Chris Pronger wants out of Edmonton

[STL FANATIC]

Guys it's going to be awhile before Pronger gets traded if he ends up being traded. If Lowe is smart (and I think he is a smart GM) he will wait untill the top FA defenseman have signed thus driving up the price for Pronger for those teams that didn't land the FA. Also by waiting it gives him time to see if Pronger will back off the trade demands. If Pronger is traded it won't before at least mid-July.

Nobody seems to have a clear answer, but I've heard speculation that Prongs has a no-trade clause that kicks in on July 1st. If that's the case who knows when the trade could get done.

I don't think Lowe is in a rush to trade Pronger, and that's the smart thing. However, it's not necessarily smart to wait just to wait. If the right deal is proposed a smart GM takes it whenever.

[CC97]

The only rumours I have heard involve Pronger to the Leafs... all rumours surround Tomas Kaberle coming to Edmonton, apparently the Oilers want Alex Steen and the Leafs don't want to give him up offering babydoll's favourite Matt Stajan in his place. The Oilers refused that.

But all indications are that Toronto is the front runner for Pronger.

[CJR]

But all indications are that Toronto is the front runner for Pronger.

That said, don't the Toronto papers always list the Leafs as the front runner for all players (whether they're available or not)?

[CC97]

But all indications are that Toronto is the front runner for Pronger.

That said, don't the Toronto papers always list the Leafs as the front runner for all players (whether they're available or not)?

Yes in most cases they do.

However, these are from several sources, ranging from local to national media.

Keep it up and I'll convince Belfour of the joys of playing in Hockeytown USA

[Davey]

The only rumours I have heard involve Pronger to the Leafs... all rumours surround Tomas Kaberle coming to Edmonton, apparently the Oilers want Alex Steen and the Leafs don't want to give him up offering babydoll's favourite Matt Stajan in his place. The Oilers refused that.

But all indications are that Toronto is the front runner for Pronger.

They Lowe wants Tucker, and Kaberle for Pronger. Also if they did get rid of Tucker, JFJ is guna go after Peca, who would be a good replacement.

[CC97]

They Lowe wants Tucker, and Kaberle for Pronger. Also if they did get rid of Tucker, JFJ is guna go after Peca, who would be a good replacement.

That's the first I ever heard of any of that... so I'll assume you heard incorrect

[Shylockthejew]

Where is Pronger from, maybe he wants to play closer to home

Dryden, ON I think?

Possible Leaf? Let the debating begin.

It's unfortunate though, he was really playing well. But on the other hand, without his big contract, the Oilers might be able to afford just about everybody else.

Yeah, he's from Dryden. A couple of people I worked with in an old job grew up there too. Apparently he's a bit of a jerk when he goes back there.

I read in the Edmonton Sun today that the Oilers were kicking the tires on Wade Redden, and if they signed him, he'd be making about as much as Pronger and they wouldn't be able to afford both of them. So I don't know ... could be very interesting.

I'm originally from Dryden, grew up there, and had Chris Pronger as an instructor for hockey school when he was with the Petes. I know him well enough to say hello when he's around town, but that's about it.

When he was first drafted, up to a few years after that, he was a bit of an a$$hole, when he used to come to the bars back home, but Dryden isn't exactly the friendliest place. It's full of people who grew up thinking that they were going to make it, and were extremely jealous of him when he did what they couldn't. Alot of the fights he got into weren't started by him, rather by other people. He used to come into places and buy rounds of drinks for people, get a good buzz on, and yeah, maybe he started talking about himself, maybe he was a bit cocky, but who wouldn't be, really? Personally, I don't think he was that bad. People blow things out of proportion.

I can't really offer any insight into where he wants to go and all, but I know he is/was a Leafs fan growing up. Isn't his wife from St. Louis? Maybe he wants to go back there, but I thought I read somewhere that he wanted to go to a town where hockey is lower profile, or something. So, maybe not T.O., but then agian, how could you pass up the opportunity to play for the Leafs (I am not a Leafs fan, by the way)?

I don't think he demanded this trade because he's whiney, spoiled or whatever. I think his family, and their needs, are more of a concern in this case. That's my two cents. Take it for what its worth.

[DEAD!]

Don't get me wrong, brendan17 - I have a wife and three kids - my job barely comes in fourth. I work to make money so I can have a life.

However, being a professional hockey player is different than what I do. You go into that career knowing you could be playing anywhere. That's the fact. Being traded to another team is a part of the job. I understand the reasons he wants a trade, and I actually respect that - but it still creates problems for the Oilers.

The team had a dynamic with all it's players - heck, he was with them up to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final - and that will be changed. He's a hard player to replace. The team has to now find a solution, trying to get a good deal for him. That's work that's taken away from signing the free agents they now have (which Pronger is not - he has four years left on his contract). If they can't make a deal that's good for them (and it's all about the team here - he's not going to be traded unless the team is satisfied with who they get in return) Pronger will either sit out or not be a functional part of the team. There's also the perception that Edmonton may not be a great place to live - which is untrue, by the way, and I'm not just saying that because I live here. That may cause some problems in the future with other players.

If he has a problem with the team itself, that's acceptable. Sometimes it just doesn't work. If it is just because his wife doesn't like the shopping options in Edmonton, then, yes, that's a problem. She married a professional athlete who can be moved to any team at any point in his career, and until his sports career is over that's a part of his job. She needs to understand that (that may sound sexist, but if the genders were reversed I would give the same answer). She needs to give a little. He'll only be a professional athlete for so long, then that will change.

If there are any other reasons, which there probably are, then it depends on how selfish they are. We don't know what those reasons are, so it's only rumour and speculation. Right now, it's selfishness on his wife's part, and until the real reason is revealed (if it actually ever is) and it's much different than that, then Pronger loses some of my respect.

I tend yo agree with you Cory. Mrs. Pronger should be aware that he's a professional athlete that can move anywhere at any given moment. It isn't all that different than an entertainer or a salesman having to travel around to sell his company's product.

I would think that the Prongers would have at least discussed the possible scenarios BEFORE they got married. I think sporting teams should do all they can to accomodate the family as much as possible if they decide to live in the area. Send children to decent schools, daycare, maybe help wives to find work if the want.

This article from this morning's Toronto Star offers some good insight.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...93064&t=TS_Home

On the flip side, professional athletes can only last for so long, but it also seems that they can play longer nowadays and how old would the children be by the time the athletes retire? Also ,to a lesser extent, scouts, GMs and other executives, positions in which some players fill when they retire, do have the same problem. It's an issue that both players and their spouses need to address before they get married and teams should be aware of what their needs and tolerances are.

[ROCHitman]

The rumour I heard that was CP sleptwith a local woman and possibly got her pregnant and his wife wants out of Edmonton because of it.

Again, only a rumour, but it came from a credible source.

[BCBoy]

The rumour I heard that was CP sleptwith a local woman and possibly got her pregnant and his wife wants out of Edmonton because of it.

Again, only a rumour, but it came from a credible source.

I'm not buying that. I hope that source was only making a joke.

[spyboy1]

The rumour I heard that was CP sleptwith a local woman and possibly got her pregnant and his wife wants out of Edmonton because of it.

Again, only a rumour, but it came from a credible source.

Now that's some serious good dirt.

Perhaps Mrs. Pronger would be more happy in Minneapolis/St. Paul - The St. Louis of the North. We are, afterall, right there on the very same Mississippi River and the only other NHL team on the Mississippi. And if she's rich, we've got the Mall of America for her to leave her husband's money at.

I just don't think the Wild have enough to offer in a trade to get him. Too bad he's not a free agent.

[OMMF]

Hmm. It seems the other party involved, who has been named on some boards, is none too happy about this, true or not. I wouldn't be either, getting my name slung around lile this.

There will be no more speculation or rumours on this board regarding Chris Pronger's situation.

Any attempt to do so will result in an immediate ban.

If it continues, we will be forced to remove the message board due to the threat of legal action against the Oilers. The legal action is NOT by Pronger himself but by outside parties implicated by rumours on the message board.

You can discuss trade rumours, etc. but leave his (or any other player's for that matter) personal life out of it.

It's nice to know we here think he is innocent until proven guilt...oh, wait.