Chris Pronger: End of the Road - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Resolute 14 · 03-07-2013, 06:41 PM

Indeed. Hard to feel sorry for how his career ended given how cheap a POS he was himself. You don't want to see anyone end that way, but I'll reserve my actual sympathy for someone who deserves it.

Was a hell of a talent though. Absolutely no disputing that.

Northendzone · 03-07-2013, 07:04 PM

Not to derail thread, but yesterday on the fan they asked if you had to build a team around prongs or lidstrom - who would you pick?

browna · 03-07-2013, 07:10 PM

Winning the Hart and Norris in one year is nothing to sneeze at.

Hard to truly hate a guy who was that dominant...din't have to like him but backed up all his talk year in and year out and turned average teams into dominant ones with a dominating presence.

Lifted the sad sack Oilers into the playoffs and through to the Cup. If Lowe actually did what he promised Pronger the day he signed him, and build/get a decent team around him, not just get Pronger and expect others to follow him, they would've still been a good team. Instead, he left it at Pronger, and Pronger was incensed after 3 months and wanted out.

Those broken promises to Pronger is the main reason why Lowe's Oilers still have a bad UFA rap.

Back to Pronger:
I really think the big reason he's not coming back is the eye injury, which was an accident. If you can't get that peripheral vision back, let alone focus and seeing straight ahead properly after over a year, you're done with hockey, especially at 38.

Plus, the eye issues and strain and trauma and sensitivity, certainly wouldn't help in attempting to get over a concussion and probably has slowed the recovery from that more then anything else.

If he just had a concussion back when in Fall 2011, I am guessing, in my non medical opinion, that he'd recovered and be or have been back at some point, but if he's still got to do daily eye training, its not looking likely.

billybob123 · 03-07-2013, 07:14 PM

King of cheap shots, goes out injured.

Anyone remember how Keenan was crucified for trading Shanahan for Pronger? Two years after that trade, I wouldn't have done it straight up, Shanahan and a first, maybe.

Cowperson · 03-07-2013, 08:45 PM

"I'm glad I got drafted first because no one remembers number two." - Alexandre Daigle after being drafted first by Ottawa in the 1993 draft.

Chris Pronger, future Hall Of Famer, was taken second.

Cowperson

SuperMatt18 · 03-07-2013, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Not to derail thread, but yesterday on the fan they asked if you had to build a team around prongs or lidstrom - who would you pick?

Pronger

Hard to say but as good as Lidstrom was I am not sure that Pronger wasn't more of a game changer, especially come playoff time.

Offense, Defense, Physicality...Pronger really was the complete d-man.

powderjunkie · 03-07-2013, 09:26 PM

All but his last year in St. Louis he played with Macinnis.

All three years in Anaheim with Niedermayer (though Nieds didn't play 82 each year).

All three years in Philly with Timonen (and some other pretty solid d-men like Carle, Meszaros, etc.).

In his 1 year alone in STL they were a 7 seed eliminated in the 1st round. Of course, the EDM year was pretty damn impressive.

Not trying to totally disparage his achievements, but he rarely had to be the standout #1 dman on the team.

Cole436 · 03-07-2013, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

All but his last year in St. Louis he played with Macinnis.

All three years in Anaheim with Niedermayer (though Nieds didn't play 82 each year).

All three years in Philly with Timonen (and some other pretty solid d-men like Carle, Meszaros, etc.).

In his 1 year alone in STL they were a 7 seed eliminated in the 1st round. Of course, the EDM year was pretty damn impressive.

Not trying to totally disparage his achievements, but he rarely had to be the standout #1 dman on the team.

Said by no one who ever watched him play.

mister__big · 03-07-2013, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowperson

"I'm glad I got drafted first because no one remembers number two." - Alexandre Daigle after being drafted first by Ottawa in the 1993 draft.

Chris Pronger, future Hall Of Famer, was taken second.

Cowperson

Daigle is half right. I completely forgot that Pronger was drafted after him.

The disparity between #1 and #2 that year has to be one of the biggest ever, like Stefan vs. Sedin.

mister__big · 03-07-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Not to derail thread, but yesterday on the fan they asked if you had to build a team around prongs or lidstrom - who would you pick?

That depends on the team make-up, but 6 times out of 10 I would pick Pronger. He has that nasty edge that is a total game-changer come playoff time, and he instills fear in the opposition. On the other hand, while Lidstrom is a sure-fire HOF player, he has never been accused of throwing a huge momentum-shifting hit or scaring the crap out of other teams.

Playing against Lidstrom: "Aw shucks he's paired up against me."
Playing against Pronger: "Tell my wife and kids I love them."

puckluck2 · 03-08-2013, 01:26 AM

One of the best defencemen to ever play the game and one of the best difference makers to ever play the game. He's close to Lidstrom level of how much he'd mean to a team.

Sad that he will likely never play a game again.

saillias · 03-08-2013, 07:58 AM

I'd take Lidstrom over Pronger. I'll take the guy who can stay healthy and win the Norris for half his career over the guy who at his peak is maybe marginally more dominant but will get hurt more and get more PIM. Not to mention suspensions. I remember that game we played against Philly a couple years ago where the ref waived off his goal in OT because it kinda looked like his hand was intentionally blocking Kipper's face. He would never get the benefit of the doubt.

Poe969 · 03-08-2013, 08:05 AM

My best friend is a flyers fan and he was talking about how they were after JayBow and really wanted him but ended up with Pronger instead. I wish we could have had Pronger and the flyers got JayBow....

Pronger was one of the best defensmen to play the game. He wouldn't be out of place in an all-star game because he was tallented enough and he wouldn't be out of place at the olympics if you need a shut down guy because he could destroy anyone in the league with an open ice hit.

I honestly think I'd take him over Lidstrom if I was to build a team. And his interviews were always pretty freaking funny too!

cDnStealth · 03-08-2013, 08:12 AM

It really is sad to see Pronger forced to quit. The guy was a beast and I'd have loved to have him on my team. However, between Pronger and Lidstrom, I'd take Lidstrom. You don't have to hit a guy to be a game changer.

Table 5 · 03-08-2013, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Not to derail thread, but yesterday on the fan they asked if you had to build a team around prongs or lidstrom - who would you pick?

Who was "better" at any point in time is debatable, but over the long-term? Not even close. Lidstrom is pretty much the perfect example of a player you could build around, and which a team did build around...for 2 freakin decades.

One guy has 4 Stanley Cup rings, while the other has 1. One guy has 7 Norris trophies, the other guy has 1. One guy played his entire career with one team, the other played with 5. One guy was a constant presence who almost never got injured, while the other had issues throughout.

Sure, there are other factors/players/luck involved, but the results speak for themselves.

GrrlGoalie33 · 03-08-2013, 08:48 AM

The argument could go the other way though, and say that Pronger experienced success, despite playing through injuries and on different teams with different systems. While Lidstrom played on one team in one system through his whole career.

Mean Mr. Mustard · 03-08-2013, 08:50 AM

Yeah I understand that Pronger was more physical but Lidstrom was a more cerebral player who was able to continually perform in the playoffs... people tend to forget for the first half of his career Pronger was on an elite team that won the President's Trophy and got routinely bounced in the first and second round of the playoffs. Still obviously a great defenseman but I would take Lidstrom personally

CaptainCrunch · 03-08-2013, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Who was "better" at any point in time is debatable, but over the long-term? Not even close. Lidstrom is pretty much the perfect example of a player you could build around, and which a team did build around...for 2 freakin decades.

One guy has 4 Stanley Cup rings, while the other has 1. One guy has 7 Norris trophies, the other guy has 1. One guy played his entire career with one team, the other played with 5. One guy was a constant presence who almost never got injured, while the other had issues throughout.

Sure, there are other factors/players/luck involved, but the results speak for themselves.

One guy played on an absolutely loaded team year after year that had no weaknesses due to great drafting and trades and outspending other teams.

One guy got the Oilers to the cup finals.and took an underdog Ducks team to a cup.

Guess who wins.

Poe969 · 03-08-2013, 08:55 AM

Can't we have both?

So we agree. As soon as we find the fountain of youth, we go back to our primes and play for the Flames!

Erick Estrada · 03-08-2013, 09:17 AM

IMO Lidstrom was throughout his career a consistent, solid defenseman that excelled at everything outside of maybe the physical game but his skating, positioning, and skills were so good that he didn't really need to be. Probably the best, most consistend defender I've seen in my lifetime. However if I had to take one of them in his prime for a single playoff run I would take Pronger because IMO he was simply more of a presence. Lidstrom was never physically imposing and I feel that a lot of forwards were intimidated by Pronger and as good as Lidstrom was I don't feel he ever carried the Wings like Pronger did with the Oilers, Ducks, and Flyers. I believe no defenseman in the history of the NHL (that I have seen anyway) has ever brought the complete package of size, skills, physical play, leadership, that Pronger did in his prime.