Flyers seeing the evolution of Pronger
WHEN THE Flyers acquired Chris Pronger from Anaheim last June, many fans expected him to bring his legendary snarl. He has done that.
WHEN THE Flyers acquired Chris Pronger from Anaheim last June, many fans expected him to bring his legendary snarl.
He has done that.
Pronger just hasn't necessarily brought the heavy-hitting side of his game that helped make him one of the NHL's highest-paid and most respected defensemen.
That's one reason why Pronger, 35, now one of the Flyers' elder statesmen, will be lining up frequently against Atlanta's top line and sniper Ilya Kovalchuk in every possible situation. Kovalchuk, the NHL's second-most lethal Russian weapon, has 30 goals this season.
Pronger could have become an NHL dinosaur under the new collective-bargaining agreement that changed the game in 2005 from clutch-and-grab to fast-paced. Instead, he has adapted his game and evolved into a player who fits seamlessly.
How is that possible for a player who has been in the Top 3 in the league in minutes for the past "12 or 13 seasons," as he recalled?
"Being tall and having long reach helps," Pronger said. "Understanding the game. You have to be able to evolve."
Pronger doesn't go out of his way for the nasty hit anymore - the kind that has gotten him suspended eight times - and he picks his spots for when to join the play deep in the offensive zone or on the rush.
"Guys jumping into the play and trying to create something out of nothing? That's wasted energy, in my opinion," Pronger said.
Still, Pronger has gotten his points. With 37 in the first 51 games, Pronger is on pace for the best offensive season of his 15-year career. He has 13 points in the last 11 games.
He said that's a product of skating on the power play with the top line.
Pronger averages 26:10 minutes per game, which is sixth-highest in the league. He has been remarkably durable - Pronger has not missed one game this season.
"He's effective in all three zones," coach Peter Laviolette said yesterday. "He's a professional. The last 15 games or so, he's been rock solid for us back there. He's been a constant every game."
Dirty money?
One hot-button topic across Canada yesterday was a Canadian Press story that informed the public of the Canadian Olympic Committee's plan to award gold-medal winners in the upcoming Vancouver Games with a $20,000 bonus.
There was backlash, though, when it was announced that hockey players would still be eligible for the bonus. The gripe is that since multimillionaire athletes are playing in what used to be an amateur-only event, the money that would go to them should instead make the other athletes' pool bigger. The combined salary of this year's Canadian hockey team is reportedly $128.9 million.
Chris Pronger didn't seem to have an issue with the bonuses.
"You've got to win first," Pronger said. "If you don't win, you don't get the money. I think it's moot, at this point, to start spending money you don't have."
Pronger said if heavily favored Canada wins the gold, he could use that money to pay for his family's trip to Vancouver. This is Pronger's fourth - and likely last - trip to the Olympics. It's the first time Canada has proposed this bonus. He won gold in 2002 at Salt Lake City.
"I'm shelling out a lot of money to fly my family and pay for tickets for my kids," Pronger said. "If I got the money, I'd probably donate it to someone, anyways. I'm pretty sure guys would do something with it."
The United States awards an even richer $25,000 for gold. This year is the 50th and 30th anniversaries of the 1960 and 1980 U.S. teams that won hockey gold.
Busy Betts
Aside from a little grin, you wouldn't have been able to tell anything was different for Blair Betts yesterday after practice.
You definitely wouldn't know that Betts spent the morning at the hospital witnessing the birth of his daughter, Olivia Jean. The newest member of the Betts family came just 8 days after defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and wife Guro celebrated the birth of their son, Philip.
Fresh Chiclets
Ian Laperriere was tired of waiting. After having seven teeth knocked out against Buffalo on Black Friday, Nov. 27, Laperriere has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of a shipment of specially molded teeth. Yesterday, Laperriere was excited to show off his new gibbers.
"They must have come in an armored car this time," Laperriere joked.
Last week, an empty box showed up at the Flyers' training facility. It was supposed to have Laperriere's new bridges inside. Instead, it turned out that his teeth were stolen during a shipping stopover in Louisiana.
Back in November, Laperriere lost seven teeth and required 75-to-100 stitches to repair his lip after he dived on the penalty-kill and got caught in the face with a slap shot. With the way he plays, it's a good thing this set is removable. Laperriere said he will look for a permanent solution once he retires.
Slap shots
Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell and Ray Emery sat courtside together for Villanova's matchup with Notre Dame last night at the Wachovia Center.
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