The Anaheim Ducks season came to an end with Chris Pronger sitting in the penalty box.
That is poetic justice.
The series with Dallas was defined by the reckless play by the Ducks and the Dallas Stars stepping up to take advantage of it.
Anaheim has some really talented players but they have forgotten how to play hockey. Instead, they have been led by their coach and captain into an odd world that resembles the WWE on ice.
The Ducks had success last year by beating teams into submission with the apparent blessings of the NHL. That, along with the style of play favored by their coach and inherent gooniness of their captain, contributed to making the team move more and more into the realm of cheap shot hockey.
To win, you have to score goals; to score goals, you have to play the puck.
It became very clear as the series went on that the Ducks were more interested in playing for the hits.
I don't like the Ducks; I don't hate them, I just don't like them. My son, however, is a huge Ducks fan—much to my dismay. For him and the other Ducks fans, I am sorry to see their season come to an end so soon.
The one thing my son and I agree on is that Pronger is overrated and more of a thug than a skilled defense-man.
Pronger may not have always been this bad, but he has been poorly served by a league that has given him easy passes when he has done wrong.
And wrong he has done.
With just nine games to go in the regular season, he was suspended for eight games for stepping on an opposing player's leg.
This was his eighth suspension.
Last year, he received two suspensions for one game a piece during the final two rounds of the playoffs. Basically, Pronger has shown an inability to control his emotions and lets them get the best of him. The league, rather than be as stern with him as they have others, has gone soft and this has only emboldened him.
This has carried over to other Duck's players.
Look at the cross check to the back of the head that Ryan Getzlaf issued in game five against the Stars. It was well after the play had moved on, it was an extra shot, and it was very deliberate.
How the league failed to issue a suspension for that one is beyond me.
For all Ducks fans, I hope this leads to some changes that will bring hockey back to Anaheim.
Hockey should be a tough hard-played game, not one of cheap shots and goons.
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5 months ago
I love my Ducks but i hate Pronger, i want a real defensemen. I would gladly see him go for a less talented young defensemen quite like all the ones Dallas has.
5 months ago
So true, Pronger is so overrated and what a cheap player. Being a Canucks and Senators fan I really dislike Pronger for his cheap plays last year in the playoffs and the skate incident with Kesler this year. What happened to the "repeat offender" should get suspended for longer? Isn't that what the league said about Chris Simon when they gave him a 30 game suspension? But for a similar incident Pronger only got 8 games because he wasn't a thug - that is so debatable.
Him being in the penalty box- sweet justice indeed!
5 months ago
Pronger still can play real defense and his power play work is phenomenal, but I agree that his inner gon has been enabled by the league, and that it has spread to the whole team--I too cannot believe Getzlaff (supposedly a skill player) was not suspended, and Kunitz put Cheechoo out for several games with a similar non-hockey cross-check to the head late in the year.
Since it looks like you're a Wings fan, let me first congratulate you on them advancing. Second, let me say that the way you guys responded to Calgary's goonery in last year's playoffs (which to me exceeded the Ducks') was one of the classiest things I have ever seen. I used to love both the Avs and Wings during the height of the rivalry--when BOTH teams were dirty towards the other. I also have two favourite players on the Avs, and a cousin and two friends who are Avs fans. I am looking forward to that series, but because of that class last year (which softened the blow of you beating us) I will probably root for Detroit, especially if we finish the choke job tomorrow.
BTW, it's WWE, 'cause the World Wildlife Foundation won the right to be called the WWF years ago.
from 5 months ago
Thanks for the correction. Guess you can tell I don't follow made up sports.
from 5 months ago
AWESOME! I can't stand them being called "sports." Then again, I feel the same about NASCAR (waste of gas supporting terrorists that involves no athleticism--case in point, Tony Stewart) and golf (little athleticism and no defense--if trees and sandtraps are defense, so are sidelines and snow in football). I'm not saying they don't take a lot of skill, but so does pool, and it DOES involve defense and almost as much physical skill as either of them, and I don't call that a sport. (And explain how POKER is a sport)
Oh, sorry, guess I got off on a digression there, huh?
5 months ago
I thought it was even more ironic that he committed the penalty on Brendan Morrow (Stars Captain) to be put in the box. Oh how things turn out!
5 months ago
I don't just dislike the Ducks, I HATE them!!! I couldn't agree more with this article. Chris Pronger used to be a hard nosed, talented defense man. But somewhere along the way he lost track of talent and accepted this role of goonary which has taken over all aspects of his game.
Yes he can still shot the puck and yes he still makes some nice defensive plays, but on a whole he is a blemish on the greatest game in the world.
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