Pronger Back On The Ice, Looking Up

  The Philadelphia Flyers received a bit of a boost last Friday as their number one defenseman and arguable team leader hit the ice for the first time since his back surgery in March. Paul Holmgren, Flyers General Manager, has come forward today with even better news for the home crowd as he expects Chris Pronger to make the season opener.

"Physically, Chris is feeling better than even he thought he would," Holmgren said. "He's pushed the envelope a little bit the last few days, going on the ice and shooting the puck. I asked him the other day how far behind he is in terms of what he would have done in a normal year. He said, 'I probably would have skated a couple weeks ago.' So I think he's right on track for all he's been through."

  Their biggest player in terms of size and game impact struggled last season with hand and wrist injuries as well as the herniated disc that was removed from his spinal cord over the summer relegated him to just 50 regular season games and just 3 post season appearances. In all Pronger suffered through four operations in nine months.

  The 1993 2nd overall pick (of the Hartford Whalers) had his lowest offensively productive season total since his 1995-1996 season debut with the St. Louis Blues, with 4 goals and 21 assists for 25 points and a +7 rating through 50 games last year.

  With or without the off-season’s blockbuster shake-up of the team, Pronger is a large piece of the Flyers resurgence. At age 37, the James Norris, Hart, two times Gold Medal, and Stanley Cup winner is understandably being brought back at a cautious pace as he is not scheduled to return by training camp, but is hopeful to be ready to play by the season opener.

“I felt pretty good – how did I look? A little suspect going left to right or right to left?” Pronger joked with reporters a week ago when he first took the ice. “It’s been a while ... We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”

“Having not skated or done anything on the ice in four and a half months, you have to take it slowly and see how you feel, day-by-day. Usually, the first time on the ice you feel pretty good and then its day 2-3-4-5 that you’re a little suspect.”

  The Flyers nearly found success in the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Finals bout against the Chicago Blackhawks, but only came that close. Last season the Flyers were eliminated in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins. Change was on the horizon, but through the monumental overhaul of the Philadelphia Flyers a very big part of this team remained in Chris Pronger.

- Kendall Grubbs