Chris Pronger

MARCH 18, 2008 --  If you were to say the name Chris Pronger out loud you may get some pretty strong responses—most of which contain only four letters. Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks was suspended for eight games for the alleged stomping of the calf of Vancouver Canuck Ryan Kesler. I say “alleged” because stomp is such a harsh word. I don’t think it was a stomp as much as a, “Oops, excuse me. Here’s your leg back.”

Before I get too far into this, I want to reference the headline—“Why does everyone hate Chris Pronger. I’m not totally sure why most people hate Pronger, but I know why Chris Simon hates him That’s because Simon did basically the same thing earlier this season and he drew a 30-game suspension form the NHL. Thirty vs. eight. Yep. Simon is bent.

If you haven’t seen the video than I urge you to open up a new page and go to Youtube. The play started off clean enough—Kesler and Pronger got tangled up behind the net and Kesler ends up on the ice. That’s when things get a little muddled. According to most people, Pronger “stomped” on Kesler’s leg.

Anaheim GM and former NHL disciplinarian Brian Burke seemed to accept the suspension well via a statement made to the media. Burke should be happy because as it is, Pronger will return for the Ducks regular season finale against Phoenix. He will be in uniform when Anaheim opens the playoffs—most likely against the Dallas Stars. If Pronger had been “Simon—ed”, then he would be saying adios to the 2—7-8 season.

Colin Campbell, NHL senior vice president and director of hockey operations, said in a statement: "In attempting to free himself, Pronger carelessly and recklessly brought his foot down" on Kesler, who was not injured. The statement said that Pronger is considered a repeat offender, and he will forfeit $609,756.08 in salary, which will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. For the record, this was the eighth suspension of Pronger’s NHL career.

So, Campbell isn’t convinced that there was malice involved, yet nearly very member of the media has vilified Pronger as the worst guy in the league. The fact of the matter is that Pronger is a very aggressive player who maybe nudges his toe over the proverbial line a bit, but he isn’t a dirty player the way Simon has been labeled is a dirty player.

Pronger’s “dirty” plays aren’t out-and-out dirty and by that I mean that Pronger isn’t going head hunting. I don’t see any intent to injure a player when that Pronger train comes barreling down the tracks. What I see is an aggressive guy who goes 6-6 and weighs 213 lbs. He plays hard and he fights for the puck and he is going hard until the whistle on every shift.

With Pronger you don’t see a guy that swings the stick at someone’s head or a player that drives someone face first into the ice. What you get with the Ducks captain is someone who uses his size to his advantage, but someone who may occasionally forget just how big and powerful he is.

The bottom line is that what Pronger did was wrong, but did he intend to injure Kesler? I don’t think so. I am drawing upon my 15 +years as a recreational defenseman when I say that. I understand how Pronger could be frustrated at trying to get back in the play but being tangled up with Kesler inhibited that. He tried to extricate himself in the most expeditious way possible. And that’s all he did.

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