Chris Pronger joined his teammates for practice Monday for the first time since his off-season surgeries in May.
The newly named Flyers captain skated for about 30 minutes total, but left the ice when the rest of the team switched rinks to continue practice. He's cautiously optimistic about what Monday's skate means for his rehabilitation.
I had a good day today, but well see how I am tomorrow after partaking a little bit more than the day before," he said.
Pronger worked with Andreas Lilja on the ice. He admitted that there are some good days and some bad days, as he works to be ready for the start of the NHL season.
Im looking at you Tim, and thats a bad day," he said, with typical Pronger sarcasm. "Ive had some not so good days, a couple days where I have not felt great. Usually, the next day, you push through and feel a little better.
"I felt pretty good today. I didnt feel great, but it was a good start.
Jaromir Jagr is not with this group. I wouldnt read anything into it, except maybe he is not with the group that will go to Toronto. The Flyers play four games this week in succession and youd think Jagr would play in Philly on Wednesday against the Maple Leafs.
NHL
Also, Jagr comes back to Skate Zone at night to do a separate workout by himself. He told us he wanted to live near the rink because he practices a lot. He wasnt kidding.
He works out with a 25-pound weight when on his own. Animal.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net