Chris Pronger traded to Philly

[WingsFanInPensCountry 0]

I'm not ashamed to say that i hope Crosby gets his face bashed in by Pronger or anyone else. I hate the way that dude plays with his crying and whack cheapshots. And the way he's been babied. I think it hurts the game and if that makes me low class or whatever so be it.

[titanium2 867]

I'm not ashamed to say that i hope Crosby gets his face bashed in by Pronger or anyone else. I hate the way that dude plays with his crying and whack cheapshots. And the way he's been babied. I think it hurts the game and if that makes me low class or whatever so be it.

I'm curious as to how they'll do as defending champs.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

[WingNutt 12]

Well Chrissy Pronger is heading to the city of brotherly love, I'd say his cheap shot style of hockey will mold perfect with Phillys game glad to see he'll be in the East.

Discuss, he also made a crack joke about Cheli playing so old, when he addressed the media.

[ilmickeyli 40]

Him and Lappy + already physical philly team...

[Guest E_S_A_D]

Flyers will be the most entertaining team to watch in 2009/10 season, no doubt. This solidifies them as my SECOND favorite team. What a great GM, knows what fans want.

Everyone will blast me and say 'ohhh no ESAD, that's not true- Holland is a genius'. Holland's guys also 'ran out of gas' this year too.

[zata20 4]

Flyers will be the most entertaining team to watch in 2009/10 season, no doubt. This solidifies them as my SECOND favorite team. What a great GM, knows what fans want.

Everyone will blast me and say 'ohhh no ESAD, that's not true- Holland is a genius'. Holland's guys also 'ran out of gas' this year too.

A GM's overall goal isn't to please fans. It is to build championship teams. Holland does a pretty good job of that. BTW, as a fan I am pretty pleased by the four Stanley Cups I have witnessed in my lifetime.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From TSN:

VOORHEES, N.J. - Chris Pronger expects to help Philadelphia win a Stanley Cup this season and beyond.

Working out a contract extension with Philadelphia before the potential free agent plays his first game with the Flyers is already a priority for the former NHL MVP.

"I'd love to finish my career here," Pronger said.

[edicius 3,269]

You know what my favorite part about this is?

Now Crosby and Malkin have to deal with Pronger in the playoffs.

That was my initial reaction. Hell, they have to deal with him all season. Sweet.

[Doc Holiday 0]

Flyers will be the most entertaining team to watch in 2009/10 season, no doubt. This solidifies them as my SECOND favorite team. What a great GM, knows what fans want.

Everyone will blast me and say 'ohhh no ESAD, that's not true- Holland is a genius'. Holland's guys also 'ran out of gas' this year too.

The Flyers didn't run out of gas, they just got plain beat.

But you have your own opinion on what a GM should look for, so I can't really argue with that. Although Kenny Holland's 08 team was able to beat Philly in both revenue and team value. We will see how they fared in 09 and how they will do next year.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Doc Holiday

[Guest micah]

The Flyers didn't run out of gas, they just got plain beat.

But you have your own opinion on what a GM should look for, so I can't really argue with that. Although Kenny Holland's 08 team was able to beat Philly in both revenue and team value. We will see how they fared in 09 and how they will do next year.

Philly is making more money than I figure they should be. Toronto and Detroit are O6 teams that draw fans from a huge area (including overseas in the case of Detroit). I'm very impressed at the $ Philly is taking in, as I can't figure out how they're doing it. They're also icing a competetive team that looks like it will be better this year than it was last year. They can score and they can hit and they can fight. They are certainly a fun team to watch, and I wish them tons of luck. If Philly can be consistantly succesful on the scoreboard and the bank ledger with the style game the play, perhaps more teams will follow their lead. If they do, hockey fans everywhere, regardless of who they pull for, win.

If I were not a hockey fan and I was scrolling through the channels in November and stumbled onto a wings game (durring a time iof year when Babcock says the Wings don't bother to play hard) I doubt I would be captivated enough by what the Wings are doing on the ice to watch for very long. Stumbling onto a Philly game just might make me watch a little bit. Philly and Anaheim are great for the league, and great for the game.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

A team in the East that plays defense...

[Doc Holiday 0]

If I were not a hockey fan and I was scrolling through the channels in November and stumbled onto a wings game (durring a time iof year when Babcock says the Wings don't bother to play hard) I doubt I would be captivated enough by what the Wings are doing on the ice to watch for very long. Stumbling onto a Philly game just might make me watch a little bit. Philly and Anaheim are great for the league, and great for the game.

The thing is, your opinion differs from a lot of other fans.

You would fit in with Philly fans.

[titanium2 867]

The thing is, your opinion differs from a lot of other fans.

Mmm... Not really. I love the Red Wings style but I think that it's something you grow to appreciate.

I can't believe how often I defend micah but do you remember the game in which Aaron Downey garnered 50-60% of text message votes for player of the game when he only played for what 6-7 minutes and just forechecked seemingly everyone who wasn't wearing red? People like to watch other people beat each other up. It's some kind of fear of survival trait we've inherited according to Darwin.

[Guest micah]

The thing is, your opinion differs from a lot of other fans.

You would fit in with Philly fans.

Meh. I hope I wouldn't. I don't think there's a big difference in the types of people that are fans of any given team. Frankly, I think most hockey fans, be them Wings fans or Flyers fans or whoever, suck. They (along with fans of all professional sports) too often exhibit a tendency towards hero worship and a habit of excusing players on their own team for actions that they would call out another team's player for. Hockey fans as a whole, suck. They're like people that way. I don't really want to "fit in" with fans of any hockey team.

I don't think I'm exactly coming out of left field to suggest that Joe 6-pack would be more likely to stay tuned after watching 2 minutes of a November Flyers game while channel surfing durring a commercial than he would after watching two minutes of the November Wings. For the potential fan, effort is fun to watch. Fights are fun to watch. Intimidation is fun to watch. Scoring is fun to watch. Attitude is fun to watch. Superior defensive positioning is not fun to watch. Diving is not fun to watch. Dicipline is not fun to watch. Puck possesion is not fun to watch.

Edited July 7, 2009 by micah

[titanium2 867]

Puck possesion is not fun to watch.

I was in fair agreement with you until you said this.

I love it when the Wings play keep away. I find it as one of the funniest things I love to watch along with episodes of The Simpsons or House.

How is this not fun to watch?

[Guest micah]

I can't believe how often I defend micah but do you remember the game in which Aaron Downey garnered 50-60% of text message votes for player of the game when he only played for what 6-7 minutes and just forechecked seemingly everyone who wasn't wearing red? People like to watch other people beat each other up. It's some kind of fear of survival trait we've inherited according to Darwin.

Yup. I don't want hockey to degenerate into a no-holds-barred cage match. I want ballance. I don't think most people have ever had an opportunity to see how great hockey can be. 20 years ago, hockey was hard to watch on TV. With the advent of HD broadcasts and improved camera work, hockey has gained more than any other sport. If the NHL would combine the badassedness of the 1980s with today's broadcast technology and todays freewheeling, no clutching and grabbing stryle of play, I think they could really advance their position by leaps and bounds. I'm not advocating MMA, I'm advocating old time hockey, but faster, and on new TVs. It could work.

[Guest micah]

How is this not fun to watch?

I'm at work and can't see videos, unfortunately.

I'm going to guess that you showed Helm from the playoffs though? If so, I agree, that was awesome and anyone who might be open to giving hockey a try would love to see that. The chances of stumbling upon something like that, even from the Wings, is pretty low though.

Edited July 7, 2009 by micah

[egroen 384]

Philly is making more money than I figure they should be. Toronto and Detroit are O6 teams that draw fans from a huge area (including overseas in the case of Detroit). I'm very impressed at the $ Philly is taking in, as I can't figure out how they're doing it. They're also icing a competetive team that looks like it will be better this year than it was last year. They can score and they can hit and they can fight. They are certainly a fun team to watch, and I wish them tons of luck. If Philly can be consistantly succesful on the scoreboard and the bank ledger with the style game the play, perhaps more teams will follow their lead. If they do, hockey fans everywhere, regardless of who they pull for, win.

If I were not a hockey fan and I was scrolling through the channels in November and stumbled onto a wings game (durring a time iof year when Babcock says the Wings don't bother to play hard) I doubt I would be captivated enough by what the Wings are doing on the ice to watch for very long. Stumbling onto a Philly game just might make me watch a little bit. Philly and Anaheim are great for the league, and great for the game.

In all honesty, during the regular season, it is much more exciting to watch teams that are vying for that #8 seed. It's the closest thing to playoff hockey you get during the regular season - asides from watching a heated rivalry.

Anaheim could not manage even remotely close to the same intensity they showed all year in 2007/08 the next year. That type of play takes a lot out of a team, especially if they manage a deep post-season. It is simply not sustainable.

[titanium2 867]

I'm going to guess that you showed Helm from the playoffs though? If so, I agree, that was aweseom and anyone who might be open to giving hockey a try would love to see that. The chances of stumbling upon something like that, even from the Wings, is pretty low though.

No it was Datsyuk flipping it over the net against Anaheim in Game 7, which led to a stretch where Anaheim couldn't get the puck out of the zone even though the Wings weren't on the power play. Well, a power play just ended, so the Ducks were probably tired, which means that probably wasn't the best example, but it was still fun to watch them toy around.

I guess a better example is Game 6 from the 08 finals where Pittsburgh only registered one shot on goal in a little over 18 minutes of play. Absolutely beautiful. The Wings won seemingly every physical battle and race for the puck. It was effort and determination at its finest.

The chances of stumbling upon something like that, even from the Wings, is pretty low though.

I agree to this to the extent of this past year. We didn't see the same kind of determination and effort from the Wings this past year. It was a different year. A different style, more oriented towards offense. But 07-08 was one of the most special years in Wings recent history and that's saying something. Datsyuk with his sneaky takeaways and moves that make two players collide. Hilarious. And based on Kenny's recent interview to WDFN, the Wings plan to get back to that kind of style, which has me very excited.

[titanium2 867]

That type of play takes a lot out of a team, especially if they manage a deep post-season. It is simply not sustainable.

This is something in which I disagree wholeheartedly with micah about. He thinks the Wings were lazy for the first 60 games of the season. IIRC, he thinks a team can condition themselves to play every game as if it were the first game of the playoffs.

Are in better physical shape than most but they are still human. The game seemingly moreso today than any other is about who can manage their energy and intensity the best. You can blame Bettman for that one, but that's besides the point. The game today because of the emphasis for entertainment value has become more of a marathon for the players and you can't treat a marathon like a sprint.

[Guest micah]

There are players who are capable of playing to the best of their ability throughout a regular season and a postseason, and doing the same thing the next year. There are also player who cannot.

Hungry players can and do play as hard as they can in every game they get to play in. There are special men who can do that sort of thing, and they deserve mad props. See Walter Payton setting the NFL yards-rushed-for in a game record, in a regular season game when he had a fever and was throwing up. That's tough, and I think that players with that attitude are the most fun to watch.

I realise that there are skilled players who are too fragile to crash and bang for 82 games and still be fresh for the playoffs. Fine. Dress some guys in the regular season who can and will throw their bodies around, playing every shift like it's the dream-come-true that it is. Maybe they aren't talented enough to play in the postseason. So what? They have heart, and I'd rather watch some schlub play like it matters than watch a superstar play like he knows it doesn't.

[Guest E_S_A_D]

A GM's overall goal isn't to please fans. It is to build championship teams. Holland does a pretty good job of that. BTW, as a fan I am pretty pleased by the four Stanley Cups I have witnessed in my lifetime.

That's great, but I had season tickets with my family through all of the 1980s and those that had never been to a game in 1987 compared to 2007/8, Stanley Cup or not would never realize how much they missed when the Joe used to be really 'alive'.

[Guest E_S_A_D]

Mmm... Not really. I love the Red Wings style but I think that it's something you grow to appreciate.

I can't believe how often I defend micah but do you remember the game in which Aaron Downey garnered 50-60% of text message votes for player of the game when he only played for what 6-7 minutes and just forechecked seemingly everyone who wasn't wearing red? People like to watch other people beat each other up. It's some kind of fear of survival trait we've inherited according to Darwin.

Best post of the thread, imo. He's right Doc, Wings fans; sadly, are in the minority in the NHL. Take a vote of NHL fans of what they'd rather see when attending a game; a bench clearning brawl or 10 goals and they'll pick the brawl everytime. Do I want goonery? No, do I like a rough game? Yes.

Tiatanium2 hit it on the head though. Wings fans are the largest BANDWAGON fan team, Pittsburgh will soon follow, but as far as hockey fans go- no, Wings style is hated.

[Doc Holiday 0]

Best post of the thread, imo. He's right Doc, Wings fans; sadly, are in the minority in the NHL. Take a vote of NHL fans of what they'd rather see when attending a game; a bench clearning brawl or 10 goals and they'll pick the brawl everytime. Do I want goonery? No, do I like a rough game? Yes.

Tiatanium2 hit it on the head though. Wings fans are the largest BANDWAGON fan team, Pittsburgh will soon follow, but as far as hockey fans go- no, Wings style is hated.

Well the great thing is they still entertain ME so I have no reason to complain.

And considering the numbers the Wings put up year after year I don't see why Holland and Ilitch should be worried about their style being "unpleasing." They still make a s*** ton of money.