and his Washington teammates in submission.
Flyers will have to probably give up at least another 1st rounder and a phantom.
How ironic if he returns to Philly?
— sdeens - It started 13 years ago when the organ-I-zation botched a concussion situation and it continues today w/that idiot Morganti announcing he may wake up and feel fine- of course Al has as much athletic experience as an ashtray; they are cursed and one can only hope that the morons on here slamming Crosby don't see Giroux end up with a similar fate. At some point the NHL has to look seriously about the value of allowing headshots..............— Northcountry
- No BIG deal, when was the last time he played an entire season! The Flyers are moving forward and Pronger just isn't part of those plans anymore. I hope he recovers and realizes that it's time for him to move on as well. Always remember Flyer Fans, "one monkey don't stop the show"— NCFLYER
- Can we please get rid of this guy...I am soooooo tired of reading articles on this guy...his career is over. He is a better talker then player. I am tired of the drama...just get us a caliber player now. Pronger..I appreciate your service to the NHL and I applaud all of your personal and professional accomplishments but it is not time to hang up the skates. Enjoy time with your family and friend before dementia settles in.— desertduck31
Comment removed.- Would someone please fire the architect (Holmgren) of the trade to bring Pronger to Philly? This trade is way too reminiscent of Von Hayes. PH makes Giles look like a knowledgeable trader. I am sure that one good showing by Bob will get us lots of trade offers.— casehop
- This is devasting ! The team can't win every game by the scores of
2-1 or 3-2. Unless Giroux gets back soon, and he's his old self, we're gonna hit a wall, and winning games 2-1 is gonna have to be our blue print. Maybe it's just that the news has hit me like a ton of beicks now, but I think this dooms us. We can win 1 round, maybe 2 in the playoffs, but we're no where near Cup contenders at this point.— Apollotwo - How ignorant can some of you be??? This guy's life may never be the same. Read up on how much sh*t Keith Primeau has to deal with on a daily basis. Bunch of f*#kin morons living in this city. And yeah genius, we should trade for Sbisa and his wonderful 6 assists and -6 rating this season.— srf466
- This guy has been stealing money for a long time. One of the most overrated players in league history.— auntesther
- The Flyers should have kept either Richards or Carter... Why did we let Gangne walk again??? Pronger will not be the same. There's no way to get 100% cured of concussion symptoms in a concussive sport. I hope he really thinks about his life during his recovery time. I'd rather him lead a normal healthy life, instead of trying to come back and play then get hurt over and over again.— SeenGreen
- I don't get the hate for Pronger. He was one of the main reasons the Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago. Sure, I wish the Flyers hadn't given up so much and hadn't signed him to such a long term contract, but this guy has been great for this team not just with his play but also with his leadership. I hope he is able to come back next season, but it doesn't look good.— Penfold18
- Comment removed.
- You get what you give. He had it coming.— Jimmy McNulty
- Get well, get out on the links, enjoy the family, thanks for tryin.— NYPHILLYPHAN
- Real feel for Chris. Really liked him on the ice and his demeanor in the locker room was always great.
I really hope he can recover fully. I always thought he could have a long career in broadcasting. His wit really endears him to North American audiences.
And on the obvious note, the NHL like the NFL is going to be having a HUGE problem with CTE in the next few decades.— JoeinSouthPhilly 
That was a quick exit from the playoffs, wasn't it?- Flyers need a D-man who can play the point on the power play. If I was Homer, I'd try to deal Schenn (also concussed) and draft picks. But that likely won't get much. They may have to wait a couple months for firesale season to crank up.— Snap Crackle Propp
- Pronger is god-like and it will be great to have him back next season. Either way he s a great motivation for the team.— Capsulef
- "The Flyers gave up Lupol, defenseman rookie: Luka Sbisa and two future first round draft picks in 2009."
Yep, like that's working out for the 2nd WORST team in hockey.
— swany65 - this is bad, prayers to chris. its got me thinking, I sure hope Giroux is ok— flyfightinbullies
- Get well Chris. You played your heart out for many years, time to rethink your priorities. Go flyers— 420Phillie
- Comment removed.
