Pronger wary of crossing Olympic line
Rugged defenceman knows he needs to alter his play in Vancouver
Six-foot-six Chris Pronger has left a spacious void everywhere he has put down roots.
The St. Louis Blues have made the playoffs only once and haven't won a series in the four years AP (after Pronger). The Edmonton Oilers advanced to the 2005-06 Stanley Cup final with Pronger, but haven't played a single post-season game since.
The Anaheim Ducks certainly have struggled without the big lug. Pronger also leaves welts everywhere he's been. He dubiously has been anointed the league's dirtiest player, but makes no apologies for living life on the edge with his stick, and his methods to keep the puck out of his own goal.
So Canada is better with him on its Olympic roster than without him. But the trick for the kid from Dryden, Ont., is to swiftly find a happy medium between what will be acceptable and what will be intolerable at the men's Olympic hockey tournament in Vancouver next month.
"My play will have to be altered a little bit," said the 35-year-old Philadelphia Flyers defenceman, who along with Scott Niedermayer and Martin Brodeur will be visiting their fourth Winter Games when they suit up for Canada.
"When the games mean more, like in the semifinals or hopefully the final, you have to know when to turn the cheek. But I still need to be the type of player I'm day-in, day-out. I just can't cross the line."
Pronger was pleased that seven of the 14 referees who will work the Games in Vancouver are from the NHL. The familiar faces will belong to Bill McCreary, Paul Devorski, Marc Joanette, Brad Watson, Chris Rooney, Dan O'Halloran and Dennis LaRue.
"You have a pretty good rapport with these guys," Pronger said. "They'll be talking to me when my stick gets too high or it's time to tone it down a bit."
Unfamiliar pairing
Both Pronger and Niedermayer are left shots. So Pronger predicted that he will begin playing in Vancouver with Dan Boyle or maybe Shea Weber.
"That's initially how I think it will be," Pronger said. "In 1998, I initially played with Al MacInnis if you remember, but by the end I played pretty much with everyone."
Pronger has won the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold, a world championship and a world junior title. Does he still get up for the Olympics? After all, his NHL team has endured a coaching change and is still fighting to make the playoffs. Pronger has never missed the post-season in each of his 13 NHL seasons.
"You get excited more and more as it gets closer," he said. "But you don't want to look too far down the road because you have to play between 50 and 60 games with your team before the Olympics. First and foremost, you have to play hard for the team you make a living with, you have to worry about the team that gives you the paycheques.
"Once we get there, Hockey Canada will be the focus."
With the addition of Pronger in the off-season, the Flyers were supposed to be world beaters this season. But they endured a woeful spell in which coach John Stevens was fired and replaced by Peter Laviolette on Dec. 4.
Even with Laviolette running the show, the Flyers struggled with eight losses in the first 10 games under the new coach. But overall, the Flyers have climbed up to ninth in the Eastern Conference, even though they only have gone 10-9-2 under their new coach.
"You can have all the talent in the world, and we have a lot of talent, you still have to have the commitment," Pronger said. "I think some of the guys thought you just have to show up and we'd win. But we've learned that you have to make a commitment to play properly. You have to play a full 60 minutes.
"We're playing a more up-tempo system [under Laviolette]. We all had to get on the same page, get ourselves back in the gym and in better condition, and you want to do what it takes to make a difference."
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