MONTREALThe news from Pittsburgh wasnt what the Flyers or Chris Pronger wanted to hear.
It was a bombshell. The Flyers captain will miss the rest of the season and playoffs.
He was examined on Wednesday in Pittsburgh by noted neurologists Joe Maroon and Mickey Collins, both of whom have been handling Penguins center Sidney Crosby.
General manager Paul Holmgren released this statement:
After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post concussion syndrome.
It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.
Eric Lindros. Keith Primeau. Now Chris Pronger. The common link, besides all three wearing the C, is each of them were stricken with post-concussion syndrome while wearing a Flyers jersey.
NHL
It has to be one of the great tragic ironies within the franchises history given the talent and influence these three players enjoyed.
If you dont think it caught the Flyers by surprisethey didn't expect he would miss the remainder of the seasonconsider that teammates such as Braydon Coburn said they had been talking to him recently and he seemed upbeat.
One member of the organization said this wasnt what the coaching staff or management had expected to hear.
Pronger, who is 37, has five years of a 34.45 million contract extension remaining that expires in 2016.
After Thursdays 4-3 win against Les Canadiens (see story), the Flyers are now 12-4-1 without him in the lineup.
Prongers spot has been taken by rookie Marc-Andre Bourdon, who has performed remarkably well on the ice.
Fellow rookie Erik Gustafsson is due to return soon.
Of course, missing Pronger short term and missing him long term are two very different things.
It remains to be seen if the Flyers can continue to hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference without his presence on the ice.
While the Flyers arent being pushed to make a trade just yet, its seems fairly certain they will have to do something by the NHL trade deadline in February.
We still dont know with any degree of certainty whether this concussion was the result of his stick incident in October or two other incidents in November, or a combination of all three.
Last Saturday, Hockey Night in Canada presented a theory on television that makes a lot sense as to the roots of Prongers concussion but isnt conclusive
It surrounds two incidents: one on Nov. 14 against Carolina and the other, Nov. 17 against Phoenix.
In the Carolina game, Pronger went to break up a 2-on-1 and slid hard into the side boards. Three days later against the Coyotes, Pronger was drilled by Martin Hanzel along the boards.
Two days later, the Flyers were in Winnipeg. Pronger had his worst game as a Flyer, being on the ice for four goals, though he was just minus-two overall in a 6-4 loss to the Jets.
It was on the plane ride home from there that he began to exhibit symptoms of what the Flyers would then label as a virus.
The progression there, as outlined by Hockey Night in Canada, seems to suggest a concussion. Yet, there is no denying that the stick incident back in October could just as easily have been the trigger point.
On Oct. 24, Pronger took a stick to his right eye on the follow-through swing of forward Mikhail Grabovskis shot.
Though it is uncommon, there is documented proof in medicine of ocular concussions because of an eye trauma. When Pronger spoke to reporters a few weeks ago, he said he wasnt certain of any one incident that would have caused his concussion symptoms.
He said he had his own suspicions but did not share them.
He has missed 11 games because of this injury, not to mention the surgery to clean out his left knee, which ran concurrently with his concussion.
One issue that must be resolved is who wears the C for the rest of the season. Logic suggests it will go to either Danny Briere or Kimmo Timonen.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net