Chris Pronger calls himself "Jack Bauer"

[Blade]

Doesn't Rathje have a 2-way deal? So he can be put on the AHL club and while getting paid, it's not against the team cap?

Just pulling that one outta nowhere...

From what I have looked up, it looks like he still on the payroll, I will add up the numbers again.

 

[Tailback U]

There's also a reason why the St. Louis Blues won the Presidents Trophy in 2000, there's also a reason the Edmonton Oilers made it to game 7 of the stanley cup finals, there's also a reason the Anaheim Ducks won a stanley cup and were a force over the past 3 seasons.

Just saying.

I despise the guy myself, but he's a world class defencemen. Hockey isn't a 'clean' sport by any stretch of the imagination.

Exactly. You can despise a player but still respect him for how hard he plays the game. I despised Theo Fleury because he was a little fucking terror every time he played the Sharks but I would have loved to have him on my team. Same goes for guys like Tie Domi and Bryan Marchment (who I hated before he came to San Jose).

This is a business. There are no friends in sports. I know that when I played football I tried to take heads off every chance I got. Whether I was practicing against my very own teammates or playing in a game against my arch rival, I tried to take heads off. Never illegally, but borderline dirty (crackback blocks and what not were too fun to pass up, even against my own teammates).

 

[killgod]

From what I have looked up, it looks like he still on the payroll, I will add up the numbers again.

Figured it out.

Rathje is on LTIR (Long Term IR)

His numbers are on the books, but the Flyers are allowed to go above the Salary Cap to the amount of which they owe Rathje, so it's basically like he's not even there even though they do it that way.

So yeah, his money doesn't count towards your cap.

 

[Tailback U]

Are you guys talking about Mike Rathje? That dumb goon is still playing hockey?

 

[wr50l]

Pronger's a cunt. Pronger is the kind of guy who stomps on someone's leg.

 

[Obst]

Pronger's a cunt. Pronger is the kind of guy who stomps on someone's leg.

That "cunt" will be owning your team this season

 

[wr50l]

Yeah, but he's still surely going to be a cunt. No need for quotation marks.

 

[Ralnakor]

Just caught up in the thread and missed a lot. Figure I'll multi-quote and weigh in.

There's also a reason why the St. Louis Blues won the Presidents Trophy in 2000, there's also a reason the Edmonton Oilers made it to game 7 of the stanley cup finals, there's also a reason the Anaheim Ducks won a stanley cup and were a force over the past 3 seasons.

Just saying.

I despise the guy myself, but he's a world class defencemen. Hockey isn't a 'clean' sport by any stretch of the imagination.

You'll never hear me say he's a bad defenseman. I'm more or less the same as your sentence about despising him despite him being a great player. That's the same way as I can't stand Patrick Roy and think he's a universal jackass, but still always have him second on my Top 10 goalie list of all time behind Terry Sawchuk (I've gotta post that one of these days ala Dell's old style).

Exactly. You can despise a player but still respect him for how hard he plays the game. I despised Theo Fleury because he was a little fucking terror every time he played the Sharks but I would have loved to have him on my team. Same goes for guys like Tie Domi and Bryan Marchment (who I hated before he came to San Jose).

This is a business. There are no friends in sports. I know that when I played football I tried to take heads off every chance I got. Whether I was practicing against my very own teammates or playing in a game against my arch rival, I tried to take heads off. Never illegally, but borderline dirty (crackback blocks and what not were too fun to pass up, even against my own teammates).

I absolutely agree about going to lay a guy out without hurting him. I've played goalie for 11 years and love it when a guy comes in with his head down and I put my full body behind a poke check to send the guy flying over top of me. The difference between that and genuinely trying to injure someone is very large. I'm trying to to take the guy out of the play, what Pronger does sends the guy out of the game and possibly longer. I can't stand taking "dirty" to the point of stupidity.

 

[Blade]

Flyers give Pronger an extension.....7 years $34 million. Good luck to all you fans of the rest of the Eastern Conference teams

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

LOL @ giving a 35 year old a 7 year contract..

 

[Tailback U]

LOL @ giving a 35 year old a 7 year contract..

Seriously, he'll probably got 3 more years left in him 5 tops then he'll hang 'em up. But I'm sure the last couple of years on the contract won't cost Philly too much.

 

[Blade]

Seriously, he'll probably got 3 more years left in him 5 tops then he'll hang 'em up. But I'm sure the last couple of years on the contract won't cost Philly too much.

LOL @ giving a 35 year old a 7 year contract..

Any of you clowns ever heard of Chris Chelios, Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens? When did you guys started watchin hockey, when Crosby started playin?

 

[Tailback U]

Any of you clowns ever heard of Chris Chelios, Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens? When did you guys started watchin hockey, when Crosby started playin?

Pronger is a completely different type of player than those guys. Not saying he can't do it, but he is going to lose a lot more than those guys do as he gets older because he is bigger and therefore even slower than them.

Pronger will be more like Rob Blake as he starts to age, IMO, who is a liability now because he is too slow and takes way too many penalties.

 

[wr50l]

The 7 year deal for the cunt is fine. The contract is frontloaded, the cap hit is $5m now which is very economic at this time, he'll retire before it's done in all likelihood, and he will always have his terrific shot and passing regardless of age.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Any of you clowns ever heard of Chris Chelios, Ray Bourque, Scott Stevens? When did you guys started watchin hockey, when Crosby started playin?

Ray Bourque retired at the age of 40, so Pronger would be on the hook for 2 extra years. Furthmore.. Chris Pronger is NOT the great Ray Bourque. Stevens didnt even make it to 40.. he announced his retirement at 39.

Chris Chelios is bionic.. but he doesnt rely on playing physical nearly as much as Pronger does. I realize in the NHL clubs are giving out long contracts to help the cap sito.. but it doesnt make giving a 35 year old a 7 year contract any less dumb.

 

[Bigpapa42]

Ray Bourque retired at the age of 40, so Pronger would be on the hook for 2 extra years. Furthmore.. Chris Pronger is NOT the great Ray Bourque. Stevens didnt even make it to 40.. he announced his retirement at 39.

Chris Chelios is bionic.. but he doesnt rely on playing physical nearly as much as Pronger does. I realize in the NHL clubs are giving out long contracts to help the cap sito.. but it doesnt make giving a 35 year old a 7 year contract any less dumb.

Detroit signed a 28-year old Henrik Zetterberg to a 12 year contract and got praised for it. Is it really that much more likely for a 40-year old forward to continue to play at a high level than a 42-year old defenseman?

Given that the cap hit is small for those last years, its a minimal risk.

 

[wr50l]

If Pronger retires at any time they have to pay him nothing. If Pronger becomes shit in his last two years, they will have to pay him a few hundred thousand dollars to cut him.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Detroit signed a 28-year old Henrik Zetterberg to a 12 year contract and got praised for it. Is it really that much more likely for a 40-year old forward to continue to play at a high level than a 42-year old defenseman?

Given that the cap hit is small for those last years, its a minimal risk.

I dont praise anyone for signing anyone for that long, but ok. Regardless.. signing a 28 year old to a long contract makes more sense than a 35 year old. A lot of shit can happen in 12 years, including Hank no longer being in Detroit.. theres more flexibility to work with in that contract than Pronger's.

Only in the NHL do they sign 35 year olds to 7 year contracts..

 

[Bigpapa42]

I dont praise anyone for signing anyone for that long, but ok. Regardless.. signing a 28 year old to a long contract makes more sense than a 35 year old. A lot of shit can happen in 12 years, including Hank no longer being in Detroit.. theres more flexibility to work with in that contract than Pronger's.

Only in the NHL do they sign 35 year olds to 7 year contracts..

Really? 12 years is smarter than 7 years? Pronger has proven he can play at a pretty high level at 35 years old, when we have no idea how good Zetterberg will still be 35, when they are only halfway through that contract. A lot can happen in that time, you are correct.

As wr50l pointed out, the Pronger deal gives the Flyers a great deal of flexibility. They aren't hooking themselves up for the whole time with no way out. This deal likely gives them more flexibility than a 3 year deal for more per season would.

 

[Kuzzy Powers]

Really? 12 years is smarter than 7 years? Pronger has proven he can play at a pretty high level at 35 years old, when we have no idea how good Zetterberg will still be 35, when they are only halfway through that contract. A lot can happen in that time, you are correct.

As wr50l pointed out, the Pronger deal gives the Flyers a great deal of flexibility. They aren't hooking themselves up for the whole time with no way out. This deal likely gives them more flexibility than a 3 year deal for more per season would.

Well, to be fair, I dont think any extension for that period of time is really smart, but its obviously for economic reasoning. Atleast if Hank stays "strong" theres more flexibility in trading him than a potentially 38+ year old Pronger. Not to say that Chris cant play till hes 42, I just dont like that long of a contract at that age.

Cant you tell that im willing to find anything negative possible about Pronger, and of the Flyers, who I also hate?