Chris Pronger made a surprise visit to Skate Zone on Wednesday.
The Flyers captain dropped by for 90 minutes to say hello to his teammates, most of whom he hasnt seen since the clubs Christmas party in mid-December.
Pronger remains out for the season with post-concussion syndrome.
It was good to see his face, Scott Hartnell said. I saw him in the dressing room. He seemed a little down. But for him to be here and see everybody and I think it made him feel a little bit better.
For me to see him, well, theres still a Chris Pronger in this world. I had not seen him in a month and a half probably. See him and chat with him a little bit. I didnt really want to ask him how he was doing.
Some of the players were vague in trying to describe Prongers mood. Players said he was sporting a full beard. Some thought he was upbeat; some thought he was down.
Im hanging in there, Pronger said to one staffer at the complex. He did not speak to the media.
NHL
Coach Peter Laviolette said Pronger was the same as two months ago.
It would appear Pronger has a couple of good days followed by severe headaches, the common denominator in post-concussion syndrome cases. That would indicate hes no better or worse, it seems.
What was encouraging here is that Pronger came by to see his teammates. He has been a virtual recluse since December and fighting depression, another common side-effect.
One of the side effects on a concussion is that you do get down on yourself, Hartnell said. Your shoulders slump a little bit and you ask why cant I get back with the boys? Even when people were talking, you go through a state of depression just not being around the guys.
Hartnell said he tried to joke around with Pronger.
Not to make him feel bad, but to say to him, were missing you, Hartnell said. We had some people over for the Super Bowl at my place and I texted him and said, if you can make it, be great to see you. Im sure the boys would love to see you if you feel good.
He wrote back right away he had a few good days and had some headaches today and Ill pass but be around next week. I cant imagine what he is going through. Its probably been the worst few months of his life.
His absence has become rather obvious on the ice. The Flyers lack a snarl or physical presence in front of their net. Their team goals-against average is a poor 2.83.
While rookies Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson have upped their game, you cant go 34 consecutive games without your No. 1 defenseman and not see a downturn on the blue line.
Its huge, Hartnell said of what Pronger brings and has been lost. The minutes he plays. Blocking shots on the penalty kill. Hes one of the best in the league and one of the best whos played. Obviously, its a big void to fill.
Matt Carle, who was Prongers defensive partner, said the Flyers captain wanted to know how the defensive corps was adjusting without him.
I think he was more concerned with what was going on with the team and how weve been doing playing with Bryz goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and how our D corps has been rotating, Carle said.
I think hes more concerned with us than he is with himself, it seems like. It was good to see him today. His spirits are up, I guess.
In many ways, Prongers visit was as therapeutic for his teammates as it was for him.
Hes at home every day and he doesnt have a whole lot going on, Carle said. I think its good for him to get out of his daily routine and see the boys.
Thats always fun and I know after a long summer and stuff you always get excited to come back and see the guys, so hopefully it helps him, as well.
Danny Briere was one of the few players who thought Pronger was upbeat. Briere said he avoided asking him directly about how he was feeling, sensing it wasnt the right thing to do.
We all know and understand hes been having a hard time and we all would if we were in his situation, Briere said.
Its tough to be away from the game that long. Were all competitors. We want to be out there. It was nice for us to see him walk around here, smiling and chatting with the guys.
He seemed happy. Not lots of joy. Im sure hed rather be dressing with us. He seemed like he was in a good mood.
Claude Giroux said he understands a little better what Pronger is going through since he himself had a concussion this season.
When I had a concussion, everyone texted me and asked me how I was feeling, Giroux said.
Sometimes you want to relax and not want to think about it. When someone asks, you just dont want to think about it. You want to shut down your phone, get rest and dont do anything. With concussions, you dont know how a guy feels. Its such as tough injury.
Loose pucks
Kimmo Timonen and Jaromir Jagr were both given maintenance days. The Flyers are in a stretch of seven games in 10 days.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net