His Name Is Pronger, Not Simon

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

Mar 14, 10:26 AM | Hype this story!

What is everyone thinking?

Chris Pronger gets into a scuffle with Ryan Kesler and, before skating away, stomps on the Canuck’s foot.

So what?

This isn’t Chris Simon we’re talking about. This is Chris Pronger. You know, the superstar. He shouldn’t be suspended!

So, if you haven’t figured out by now, the above writing was 110 percent sarcastic.

Before I continue, take a moment to watch the above video and the one below.

What’s different?

The name on back of the jersey. That’s it.

You see, Pronger is a superstar in the NHL. He’s one of the top defensemen playing for one of the top teams. Suspending him would be bad, right?

Well, in the eyes of NHL officials it is.

But the truth is, Pronger should be suspended for the same amount of time that Simon was.

“He stomped on me,” Kesler said. “He got me on the calf.”

So, let’s get this straight. Simon stomps on Jarkko Ruutu’s foot and gets a 30-game suspension, while Pronger steps on Kesler’s leg and gets nothing?

How does this make any sense?

It doesn’t.

Before the infamous stomp, Simon had been suspended six times. Pronger, coincidentally, has been suspended seven times, including two suspensions just weeks apart during last years’ playoffs.

The history is there to suggest that Pronger is a dirty player. But the blinders are on.

It’s sad to say, but the red carpet treatment given to star players is not surprising at this point.

Comments

  1. Nathan

    Mar 14, 10:40 AM

    I don’t agree that it ONLY has to do with the name on the back of the jersey. It also has something to do with the name Brian Burke.

    Unbelievable.

  2. DaBich

    Mar 14, 10:59 AM

    This is just total bullchit. Pronger derserves at least 25 games for that. If I were Kesler, and the Canuck’s owners, etc, I’d file a grievance. Gimme a break, man!
    This is far worse than what Laraque did las game (accidental elbow) and he got 3 games!!
    Pulease!

  3. Jonathan Farzalo

    Mar 14, 01:37 PM

    there really is a standard in the NHL, and it’s a double one…

    ...even worse, nothing is held up to the double standard they actually set. It’s a joke. In other sports, sure, there are missed calls, bad calls, questionable calls, etc. But let’s be honest, NO other sport has the CONSISTENT and ENORMOUS problem with officiating the way the NHL does.

    Listen, i love hockey and the NHL, but gimmie a break! Are they going to HONESTLY say these are the BEST refs we have…that this is the BEST they can hold players to a set of rules and punishments?!

  4. Tom

    Mar 14, 02:42 PM

    The clear difference is that Simon’s stomp was malicious and not during action. Pronger’s was clearly not malicious and resulted from trying to get clear of the scrum in which he was entangled. The two incidents are in no way comparable.

  5. Nathan

    Mar 14, 03:08 PM

    It’s impossible to argue that he din’t mean to stomp him, and it was far more dangerous than Simon’s because Simon hit Ruutu’s skate boot (a blade is not going through that (and not saying that’s how Simon planned it)), while Pronger first hit him on the back of his leg with the heel of his blade, then on the side of his knee pad before sliding to the less-protected part of the side of his leg.

  6. Tom

    Mar 14, 04:38 PM

    Nathen: Watch Kesler’s boarding of Pronger, followed by falling and trapping Pronger’s leg with his legs, hand and stick. Very clearly, for those of you who are not Pronger haters, Pronger was merely trying to escape from Kessler’s holds upon his legs. The negative reaction is absolutely fantastic. There are far dirtier plays every game, many of which are caused by the “victim’s” actions. Roughness is a part of hockey, a contact sport. If someone grabbs your leg, you are permitted to kick your leg free.

  7. Jonathan Farzalo

    Mar 14, 05:06 PM

    while i see the point in the differences, the problem is, it shouldn’t matter, not really. Why should it matter if he was trying to get free? So what. There are other ways to get free of a scrum, other ways to retaliate, not stomping on someone. What it AS bad as simon, probably not, but it shouldn’t make a difference. It is something that should NOT be in the game, and should be handled accordingly. Period.

  8. Tom

    Mar 15, 01:33 PM

    Matt, Nathan and Jonathan, If you do not want to be struck with skates, do not try to use your legs to entangle an opponent’s legs. Pronger did nothing different than any football running back would do when tacklers tie up their legs. He kept working his feet to free them so that he could continue to play. He did not look at Kesler’s leg and deliberately stomp it. Pronger merely did what all players do when their legs are grabbed. The catterwalling is misplaced. What did the league do when Sturm deliberately injured Eaton? Exactly nothing.

  9. Ashley Gallant

    Mar 15, 02:02 PM

    Tom – I guess the NHL saw things a little differently. Pronger is out for 8 games because of the stomping incident. I would have liked to have seen at least 10, but I guess Campbell didn’t want to take Pronger away from his team for the last game of the season or any playoff time.

  10. Tom

    Mar 15, 04:41 PM

    Ashley, Justice is usually promoted by the cries of the mob. Pronger clearly did nothing wrong and the offender was Kesler; however, Pronger haters everywhere united and got a great player lynched. Congradulations, he probably does need the rest.

  11. Ashley Gallant

    Mar 15, 04:45 PM

    Lynched? I’d hardly call this suspension a ‘lynching’.

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