Pronger: 'Would you pay money to watch that?'
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.
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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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- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- me not thinks you smart very.— albanykey
- 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
- 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.
- 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 boring to begin with,just a bunch of figure skaters with sticks. Try watching soccer, now there's a sport with real athletes, who don't need to wear pads and that are some of the greatest conditioned athletes in the world. I take a Union game over a Flyers game any day of the week.— albanykey
- Soccer players like to get their balls kicked. Plus, they have no hand-eye coorination. Go watch the Union if you want. Good seats ALWAYS available.
- Losers complain, winners win. The Flyers could have also played a trap until the league heard all the fans booing.— farley
- That was exactly how TB played in the playoffs. They never press and take the chance knowing that they could just as easily lose the game 1-0 or 2-1. They seem fine with not pressing and letting bounces or penalties decide the game. Given their talent as compared to say Pittsburgh and Washington (both of whom they beat in the playoffs last year), then that's the best way to play, as sad and boring as it is. If you were their coach, you'd coach the same, especially last night missing two top D-Men. Bottom line: against a team that plays like that, you have to win last night's game 1-0, and the Flyers had the chance to do it and didn't.— puttinonthefoil
- First, I would think that the Flyers can come up with a way to break through it - especially with the elimination of the two-line pass. Second, if the leaugue wants to prevent it without changing the rules, simply give the refs the power to waive off icing if they dump it all the way down. Icing is enforced when teams dump it down because they are pressured - clearly not the case here.— gob1234
- How old is the whole 'Capt Warmth' thing?? It's not even funny. 'writers' like this are why nobody wants to talk with media. Don't children call each other names?— spittooncj
Comment removed.- Pronger is back. Witty comments in the press..and he is a great captain. Nevermind his 2 bad penalties in the second period. Never mind that the team lost (they statistically lose more when he is in the lineup than when he is not). Good thing his return will make this team great again...they had a whole 15 shots tonight. It was almost like they were unmotivated and unprepared.— Hexy4GM
- You definitely have it nailed...they lost because of Pronger's presence in the lineup and two penalties. What a joke! How about Meszaros' inability to pick up the defender behind him leading to the winning goal in OT. His play has been terrible all year. Open your eyes, but I would expect nothing less from someone with a screen name that pays homage to a goalie that had one good year in the NHL and then was sub par the rest of his career. — aantny88
- lol mez is the only d man on the team hitting , and i love how everybody thinks pronger is the answer to the problems we have , well he played last night and we lost , and the game before that he didnt play and we won — flyerscrazy
- So...in a game where the Flyers got 15 shots on goal in over 60 minutes, you are blaming the defensive coverage? A power play goal by Bergeron, and a net crashing 4 on 4 goal. And you must be a true Flyers fan if you criticize Ron Hextall. And you criticize my screen name, for the players play on the ice...if you could read, you would see that I support Hexy for management. He is on the verge of being an NHL GM very soon. — Hexy4GM
- Meszaros seems to be napping often so far this season. Far cry from last season.— PaperThinWalls
- Not really. he was a dog last year too. He has no talent. — justacarpenter
- stick to carpentry, you don't know hockey — RINO
- Tampa won give them credit...hopefully we dont have to see them in the postseason.— shanehockey28
