A tale of two defensemen: Bruins’ Chara, Flyers’ Pronger headed opposite ways
Chara/By S. Bradley
The Bruins’ fortunate injury situation marches on, while one of their closest competitors is dealing with replacing one of its biggest stars due to a health issue.
The Philadelphia Flyers, who host the Bruins in the battle of the top two teams in Eastern Conference Saturday, learned Thursday night that star defenseman and captain Chris Pronger will miss the remainder of the season and playoffs due to severe post-concussion syndrome.
One day later, the Bruins got through a practice with their captain Zdeno Chara seemingly making it through the entire session unscathed, as the Boston Globe reported from Ottawa. If Chara feels up to it Saturday, he might suit up against the Flyers. That would mean he’d have missed just two games with the knee injury he suffered in Columbus. Considering initial fears from most after watching Chara’s knee awkwardly bend just a week ago, a two-game absence really is a best-case scenario.
Meanwhile, the Flyers are now dealing with their worst-case scenario. To their credit, the Flyers have battled through the injury to Pronger, a concussion to Claude Giroux and assorted other injuries to key supporting players to soar to the top of the East on a seven-game winning streak. But one has to wonder how long they can keep it going. Over the course of the next two months before the trade deadline, the Flyers will undoubtedly be active in search of a replacement for Pronger. They can use his $4.9 million of cap space in that effort.
Pronger/By S. Bradley
But any trade for a legitimate Pronger replacement — say one of Nashville’s stud defensemen or a Joni Pitkanen from Carolina — would make the Flyers poorer personnel-wise, if not this year then down the road. Any small-time replacements might come cheaper, but could turn out to be the Flyers’ version of Tomas Kaberle in Boston or Joe Corvo when he went to Washington.
Whatever the Bruins have done since the Marc Savard concussions to avoid serious injury, especially to their best players, they should keep doing it. Because health is yet another reason the Bruins just might be the class of the Eastern Conference.
PatrickD,
you nailed it. JPT made a rude comment about an incident that has yet to be played out in court. In turn, many of the commentators responded with some bigoted comments about gay people. I don’t see the connection either but it goes to show a-holes wear red-white-and blue in addition to black and gold.
Pronger is done. I don’t even understand where these concussion symptoms are coming from. He was playing and then suffered an eye injury. His concussion symptoms must stem from a career of abuse to the head.
I’ll say one thing about the Milbury thing. Apparently the comment from the aggressing player that really set it all off was when the kid told Jake Milbury “what? are you going to beat me with a shoe now?”.
Mike’s comment to that was…”thank you youtube”.
Personally, I think Milbury can thank himself. You can’t be part of the hockey media and then lament that an incident he was involved in was captured by the hockey media. He beat a fan with a shoe. You can’t make that up.
As for the Roy thing, it was dismissed from court and they were having marital problems. People don’t have crappy marriages anymore?
OK. This series of posts has really pi$$ed me off. JPT made a ridiculous crack about Milbury. Not surprising. Why? Is it because he is French Canadian? Because Montreal has a large LGBT community? NO. Its because he is from what I can tell an A$$H@LE! And you Monday and Foil are possibly no better making large sweeping generalizations about LGBT people and Canadians. And for that matter Brookline. I am Canadian born and raised. My father was American (from Brookline ironically)and he taught me that people regardless of race, creed, colour (note the Canadian spelling), and sexual persuasion can be A$$H@LES. So lets try in the future to try to keep the criticisms to the individual and not the broad dismissive generalizations. But the anonymity of the internet makes folks very brave so I don’t expect much. That off my chest; how great did the Bruins look against Philly?
Your Mom – I forgot about the tender mercies St. Patrick shows to his wife. As far as what Milbury allegedly did, we will wait until all sides have their day in court. Since the incident happened in Brookline I have my doubts that anything happened. Brookline is the Socialist Republic that in 2005 had a resolution to forbid parents from spanking their children. There are more hyper-sensitive Sally’s there per square acre than in all of Canada.
PatrickD
Any chance JPT had at being classy went out with his joy at the injury of Chara. Remember, what goes around comes around.
Your Mom
Great point about the exploits of Patrick Roy!
Jacques Martin was fired today.
JPT, at least Milbury said that he was going to remove himself from the spotlight while this plays out. This has all the trappings of a family after money. You won’t have to worry about Mike tweeting from his attorney’s office. In other news, Patrick Roy still beats his wife as his jersey hangs from your rafters. Pot, meet kettle.
It’s just pronger’s time to go. Last year in the playoffs he was hurt and horrible at best, when he could play. Focus on some youth last time I checked the Flyers are doing great with out him. No offense to Philly fans but his time had past him last season at best. i agree with CNL about these head injuries I think maybee try and reduce shoulder and elbow pad size and see what becomes. I am convinced that within 10 years players will be in full face masks and these injuries will continue. What were we all taught when we first put skates on heads up. The more equipment the more you feel invincible.
JPT,
The Montreal Canadiens have the greatest backing from the LGBT community. Mostly thanks to Montreal having one of the largest homosexual/transvestite communities in North America..
I did not know that.. How about you JPT, are you aware of this fact?
Stay classy JPT. Stay Classy.
Mike Milbury a true Bruin, through and through.
I’ve loved following Pronger’s career… In the western conference.
Chiarelli will soon have to spend Savard’s LTIR salary with young guns like Rask, Marchand and Seguin soon requiring new deals.
The league is just way more sensitive to the situation now. It’s nothing new, they’re just able to make a better diagnosis these days. Guys would have played through this shit all of the time even 5 years ago. Not saying that it was smart or better, but that was the reality of the NHL up until a year or so ago.
I heard a hockey personality talk about how this is just like knee injuries back in the 80′s and into the 90′s. Well it’s not. Conditioning was able to squash those issues. The shape players are in today makes a joke of the NHL back then. But, there’s nothing you can do about being born with a brain vulnerable to serious head trauma. We’re all just gonna have to get used to it.
Sucks about Pronger. The NHL is worse off without him, and so is the rivalry b/w our Bs and the Flyers.
Very sad.
I just can’t believe the list of head injuries – what on earth is going on?!