Chris Pronger

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Adam Burish wanted to make amends. At least before his Dallas Stars head to town on Feb. 5 and he was have to face Chris Pronger himself. Just after Patrick Kane clinched the Stanley Cup for Chicago, Burish did an on-ice interview with a Chicago TV station. "I think Chris Pronger's the biggest idiot in the league," Burish told NBC. "I can't stand him one bit. I hope I never have to see him again. If I see him out there, I might punch him. " Burish was then asked if he had seen the unprofessional Chicago Tribune poster that depicted Pronger in a skirt, calling him "Chrissy Pronger.

CHICAGO - Chris Pronger had his uniform on straight, his helmet was positioned properly, and his skates were laced tightly. It's his game that was upside down, and the Flyers caught a strong dose of what happens when their premier defenseman, the player who was having the most significant impact in the Stanley Cup Finals, has a rough night. They lose. It doesn't take a hockey aficionado to realize the Flyers would be lounging at their summer cottages if No. 20 wasn't patrolling the blue line, using his mean edge, his stick, and his vast experience to fend off trouble.

Late in overtime Friday afternoon, Chris Pronger waved his left arm in front of Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff for a split second while the Flyers were on a four-on-three power play. Was Pronger waving for teammate Mike Richards to shoot the puck or move closer to the net? Or was he trying to distract the veteran goalie? Ghislain Hebert, in his first full season as an NHL referee, believed the latter. As a result, Richards' goal was disallowed and the game went to a shoot-out, in which Calgary prevailed to gain a controversial, 3-2 win in a Black Friday special at the Wells Fargo Center.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger should have had a stirring retirement celebration before Thursday night's game against Pittsburgh, saluting a career that will undoubtedly put him into the Hall of Fame. Instead, the charade continued. Pronger attended the game at the Wells Fargo Center, sat in general manager Paul Holmgren's suite and, perhaps because he is in the process of making a comeback (wink, wink), wasn't even acknowledged on the scoreboard. Earlier Thursday, during a news conference at the Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, Pronger talked about trying to make a return from post-concussion syndrome.

Second in a series   THE FLYERS have the NHL's most expensive collection of second- and third-pairing defensemen. That's not a knock - or at least, an intentional one. You see, Kimmo Timonen ($6 million), Braydon Coburn ($4.5 million), Andrej Meszaros ($4 million), Luke Schenn ($3.6 million) and Nick Grossmann ($3.5 million) are all fine players. Most NHL teams would love to add a defenseman of that caliber to their roster this summer. But for the Flyers, five No. 3 defensemen - or worse - does not a contender make.

1. Dustin Byfuglien 2. Dan Carcillo 3. Duncan Keith 4. Ian Laperriere 5. Chris Pronger

'OUR FANS love the game and know we're trying hard every year to get better. Fans aren't stupid. They know when an organization is doing everything possible and when it's not. They probably wouldn't support us if we weren't working our butts off. " These are the words of 80-year-old Ed Snider to the Inquirer and Philly.com last week, spoken from the heart as always. Whether it's the fat deal he gave Chris Pronger or the one he gave Ilya Bryzgalov 2 summers ago, Ed always has backed that heart with his checkbook, and for that he escapes much of the vitriol that fans express toward ownership of our more recent champions, such as the current Phillies.

Claude Giroux's first year as the Flyers' captain will not be remembered fondly. It's not that the slick-passing, 25-year-old center played poorly - it's that his team, for a variety of reasons, never clicked until they were eliminated from the playoffs and the pressure had been removed. Eight Eastern Conference teams are competing in the theatrical Stanley Cup playoffs, arguably the toughest two-month stretch in any sport. The Flyers are not one of them. "We can't blame anybody but ourselves," Giroux said.

Here are standout statistics from Game 1: The combined save percentage of the Flyers goalies was .788. Anything below .900 is considered subpar, but below .800? Flyers defenseman Sean O'Donnell logged just 12 minutes of ice time. Chris Pronger was up to 19:45, his most playing time since returning from injury in Game 6 vs. Buffalo. The teams were a combined 1 for 10 on the power play, continuing a bad trend for both teams. In fact, Boston (0 for 5) has not scored with the man advantage in the postseason.

The Flyers on Tuesday revealed that veteran defenseman Chris Pronger underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week. General manager Paul Holmgren called the procedure "minor" and said Pronger would be ready when camp opens Sept. 17 in Voorhees. The Flyers said his surgery was to "remove loose bodies" in the knee. He has already started his rehab. Pronger's knee problem, however, may explain why the Flyers are so heavy on defensemen; they have eight on their roster.

When the Flyers pick No. 11 in the first round of the June 30 NHL draft, here are some players who may be available: Darnell Nurse, D, 6-foot-4, 195 pounds He plays an aggressive, gritty style and models his game after Chris Pronger and Shea Weber. His offense is improving. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, 6-2, 189 The righthanded-shooting Finn plays with a nasty edge; he is regarded as a solid two-way defenseman and would be a nice consolation prize if Nurse is gone.

Second in a series   THE FLYERS have the NHL's most expensive collection of second- and third-pairing defensemen. That's not a knock - or at least, an intentional one. You see, Kimmo Timonen ($6 million), Braydon Coburn ($4.5 million), Andrej Meszaros ($4 million), Luke Schenn ($3.6 million) and Nick Grossmann ($3.5 million) are all fine players. Most NHL teams would love to add a defenseman of that caliber to their roster this summer. But for the Flyers, five No. 3 defensemen - or worse - does not a contender make.

'OUR FANS love the game and know we're trying hard every year to get better. Fans aren't stupid. They know when an organization is doing everything possible and when it's not. They probably wouldn't support us if we weren't working our butts off. " These are the words of 80-year-old Ed Snider to the Inquirer and Philly.com last week, spoken from the heart as always. Whether it's the fat deal he gave Chris Pronger or the one he gave Ilya Bryzgalov 2 summers ago, Ed always has backed that heart with his checkbook, and for that he escapes much of the vitriol that fans express toward ownership of our more recent champions, such as the current Phillies.

Claude Giroux's first year as the Flyers' captain will not be remembered fondly. It's not that the slick-passing, 25-year-old center played poorly - it's that his team, for a variety of reasons, never clicked until they were eliminated from the playoffs and the pressure had been removed. Eight Eastern Conference teams are competing in the theatrical Stanley Cup playoffs, arguably the toughest two-month stretch in any sport. The Flyers are not one of them. "We can't blame anybody but ourselves," Giroux said.

BUFFALO - There is a bright side to the Flyers' flop of a season: This is regarded as one of the best draft classes in recent years, and they figure to get an early selection June 30 in Newark. The draft includes two big defensemen who are related to former pro athletes: Seth Jones, son of Popeye Jones, who played 10-plus NBA seasons, and Darnell Nurse, nephew of Donovan McNabb, whose career with the Eagles is well-documented in these parts. Scouts call the 6-foot-3, 208-pound Jones the consensus No. 1 overall pick, while the 6-4, 190-pound Nurse is projected to be drafted as high as fifth and as low as 11th in the first round.

TAMPA, Fla. - Kimmo Timonen was an afterthought. The Los Angeles Kings took a flier on him with the 250th overall pick in the 10th round of the 1993 draft - so late that the NHL doesn't even draft past seven rounds anymore because so few picks actually panned out. The Kings had little interest in Timonen, eventually trading his rights to Nashville. When Timonen finally did land in North America 5 years after being drafted, he was jettisoned to the minors in Milwaukee. One NHL game seemed like the longest of longshots.

LET'S PLAY "Guess the team . " A trade intended to solidify a key position has been sabotaged by injury, long-range health uncertainty and roster adjustments. Trading perceived strengths to balance the salary-cap hit of a big acquisition has not exactly panned out, either. And the pedigreed coach brought in to revive a winning tradition? Well, on most nights he appears as frustrated as the fans sitting behind him. If this sounds like the 76ers to you, that's because the huge shadow Andrew Bynum's status has cast over this harsh winter has saved the Flyers from the same kind of scrutiny about their attempts to improve, and how those attempts have affected their current outside-looking-in playoff status.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger should have had a stirring retirement celebration before Thursday night's game against Pittsburgh, saluting a career that will undoubtedly put him into the Hall of Fame. Instead, the charade continued. Pronger attended the game at the Wells Fargo Center, sat in general manager Paul Holmgren's suite and, perhaps because he is in the process of making a comeback (wink, wink), wasn't even acknowledged on the scoreboard. Earlier Thursday, during a news conference at the Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, Pronger talked about trying to make a return from post-concussion syndrome.

IF BRAYDON Coburn had just a little more time to settle in when he was traded to the Flyers in February 2007, he might still be able to feel the area above his left eye and across the length of his skull to the back of his head. If Scott Hartnell had not spent 2 weeks in bed when he was 19 so his retina could cease bleeding and begin to repair, he might still be scrapping in front of opponents' nets without a visor covering his eyes. Both men play with visors these days, the result of eye injuries that threatened to end their respective careers before their 25th birthdays.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger insisted he has not given up hope that he can return to the NHL, but his words did not mesh with the news release handed out by the team on Thursday afternoon. In a wide-ranging, candid news conference at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, Pronger, who has been sidelined with post-concussion syndrome for nearly 16 months, talked about battling depression, updated his physical status, and revealed how he misses "going to war every night. " At the same time Pronger was saying his goal was to try to get healthy enough to return to the team, the Flyers gave reporters a release from a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center concussion expert, Michael Collins, who said that the defenseman had "significant vulnerabilities" and that he had advised him to not play hockey again.