Five Months in the Making

The devil returns to Edmonton tomorrow night. I was going to review all the articles and media coverage concerning Pronger's return to Edmonton, but I've been beaten to the punch. Thanks Andy! Check out the long long list of articles that he mentions (Edmonton Journal, another Edm Journal story, Edmonton Sun, TSN, Sportsnet, Globe and Mail, and so on). I'm going to comment on a select few.

The media is really stoking this fire, and yet are asking for the fans to restrain themselves. Yeah I'm sure you want that. If we did, you'd have nothing to write about. So the media tells us to be respectful, restrain ourselves and don't get carried away. Umm, stop throwing wood on the fire. By admonishing the fans, you're making them angrier. You can't tell us how to feel.

The general consensus in most of these articles is: booing Pronger is the equivalent of being a schoolyard bully. Seriously? Oh and it's immature. I pay my season ticket (it ain't cheap) and if I want to boo some whiny cheating bastard who didn't have the balls to stand up and be a man about this whole fiasco, it's my bloody business.

In today's NHL, players change teams all the time, but this was more painful than all others combined. It was days following losing game seven, his agent leaked the info to the media before contacting the Oilers, Pronger was off in Mexico, refused to comment for weeks, and when he did, it was via a conference call where he refused to answer why he wanted out. Oh yes, and this happened following the signing of a five year deal. Oiler fans finally could attract the big names, and be able to afford to keep them. Years of losing players because of money was over. Pronger stated, I woudln't

I take issue with one man in particular, Kelly Hrudey. Now, I used to absolutely hate him and that damn rag he wore on his head when he played. However, he became an excellent commentator on HNIC. Actually, he became one of my favorites. No longer is that the case. Kelly has waded in on the Pronger issue and comes off sounding like an ass. The excellent Battle of Alberta has commented on this already, so check it out. The most hilarious part is his attack on the blogging community, which something he readily admits that he knows nothing about. Yeah Kelly, way to state that expert opinion, which you admit is baseless.

I did enjoy Kevin Lowe's comments. Basically, trading Pronger is going to be an advantage. Without trading him, there would be little money for the Hemsky's and Smyth's on this team. He makes an excellent point. He freed up a lot of money by trading the devil, and sure, they lost some skill on the back end but by keeping the young core of this team, he's giving this team a real chance.

There's a bit of Kevin Lowe that wants to boo, too.
"I can understand how people feel duped,'' he said. "They warm up to a player quickly. The player has a hell of a year. The team has a great year ...''
The Oilers appear to be taking the high road as Pronger arrives today, but Lowe said that's not because of any team policy.
"I'm not afraid to bad-mouth Chris Pronger,'' said the GM.
"And I'll tell you I still don't understand it.

Well said Kevin. It's still shocking.

I'm very disappointed with all the media coverage. Most of it is supportive of Pronger and his decision to demand a trade. They want to feel morally superior to the average fan, and ask us to take the high road. Puhleeeze. Stay on your knees boys, I'm sure Pronger appreciates what you're doing down there and won't clam up on you (or zip up). It's all for the interview. You can't bash a "superstar" and live to talk to him.

The game will be on pay-per-view, brilliant move by the Oilers. They should rake the money in from this game. Oilers must win. MUST.