Pronger, a 6-foot-6, 213-pound veteran who is preparing to play in his fourth Olympics, let out a hearty laugh as he tried to mask the disappointment his hockey-crazed country felt after the 2006 Games.
Team Canada's performance that year was downright stunning: a 3-3 record, three shutout losses, and its poorest Olympic finish ever - seventh place.
Hence, the creation of this year's "Redeem Team."
"It's a new start for us," said Pronger. "It's a chance for us to rectify all that went wrong with our team the last time. The Olympic experience for us that year was a [disappointment] from day one. It was just funky the way our team performed and the way everything transpired. It was just an odd tournament, and I think everyone is looking forward to coming away with a lot better effort."
Pronger will be joined on Team Canada by Flyers teammate Mike Richards, who was ecstatic when he learned he was going to be a first-time Olympian.
"I remember after the pregame skate just getting chills when I heard the message, a voice mail, from [Team Canada associate director] Ken Holland," Richards said. "I just started thinking about it again this week, getting prepared for it and getting things together."
Asked about his expectations, Richards said, "Winning is the main thing. You want to go in there with the mind-set of winning. It is going to take a lot, obviously. There will be a lot of great teams there."
There is a chance that Flyer Jeff Carter could be added in the next day or so if some of Team Canada's injured players don't improve.
Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen will play for Finland and Oskars Bartulis will play for Latvia.
The Olympics will open tomorrow. NHL teams will play games through Sunday, then break for the Olympics. The first men's games will be Tuesday.
Canada and the United States will play at 7:40 p.m. Feb. 21. The gold medal game will be Feb. 28, the last event on the Olympic schedule.
