Chris Pronger Slash Goes too Far

In game one of the Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers, the Bruins put on a clinic, pounding the Flyers 7-3. The game saw plenty of scoring, some rough stuff as well, but it also saw exactly what the league does not need.

About 10 minutes into the first period Flyer’s defensman Chris Pronger was skating to beat out Bruin’s forward Daniel Paille for an icing. Slight contact was made by Paille and Pronger took exception with a hard two-hander to Paille’s side. The play resulted in matching penalties, 2 minutes to paille for tripping and 2 minutes for slashing to Pronger.

After dissecting the video a few times, you will notice that Pronger did not ever touch the puck for an icing, but instead had his stick lifted by Paille. The linesman still made the correct call, or more so, did not make a bad call. It is difficult at the pace to really know who touched the puck first, and more times than not, the defender will be given the benefit of the doubt. Pronger however was upset as he could have been injured on the play if hit or taken into the boards the wrong way. Many critics would favor a no-touch icing or a variation of it to protect the safety of the players. The question though is, why did Pronger not get ejected for his slash, or further yet, why didn’t Pronger receive any suspension or fine for his actions? Had Pronger hit Paille on the wrist and potentially broke it, would he of then?

The NHL has evolved into a much faster, stronger game; any veteran will tell you that. Those veterans will also tell you the reasoning for so many head-shots and injuries to the players nowadays is because of the lack of respect between players. The NHL is definitely making steps in the right direction with a constant look at implementing new rules or tweaking existing ones to keep their players safe, but the problem though is the NHL, like many other major sports leagues, are reactionary.It takes one players actions resulting in a major injury before they fix it.

The NHL needs to step up and not be afraid to challenge the players for their actions. Pronger is a big player, a veteran who has seen it all and been through it all. He of all players should know better to not have reacted in such a way. If the NHL truly wishes to protect their players, instill a sense of respect for one another in hopes of lowering the injuries, they should have suspended Pronger. Send the message to players that such blatant disregard for players safety by wielding your stick like a weapon more than a tool, will not be tolerated. Not tolerated because the NHL does value the players safety and the integrity of the game.

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