Tribune Provides Added Incentive With Cheap Shot of Pronger
NHLHS writer David Strehle takes a look at the decision of the Chicago Tribune to publish a PhotoShop-ed photo of Chris Pronger, and the ramifications of possibly giving even more incentive to the Flyers defenseman.
After the final horn went to officially end game five, the tell tale signs were all there that this may finally be the end of the line for the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers players looked tired. Despite outhitting the Chicago Blackhawks, 45-35, Philadelphia took the more punishing checks for a good portion of the night.
Mike Richards looked gassed. As did Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne, and just about every other Flyer, for that matter.
Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien laid several bone-crushing hits, particularly on Philly defenseman Chris Pronger.
Those hit appeared to take a toll on Pronger, and the defenseman finished the game a career-worst -5.
Philadelphia left the ice a defeated team Sunday night. Chicago had beaten them in nearly every aspect of the game, and the Blackhawks needed just one more win to lock up their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.
When you have a team in this spot, you don’t do anything to provoke them. Let a sleeping dog lie.
You use the tactic that Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil employed back in the 1980 NFC Championship game.
Up against a tough and talented Dallas Cowboys’ team, Vermeil used the media to stroke the egos of the Cowboys players and organization during the time off leading up to the game.
By the time the contest started, Dallas thought all all they had to do was show up and they would be well on their way to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles ran all over the Cowboys for the entire 60 minutes that day, easily beating an overconfident Dallas team.
I have never forgotten that moment, and wondered why more teams haven’t used it themselves.
These past two days were the perfect time for Chicago to use Vermeil’s example, to say all the right things and hope that the Flyers went quietly into the night on Wednesday.
But instead, the struggling Chicago Tribune took the exact opposite approach and decided to publish this photo centerfold in hopes of more sales:
There is a difference between taking good-natured shots at players and crossing the line into cheap shot classlessness.
It’s rather ironic that the Tribune basically forgot about the Blackhawks, much like the rest of Chicago, during their years of futility.
Now that the team has been rebuilt and stands on the threshold of greatness, a bad sideshow was not what Chicago wanted to portray.
Pronger couldn’t have cared less: ”I don’t read what you guys write. Good or bad. I really don’t care, to be honest with you. I’m worried about playing this game.”
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the whole situation is that the Blackhawks coach and players weren’t even involved.
Joel Quenneville must be furious. Trying to finish off the fourth and final win in a Cup Finals is difficult enough, a task that could become even more arduous with the cheap shot.
Do you really want to anger the opposing player who has been the best on the ice for much of the series?
And if there is any justice, the hockey gods will give Pronger and the rest of his teammates a strong second wind.
And maybe even give Pronger the opportunity to do a curtsey at United Center’s center ice on Friday night with Lord Stanley raised above his head.
Worst-Kept Secret “Revealed”, Leighton Probable Starter in Game 6
Since the end of game five on Sunday night, it has been amazing to see all of the media outlets pondering which goaltender would be manning the Philadelphia crease on Wednesday night for game six.
Incumbent starter Michael Leighton was pulled after the first period of game five trailing 3-0, having given up three goals on 13 shots.
Leighton’s goals given up were not horrendous.
The first, scored by Blackhawks’ defenseman Brent Seabrook, was a deflection off of defenseman Chris Pronger’s skate. It changed direction just enough to keep the puck away from Leighton’s waiting right pad, and ended up as a seeing-eye goal that went just between the Philly net minder’s right skate and the goal post.
That one play seemed to shift every player on the ice into a different gear.
The players in the red home team uniforms, already moving faster than their opponents, kicked it into overdrive.
And conversely, anyone in the road whites seemed to downshift into first gear.
The second goal was probably the one that Leighton would like to have back. On a delayed Philadelphia penalty call, David Bolland’s flip banked off of Leighton’s right skate, which he didn’t get up against the post, and trickled into the net.
And Leighton played down the effect of being hit on the knee by a shot in warm ups prior to game five.
“It’s just a bruise. It didn’t affect the way I played. Once you get on the ice, you don’t really think about it.”
Laviolette’s pulling of Leighton in favor of Brian Boucher has been done before, most-recently in game one in Chicago.
Some even took Laviolette’s decision not to name a game six starter as a sign of not having confidence in Leighton.
But as Laviolette stated today, “Our goaltender has the best numbers in the playoffs, I didn’t think I’d have to announce it.”
Leighton has been this team’s best goaltender over the course of the entire season, and there is no reason to change that now.
Sporting an 8-2 record with a 2.34 goals-against average, Leighton has earned the right to play Wednesday night.
End of “story”.
David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia
