Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips- December 16, 2011 FLYERS Headlines 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers' Pronger out for season with post-concussion syndrome 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers beat Canadiens for seventh straight win 3. Philadelphia Daily News- Simmonds gets hot for Flyers at a good time 4. Philadelphia Daily News- Seravalli: What do Flyers do next? 5. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers & Rangers going skating in Citizens Bank Park 6. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers hold off Habs for seventh straight win 7. CSNPhilly.com-Flyers' Pronger out for remainder of season 8. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers stunned by news on Pronger's injury 9. CSNPhilly.com- Lavy's wife didn't like his language on '24/7' 10. CSNPhilly.com- The concussion issue's silver lining 11. Delaware County Times- So long, Prongs: Flyers captain out for season 12. Delaware County Times- Flyers beat Canadiens for 7th straight win 13. Delaware County Times- Winter Classic: Add another one to the lineup; Drexel vs. Villanova 14. Bucks County Courier Post- Pronger out for season due to post-concussion syndrome 15. Bucks County Courier-Post- Flyers top Canadiens for 7th straight win 16. Camden Courier Post- Flyers earn 7th straight victory 17. Camden Courier Post- Flyers' Pronger lost for the season 18. Camden Courier Post- 24/7 review for Friday 19. Philly Sports Daily- Flyers Top Canadiens In Wake Of Pronger News 20. Philly Sports Daily- Chris Pronger’s Season Is Over 21. Philly Sports Daily- Top Quotes From The First Episode Of 24/7 22. NHL.com- Flyers say Pronger out for rest of the season 23. NHL.com- Flyers prepare for a season without Pronger 24. NHL.com- Amid Pronger news, Flyers top Habs 4-3 25. ESPN.com – Flyers' options to replace Chris Pronger Montreal Canadiens Headlines (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. Montreal Gazette- Montreal Canadiens' power play searching for confidence boost 2. Montreal Gazette- Philadelphia Flyers extend streak with 4-3 win over Montreal Canadiens 3. Montreal Gazette- Philadelphia Flyers perservering despite losing key players Adirondack Phantoms Headlines 1. Glens Falls Post-Star- When chance meets opportunity 2. Glens Falls Post- Star- Rookie’s debut comes at time Phantoms are hurting for defensemen NHL Headlines 1. NHL.com- Trending: Injuries, '24/7' TV and a star returns home 2. NHL.com- Forty invites sent for CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 3. NHL.com- '24/7' brings fans up close to Rangers and Flyers 4. TSN.ca- Bruins' McQuaid fined $2,500 for kneeing Senators' Foligno

5. TSN.ca- Fraser: The severity of Adam McQuaid's dangerous play FLYERS Articles

1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers' Pronger out for season with post-concussion syndrome

Sam Carchidi

MONTREAL - In a stunning development, the Flyers will have to do without their captain and top defensive player, Chris Pronger, for the rest of the season and the playoffs because of post-concussion syndrome.

The club made the grim announcement in a statement during the first period of Thursday's game in Montreal.

Pronger, 37, met with concussion specialists Joseph Maroon and Micky Collins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

In a statement, general manager Paul Holmgren said Pronger would be shut down based on the recommendation of the doctors.

"Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better," Holmgren said.

Over the long run, how will the injury affect a Flyers team that has excelled even though numerous key players are sidelined?

"I don't think it's crippling," Peter Luukko, president of the Flyers' parent company, Comcast-Spectacor, said in a phone conversation. "We will certainly miss one of the better players in the league, but you see how the team has played without him. We'll just move on."

Referring to Pronger, coach Peter Laviolette said: "First and foremost, we wish for him to have good health. Anything after that, we'll sort it out."

Entering Thursday, the Flyers were 11-4-1 without Pronger this season and 8-3-2 with him.

Pronger injured his right eye Oct. 24 when struck inadvertently by the stick of Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski. He missed six games, returned to the lineup, and played five games. The veteran defenseman was then sidelined because the Flyers said he was suffering from a virus.

Eighteen days later, however, the team said he had concussion-like symptoms. That led to Wednesday's visit to the Pittsburgh specialists.

Winger Wayne Simmonds called the loss of Pronger "devastating. He's an all-star defenseman, and I think he's the best defenseman on the back end, [but] we've played well without him. . . . We have good leaders on this team. Obviously Prongs is our captain and one of our great leaders, and we have other guys like Kimmo [Timonen] and Cobes [Braydon Coburn] and Harts [Scott Harnell] and Jags [Jaromir Jagr]. Those guys are awesome, and we just follow."

Pronger, who was not available to comment, does not remember getting hit in the head after his brief return to the lineup.

But Douglas Smith, director of the center for brain injury and repair at the University of Pennsylvania, said Monday that "any kind of hit" to another part of the body could have triggered the problem because the head may have already been injured.

"Another hit can send spasms" to the head, he said.

Pronger underwent surgery on his left knee Dec. 2 - a little more than five weeks after his eye injury. It was his fifth surgery in 16 months.

For the time being, the Flyers defense will continue to include rookies Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall, along with veterans Timonen, Coburn, Matt Carle, and Andrej Meszaros.

Promising Erik Gustafsson, another rookie, is expected to return from wrist surgery in a week to 10 days. Gustafsson had been impressive in five early-season games, and he will likely replace Marshall.

The defense has played superbly in Pronger's absence, as have the defensively responsible forwards.

"Obviously, he's a big part of what we're trying to accomplish," winger Matt Read said. "But when you're missing a key player, you just have to get tighter as a group and play better as a team. Take more of his responsibility as a group and do as much as you can."

Asked if he felt a trade was necessary and if the Flyers would name a temporary captain for the rest of the season, Holmgren was blunt.

"I have not had enough time to digest the news where we could answer those questions," he said in a text message.

In addition to Pronger, Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn are sidelined by concussions. In the NHL, a total of 23 players are out with concussions or concussion symptoms.

Pronger has five years left on a seven-year $34.45 million extension. Now there are questions - big questions - about whether his Hall of Fame career will resume.

2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers beat Canadiens for seventh straight win

Sam Carchidi

MONTREAL - With the shocking news that captain Chris Pronger's season was over, the Flyers gave another gritty, sleeves-rolled-up effort on Thursday night at the Bell Centre.

And produced another victory.

Defenseman Andrej Meszaros snapped a 3-3 tie by scoring on a long blast with 11 minutes, 52 seconds left, keying the Flyers' 4-3 win over Montreal.

It was the seventh straight victory for the Flyers, their longest winning streak since an eight-gamer in 2002.

The Flyers stand atop the Eastern Conference despite having three players sidelined with concussions.

Meszaros one-timed a pass from Jaromir Jagr, whipping it past Montreal goalie Carey Price on the short side.

The Flyers, 7-0 in December, got three assists from Matt Carle, Pronger's usual defense partner.

"It was not an easy game tonight, and those guys deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the way they played, the way they competed and fought for a win," coach Peter Laviolette said.

The players didn't learn about Pronger's status until after the game.

"Certainly, the news is not what we wanted," Laviolette said. "It's hard to replace a guy like that. He plays 26, 27 minutes a night, and there's not one person in the organization we can find somewhere to replace him.

"In saying that, we've been moving forward here for a while now without Chris and recently without Claude [Giroux]. . . . Those injuries are tough to take, and our team has responded very well. That's evident in the fact we continue to win hockey games."

Without Pronger, "we're going to have to play a team game every night," Meszaros said. "We did it in Washington [Tuesday]. Everybody chipped in, and everybody did tonight."

The Flyers are 12-4-1 without Pronger this season, and 8-3-2 with him.

"I think it says a lot about the character of this team this year," said winger Wayne Simmonds, who scored a goal for the fourth straight game. "We've had a lot of injuries, and we've still been playing pretty well."

Winger Scott Hartnell said the Flyers have thrived recently because they have gone back to the basics.

"Just simple hockey, I think," said Hartnell, who had his six-game goal-scoring streak snapped. "It's fun hockey. It's in-your-face, skating all the time, getting pucks deep, and not trying to be fancy."

In a surprising move, Laviolette gave goalie Sergei Bobrovsky the start. It was surprising because Laviolette usually goes with the hot hand, and Ilya Bryzgalov had won the previous six games.

Bobrovsky had a 3-1 win over Montreal on Nov. 25, while Bryzgalov dropped a 5-1 decision to the Habs on Oct. 26.

Laviolette said those results had nothing to do with his decision. He said he was "managing the schedule" and that Bobrovksy needed to get some work.

"I'm excited to get him in there; he's a great goaltender," Laviolette said before the game. "He's played well for us."

Bobrovsky was outstanding in the first period, making 12 saves - several of them acrobatic - as the Flyers built a 1-0 lead on Max Talbot's ninth goal of the season, one more than he scored in 82 games with Pittsburgh last year.

"Everyone needs to chip in a little more," Talbot said of life without No. 20, the Flyers' unquestioned leader - on and off the ice.

"24/7" a hit. Because their hotel did not have HBO, most of the Flyers did not see the first installment of 24/7 on Wednesday. The series follows the Flyers and New York Rangers leading up to the Jan. 2 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.

Those who did see it, including rookie wingers Matt Read and Zac Rinaldo, gave it glowing reviews.

"I loved it," Rinaldo said before Thursday's game. "There was a little bit of humor, a little bit of seriousness. It was the best of both worlds."

Laviolette didn't see the show, but he apparently was read the riot act by his wife, Kristen, for dropping so many expletives. He used five before the opening credits rolled.

Bryzgalov, the Flyers' goalie/philosopher, stole the show with his comical comments about the "humongous" universe and China's laws on killing tigers.

3. Philadelphia Daily News- Simmonds gets hot for Flyers at a good time

Frank Seravalli

MONTREAL - On Wednesday morning, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette gathered his team for an impromptu video session. The lesson, which has been repeated throughout the course of the season for consistency, was simple.

"We wanted to just keep hammering it home," Laviolette said. "We want everyone to know what it is that we are looking for, where to be, where to go on the ice."

The words have resonated with no Flyer more than Wayne Simmonds. Once the Flyers' early-season disappointment, Simmonds has become the team's hottest player over the last 2 weeks.

As the Flyers seek to replace the offense of injured Claude Giroux, Simmonds has answered the bell playing alongside Danny Briere.

Last night, Simmonds pushed his career-high goal-scoring streak to four games, as the Flyers rolled to their seventh straight win, 4-3, over the Canadiens. It was the first win in the streak with Sergei Bobrovsky in the net. Also it is the Flyers' first seven-game winning streak since January 2002. With the win, the Flyers maintained their two-point lead in the Eastern Conference.

In Montreal, the Flyers needed four separate one-goal leads to nab their 12th road win.

"We're a resilient bunch," Simmonds said. "When we dig ourselves holes like that, we know what we have to do to get back in games. We have a never-say-die attitude."

Simmonds said his hot streak is a nice change of pace, as it comes on the heels of a seven-game stretch without a single point.

"I wasn't getting any breaks earlier in the year," he said. "I've just tried to stick to my game and do the little things in front of the net, things that I'm good at. Pucks are starting to bounce my way. It feels really good."

Laviolette said he was never concerned about Simmonds' place in the lineup. Even without the points, Simmonds remained a force in front of the net - sometimes with players that paid dividends for teammates that went unnoticed on his own stat sheet.

Although Simmonds has played 30 games under Laviolette since arriving from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards trade, there are nuances of his system he's just starting to grasp.

"There is a method to the madness of what is going on in the offensive zone," Laviolette said. "If you're not used to it, you've got to get used to it."

For Briere, the biggest telltale sign that Simmonds is getting comfortable is his play at even strength. On the power play, Simmonds' job was simply required to park himself in front of the opposing goalie.

"He goes to the front of the net and creates havoc," Briere said. "But five-on-five, it took a little bit of an adjustment. It was there. It was just a matter of time. For him and I, having a chance to play together and stick together, we're having a chance to read off of each other. I now know where he likes to play, where he likes to hang out. I think that's why both of us have seemed to click."

Briere's observation is the same for linemate Jakub Voracek, who Laviolette also said has "spread his wings."It's no surprise, then, that the Flyers have continued to win, even with the startling news that Chris Pronger will miss the remainder of the season and playoffs with postconcussion symptoms. Giroux has missed the last two games with similar issues, and Pronger hasn't skated since Nov. 19.

"We've been playing well without them," Scott Hartnell said. "It's been simple hockey, fun hockey. We're in your face, we're skating all the time. It leads to good shifts, good periods, good wins. We've been rolling."

Slap shots

General manager Paul Holmgren said Claude Giroux was evaluated by doctors yesterday for his concussion and his "out indefinitely" status has not changed . . . Brayden Schenn missed his fifth straight game with a concussion.

4. Philadelphia Daily News- Seravalli: What do Flyers do next?

Frank Seravalli

Video: The Daily News' Frank Seravalli discusses Chris Pronger's season-ending concussion and how the Flyers are dealing with the loss.

More game notes from Montreal:

THE MONEY SHOT: Andrej Meszaros recorded his second game-winning-goal of the year. He now has 11 goals since joining the Flyers in 2010 and 4 of them have been game-winners. Over the course of his NHL career, 9 of Meszaros’s 45 goals (20 percent) have been game-winning goals.

WHERE'D YOU GO? Canadiens forward Louis LeBlanc netted his first career NHL goal in the second period. After that, he played a total of just 69 seconds, with 1 shift in the entire 3rd period.

THREE APPLES: Matt Carle had 3 assists. It’s his first three-point game since Jan. 7, 2010 (1G, 2A at PIT) and his first 3-assist game since he posted 4 assists vs. Washington on Oct. 6, 2009.

POWER OUTAGE: The Flyers' win over Montreal certainly wasn't decided by the officials. The two teams combined to go 1-for-15 on the power play, including the Flyers'

0-for-6 effort. On the flip side, the Flyers had 3 key penalty kills: one in the final 2 minutes to seal the game, and 2 separate 5-on-3 advantages that lasted a total of 2 minutes.

EVER WONDER... Why so many Canadiens players wear strange jersey numbers? LeBlanc wears No. 71. Erik Cole wears No. 72. Hal Gill dons No. 75. In all, 12 players the Canadiens' roster have a number higher than 40. That's because the Canadiens have 17 retired numbers. That means every number from 1 through 10 is taken with the exception of 6 and 8. A total of 12 of the first 20 numbers have been worn by an all-time great, leaving many players to reverse their normal number (e.g. 27 to 72).

5. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers & Rangers going skating in Citizens Bank Park

Zach Berman

NEW YORK - Come Jan. 2, when the Flyers and Rangers play the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' home ballpark will be transformed into an homage to outdoor hockey. The NHL's signature regular-season event will appear seamlessly integrated into a facility specifically erected to provide an optimal baseball-viewing experience.

The bulk of the preparation responsibilities fall on the shoulders of Don Renzulli, the NHL's senior vice president of events. In April, he started overseeing biweekly logistical planning meetings with about 50 people in the largest conference room on the 14th floor in the NHL's New York offices. The preparations for the Winter Classic at CBP began on Nov. 21 when armor decking protection was placed on the field. The installation of auxiliary seats in centerfield started on Dec. 5. The rink will be installed Monday, when the bulk of the in-stadium work commences. It is expected to take 5 to 7 days to complete, depending on the weather.

By the conclusion of the weeklong festivities, Renzulli estimates about 1,600 people will have worked to morph what has become a baseball oasis into a hockey wonderland.

"I think they're going to look at it as an entirely different venue," said Renzulli, who worked for the NFL for 12 years, including 10 years handling the operational aspects of the Super Bowl. "We have not, and I don't think we ever will, go in and totally change the ballpark from what it truly is . . . We've always tried to pay homage to whatever venue it is. What they're going to see is a décor package in the bowl itself that is different than what you'll see in a World Series or even a regular Phillies game."

A Placido Polanco throw to Ryan Howard could stretch from one goal to the other. The rink will spread from first base to third, starting behind the pitcher's mound and going to shallow centerfield. Although the field is protected from destruction, the mound will be displayed to maintain the aura of a ballpark.

This will be the fifth Winter Classic. Two have been played in football stadiums (Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium and Pittsburgh's Heinz Field), and two have been at ballparks (Chicago's Wrigley Field and Boston's Fenway Park). Because it's the baseball offseason, ballparks provide more time for preparation and events. The added time even allows the NHL employees to return home to spend Christmas with their families. The boards will be the same as those used in the previous Winter Classics, decorated with WC logos.

Football stadiums provide more seats, but baseball stadiums bring fans closer to the action. Although Citizens Bank Park was built for baseball, it actually has elements of a football stadium that Renzulli believes will be favorable for the Winter Classic.

"It's more of a football stadium in my view in that it's very vertical," Renzulli said. "It's like the Linc. It goes straight up."

For that reason, the best seats are actually higher in the ballpark. Fan preference is subjective, but Renzulli believes the best sightlines will be in the upper decks, specifically along the first- and third-base lines, where fans can watch the entire ice.

"One of the reasons why we're first-to-third is if you took a ruler and went along the back of a rink on a piece of paper, the majority of the seats are from that line back to home plate," Renzulli said. "We wanted to bring the rink as close as we could, making sure everyone could get a fair crack at it."

It also helps that Citizens Bank Park is a modern facility, compared to Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, which, as the oldest facilities in U.S. pro sports, presented challenges regarding winterizing. At Wrigley, for example, the NHL needed to bring in portable sinks and small heaters because of problems turning on the water. At Fenway, plywood walls were added so heat could be turned on in select spots. The amenities at Citizens Bank Park also make the experience more favorable, whether it's because of updated concessions, club seats, luxury suites or high-definition screens.

The HD screens are especially important, and the NHL is installing additional videoboards so fans in leftfield can watch without turning their heads. Every fan will have a view of a videoboard from his or her seat.

"I don't care where you're at, at any stadium, you're watching a puck going 30, 40 miles an hour from 400 feet away, you're not going to see a heck of a lot," Renzulli said. "The big deal about HD screens now is you can see everything, and you're there. You can look down and watch it and can also look up and see it in HD."

One of the challenges at Citizens Bank Park, though, is running the piping to the ice. At Fenway Park, there was a gate by first base that allowed the piping to run directly from the rink to the refrigeration truck, which the NHL purchased for the Winter Classic. At Citizens Bank Park, the truck will be beyond rightfield. It will need to go through the concourse, the bullpens and across the field.

Renzulli diplomatically said all stadiums present different challenges. Five years into the event, his team has refined the preparation process. The custom-made refrigeration truck was essential in the event's evolution, designed and built specifically for the Classic. It pumps coolant through the piping to keep the ice frozen, allowing the game to be played even when conditions are not perfect. It requires 10,000 gallons of water to make an ice surface with a depth of 1 inch. The Winter Classic ice surface, which will be cooled to 22 degrees, will be 1 1/2-2 inches thick.

Before the ice can be used, it has to be approved by NHL Hockey Operations, which consults with the teams and the players association.

There are 22 people who specifically work on the ice. There are about 300 people from the NHL involved in setting up the facility. That does not include local labor. In total, there are about 800 people involved in the game operations, and another 800 from Citizens Bank Park involved in concessions, parking and other details specific to the stadium. The NHL asks the Phillies to "really staff up," requiring, at the minimum, the amount of staffers who would work Game 7 of the World Series.

"We know we're going to be sold out," Renzulli said. "In this instance here, we know we're going to have some rowdy fans. Engaged fans."

The Winter Classic has become a popular television event, but it's the stadium experience that has consumed most of Renzulli's time. Top NHL executives spoke about the tailgating and festivities. There is also an auxiliary rink around home plate that will be used as part of player introductions. The goal is to create an atmosphere that goes beyond a typical game experience, making an afternoon at the Winter Classic different than an evening at the arena.

"It's not going to be perfect sightlines like it is in any arena," Renzulli said, "but it's not an any-arena game."

6. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers hold off Habs for seventh straight win

Tim Panaccio

MONTREAL – They had a six-game winning streak on the line. They also had the NHL’s best road record – 11-3-1.

Neither mattered Thursday night at Bell Centre for the Flyers because what they didn’t have was Chris Pronger, their top defenseman, and won’t get him back until next season.

Pronger is done for the year with post-concussion syndrome (see story). Given the stunning news, the game itself seemed inconsequential, though the Flyers won, 4-3.

“Let’s separate the two because that’s important,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was not an easy game. Those guys in the room deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the way they played, the way they competed and they fought for a win.

“That shouldn’t be taken lightly. Montreal had gotten points in six straight. To come up here and battle and keep things moving in the right direction, I’m really happy with what we did here.

“With regard to Chris, certainly the news is not what we wanted and it’s hard to replace a guy like that. You can’t. He plays 26-27 minutes. There’s no one person or one individual in the organization you can find somewhere and replace him with.

“We’ve been moving forward for a while here without Chris and recently without Claude [Giroux]. Those injuries are tough to take, but our team has responded really well. It’s evident in the way we play. That’s evident in the fact we continue to win hockey games.”

The Flyers are now 12-4-1 without Pronger in the lineup.

Virtually all the players were unaware of the Pronger announcement until informed by the media after the game. Laviolette knew in advance but didn't want to distract them by saying anything before the game.

Jaromi Jagr was pretty much invisible in this one, but his third-period assist led to Andrej Meszaros goal from the blue line at 8:08, breaking a 3-3 deadlock.

The goal was just Meszaros’ third of the season.

“We kept pushing and they kept coming back,” Meszaros said. “We just scored one more than them. It was a team effort and that’s the way we need to play now. We did that in Washington, too. We knew we didn’t play our best game but we won.”

The Flyers survived this game because of their penalty killing, shutting down the Habs on eight of their nine power plays.

“We took too many penalties,” Meszaros said. “You don’t want to see that but it’s going to happen. Everybody stepped up. They had one lucky [power-play] goal on a bounce, but that’s going to happen.”

Sergie Bobrovsky made his first start in goal since losing to the Rangers 2-0 on Nov. 26.

The first period unfolded as expected with both clubs trading some good scoring chances. The Flyers had two power plays and made good after the first one expired with Max Talbot one-timing a pass from the left circle past Carey Price at 12:07.

The Flyers were 0 for 6 in the game on the power play but had chances.

Incredibly, Talbot’s goal stood up even though the Flyers spent the final three minutes of the period shorthanded by two men.

Rookie defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon was nailed for slashing, then Jakub Voracek went off for tripping, giving the Habs a 5-on-3 for 1:41.

It appeared as though Tomas Plekanec tied the game with a backhander off a rebound, but the goal was quickly waved off because Erik Cole interfered with Bobrovsky.

Though the Flyers dodged that bullet, Braydon Coburn then picked up a cross-checking penalty giving the Habs another two-man edge for 32 seconds.

Again, the Flyers’ penalty killers, led by Talbot, Matt Carle and Kimmo Timonen, held the Canadiens off. The second period began with Montreal still on the power play but with just a single-man advantage.

Again, the Flyers killed it off.

Soon after, however, Montreal’s David Desharnais tied it at 5:02, skating the puck behind the net, then ragging it as he swung into the high slot waiting for Cole and Max Pacioretty to screen out Bobrovsky before firing. No way “Bob” could have seen the shot.

No matter. The Flyers went ahead 46 seconds later on their next rush up ice.

Harry Zolnierczyk poked home a rebound off a Carle point shot with Zac Rinaldo causing havoc in the crease to make it, 2-1.

Zolnierczyk was shifting between center and wing in this game. It was just Harry Z’s second goal of the season. Both of them have come in Canada. His first NHL goal came Oct. 18 in Ottawa, the night he made his league debut.

Zolnierczyk’s goal celebration was simply … priceless, too.

Montreal got it back at 13:24 when Louis Leblanc got a rather fortunate bounce his direction after Bobrovsky made an initial save on Mike Blunden.

It didn’t stay that way for long as Wayne Simmonds tallied a goal for the fourth straight game to regain the lead for the Flyers at 3-2, knocking his own rebound out of the air past Price at 18:10.

Yet, Montreal would not go away easily with Cole scoring on the power play in the final 16 ticks of the period to make it 3-3.

Cole’s wrister set up another tense third period on the road for the Flyers.

“That’s a team that refuses to lose,” Laviolette said. “We had to kill a lot of penalties tonight. A lot of things were working against us.

“To be able to finish that off in the third period and get the win speaks volumes to the players in the room and their attitude. Their dedication to win a hockey game was awesome, just awesome.”

Loose pucks

It was a tough night for Flyer rookie center Sean Couturier, who had three penalties in the game. All of them were of the stick variety, which is odd given his superb speed. ... Jagr has nine points in seven games this month. … Carle had three assists. ... Danny Briere centered Rinaldo and Zolnierczyk on Harry Z’s goal. ... The Flyers' seven-game win streak is the longest they have strung together since an eight-game streak from Jan. 6-19, 2002.

7. CSNPhilly.com-Flyers' Pronger out for remainder of season

Tim Panaccio

MONTREAL – The news from Pittsburgh wasn’t what the Flyers or Chris Pronger wanted to hear.

It was a bombshell. The Flyers’ captain will miss the rest of the season and playoffs.

He was examined on Wednesday in Pittsburgh by noted neurologists Joe Maroon and Mickey Collins, both of whom have been handling Penguins center Sidney Crosby.

General manager Paul Holmgren released this statement:

“After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post concussion syndrome.

“It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.”

Eric Lindros. Keith Primeau. Now Chris Pronger. The common link, besides all three wearing the “C”, is each of them were stricken with post-concussion syndrome while wearing a Flyers jersey.

It has to be one of the great tragic ironies within the franchise’s history given the talent and influence these three players enjoyed.

If you don’t think it caught the Flyers by surprise – they didn't expect he would miss the remainder of the season – consider that teammates such as Braydon Coburn said they had been talking to him recently and he seemed upbeat.

One member of the organization said this wasn’t what the coaching staff or management had expected to hear.

Pronger, who is 37, has five years of a $34.45 million contract extension remaining that expires in 2016.

After Thursday’s 4-3 win against Les Canadiens (see story), the Flyers are now 12-4-1 without him in the lineup.

Pronger’s spot has been taken by rookie Marc-Andre Bourdon, who has performed remarkably well on the ice.

Fellow rookie Erik Gustafsson is due to return soon.

Of course, missing Pronger short term and missing him long term are two very different things.

It remains to be seen if the Flyers can continue to hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference without his presence on the ice.

While the Flyers aren’t being pushed to make a trade just yet, it’s seems fairly certain they will have to do something by the NHL trade deadline in February.

We still don’t know with any degree of certainty whether this concussion was the result of his stick incident in October or two other incidents in November, or a combination of all three.

Last Saturday, “Hockey Night in Canada” presented a theory on television that makes a lot sense as to the roots of Pronger’s concussion but isn’t conclusive

It surrounds two incidents: one on Nov. 14 against Carolina and the other, Nov. 17 against Phoenix.

In the Carolina game, Pronger went to break up a 2-on-1 and slid hard into the side boards. Three days later against the Coyotes, Pronger was drilled by Martin Hanzel along the boards.

Two days later, the Flyers were in Winnipeg. Pronger had his worst game as a Flyer, being on the ice for four goals, though he was just minus-two overall in a 6-4 loss to the Jets.

It was on the plane ride home from there that he began to exhibit symptoms of what the Flyers would then label as a “virus.”

The progression there, as outlined by “Hockey Night in Canada”, seems to suggest a concussion. Yet, there is no denying that the stick incident back in October could just as easily have been the trigger point.

On Oct. 24, Pronger took a stick to his right eye on the follow-through swing of forward Mikhail Grabovski’s shot.

Though it is uncommon, there is documented proof in medicine of ocular concussions because of an eye trauma. When Pronger spoke to reporters a few weeks ago, he said he wasn’t certain of any one incident that would have caused his concussion symptoms.

He said he had his own “suspicions” but did not share them.

He has missed 11 games because of this injury, not to mention the surgery to clean out his left knee, which ran concurrently with his concussion.

One issue that must be resolved is who wears the “C” for the rest of the season. Logic suggests it will go to either Danny Briere or Kimmo Timonen.

8. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers stunned by news on Pronger's injury

Tim Panaccio

MONTREAL – The look on Scott Hartnell’s face said it all. He was simply in shock. He had no idea that Chris Pronger was done for the season.

None of the Flyers knew until after the game when informed by media that their captain would not be coming back this season

“That’s new to me – I don’t know if any of the guys know,” Hartnell said after a 4-3 win over Montreal. “Obviously, that’s devastating, to say the least.

“He’s a presence. That’s the best I can say about him. He’s a presence in the room, a presence on the ice and he was a big factor in our run a couple years ago. When he’s in the lineup, he brings a lot of intangibles other guys can’t bring.”

To some extent, this adds closure to Pronger’s questionable status all these weeks, but perhaps not for the players.

“I’d rather keep wondering if there’s a chance he can come back,” Hartnell said, implying the playoffs.

“Obviously, I don’t know what the doctor said in Pittsburgh or what happened. It’s a big loss. But we’ve been playing well without him and have to keep battling.”

Player after player seemed stunned. Braydon Coburn, who said yesterday when he last talked to Pronger he seemed upbeat, refused to believe the news until PR representative Zack Hill confirmed it for him.

“He’s probably going through a tough time,” Coburn finally said. “Chris is a strong guy and a strong personality. He is obviously been around the block, too. If he was here right know, he’d be saying something salty.

“He still has a strong leadership voice in our room like Lappy [Ian Laperriere] was last year. He was always around.

“With the young D-corps that we have right now, [Chris] is going to sticking his nose in there, giving a lot of advice, pointers and encouragement.”

Defenseman Andrej Meszaros backed that up, adding that the one bright spot has been the play of rookie blue liners Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall.

“We have to step up for him and get better,” he said. “Even though Chris is out and Andreas [Lilja] is too, Marshy and Marc-Andre are playing pretty good. They’re young and still learning. They’re doing a pretty good job so far, which is nice to see.”

Max Talbot understands this better than most players. He was on the Penguins last season when Sidney Crosby was diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, though the club never announced Crosby would not be back, even though he skated with the team during the playoffs.

“You have to get prepared every game,” Talbot said. “You’re missing big guys and everyone needs to chip in a little bit more. I’m not saying, changing your role, but I’m saying working harder and guys like Bourdon, he’s stepping up.

“Last year, when Sid went out, we had young guys coming in from the AHL and playing a big role for us. It’s tough. When you lose your captain, you are losing big leadership. At the same time, everyone has to give a bit more.

“He’s a huge part of this team. But we need to keep on playing hard and win some games.”

As Hartnell walked away, he turned and said, “Obviously, we’re upset about it. I’ll give [Pronger] a call when I get out of here.”

9. CSNPhilly.com- Lavy's wife didn't like his language on '24/7'

Tim Panaccio

MONTREAL -- Peter Laviolette’s wife, Kristen, watched the opening minutes of Episode 1 of HBO’s 24/7 and couldn’t help herself.

“She texted me after the first, two minutes,” Laviolette said, laughing. He didn’t see the show.

Why the text?

Seems there were a couple of Lavy F-bombs right off the top that Kristen didn’t like.

Still, it was a pretty good episode to kick off the pre-Winter Classic hype between the Flyers and Rangers on Jan. 2 at Citizens Bank Park.

“They’ve been pretty good here,” Laviolette said of HBO’s daily camera presence. “At the beginning, the locker room, nobody’s allowed in there. There are no cameras. Certainly, it’s different.

“You’re accustomed to the doors being shut and dealing with the same people and only allowing in and out what you want in and out. Their presence is fairly significant on a day –to-day basis but they’re good guys. They do a terrific job. The show I watched last year was outstanding.”

Laviolette said no matter how good HBO might be in staying out of his way, he is well aware they are always present.

Are they intrusive?

“This guy has his camera practically in you ear,” he said. “You tell me. Is that intrusive to you?”

Three rookies -- Matt Read, Zac Rinaldo and Harry Zolnierczyk -- apparently were the only three Flyers who actually saw the episode.

“There’s a lot of camera time and how much work those guys put into it and how much time they spend around our team, it’s kind of interesting,” Read said.

“How much work they’ve done, to see the final product, the first episode was great. It sent chills down my back. I thought it was very well done.”

Love that Bob

Sergei Bobrovsky got the start against Montreal on Thursday night. He collected a 3-1 victory on Nov. 25 when these two teams last played in Philadelphia.

Laviolette said that didn’t factor into his decision to use Bobrovsky over Ilya Bryzgalov, who has a six-game win streak going.

“We’re just managing a busy schedule this month,” he said. “And I’m excited to get him in there. He’s a great goaltender. He has a good record, he’s played well for us and I want to get him a game.”

10. CSNPhilly.com- The concussion issue's silver lining

Neil Hartman

I can't figure out why there are so many concussions in sports right now.

The Flyers have three players who are out after taking a hit to the head: Chris Pronger, Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn. They are not your average run-of-the mill players. Pronger, of course, the team captain and leader of the club. Giroux, the NHL's top points scorer. And Schenn is one of the most highly regarded rookies in the league.

We have seen in Philadelphia firsthand how concussions can end a career. And that isn't even the scariest part of all this – concussions can have a life-long impact. Healthy and productive one day on the ice and the next day, struggling with headaches and an unknown timeline when things will be corrected. It's not just in Philadelphia but around the NHL – including the game’s biggest star in Sidney Crosby and former Flyer Mike Richards.

Sadly, the NFL is experiencing the same epidemic of concussions. The league is trying to eliminate helmets being used as weapons on the field, but it still happens every game, every week. When I was a kid, you rarely heard about concussions. Better diagnoses and the understanding of a trauma injury to the head have resulted in much more cautious approaches by doctors, coaches and parents.

I have a family friend whose nine-year-old son suffered two concussions this season in football forcing them to shut him down for the year. I never knew anyone when I was younger being given the same type of attention. Back in the day, you were told "shake it off," and off you went.

So as disappointing as it is to have some of our sports’ best athletes sidelined because of concussions, it is for the better, and it has had an impact on the care that our kids receive when they get banged up.

You would hope better equipment would help alleviate the problem, but as long as athletes get bigger and stronger, technology has just not been able to keep up. At least we now know what to look for and how to treat concussions.

It's a step in the right direction.

11. Delaware County Times- So long, Prongs: Flyers captain out for season

Anthony J. SanFilippo

Chris Pronger went to Pittsburgh hoping for good news from the doctors he was visiting. Instead, he was hit with a bombshell.

He’s done for the season — including the playoffs — because of severe post-concussion syndrome.

General manager Paul Holmgren released a statement through a team spokesman after the Flyers-Canadiens game began Thursday in Montreal.

“After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome,” Holmgren said. “It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs.

Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.”

Pronger visited Maroon and Collins Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to identify what was causing his frequent headaches and other concussion-like symptoms. Pronger, 37, missed six games this season after suffering a serious eye injury when he was hit with a stick in his right eye in late October.

He returned to play five games, but wasn’t feeling like himself in the last game against Winnipeg Nov. 19.

The Flyers haven’t publicly said the original concussion occurred as a result of the trauma behind Pronger’s eye, but privately, the belief is that’s the incident that has caused Pronger so much trouble.

With Pronger out of the mix, the Flyers are likely to pursue a replacement via trade — although likely not right away.

“We’re not going to panic and rush out and get a player just to get a player,” one team source said. “But we’re always looking at players and always talking.”

After 18 seasons, it’s possible this post-concussion syndrome could be career-threatening for the aging Pronger.

However, according to the source, the doctors did not tell Pronger that was the case, which begs the question: Is it possible that this diagnosis might be a bit on the cautious side and that Pronger could, in fact, play again this season?

“That’s a great question,” the source said. “I guess if he’s feeling great in March and is symptom-free, then he could definitely be re-evaluated at that time to see if he could play. … But we’re not counting on it.”

Neither Pronger nor Holmgren were available for comment Thursday, but at least one, if not both of them, could speak further about the injury today when the team convenes at the Flyers practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. Holmgren did add one additional item in his statement, commenting on Claude Giroux, the NHL scoring leader with 39 points who is also dealing with a concussion.

“Claude’s status remains the same,” Holmgren said. “He is out indefinitely.” 12. Delaware County Times- Flyers beat Canadiens for 7th straight win Delco Times STAFF MONTREAL (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers' latest victory celebration was met with a jolt of bad news. Andrei Meszaros scored 8:08 into the third, Mathieu Carle had three assists and Philadelphia extended its winning streak to seven with a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Maxime Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers in the victory tempered by news that captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome. "I think the hard part — at the end of the day — to swallow is that he's been shut down for an extended period of time," said Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette, who learned the news just before the game. "Where there was hope, right now there's not." Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren made the announcement through a team spokesman early in the first period. Most of the players learned the news from reporters after the game. "Obviously, that's devastating, to say the least," Scott Hartnell said. "He's a presence. That's the best thing I can say about him. He's a presence in the room, he's a presence on the ice, and he was a big factor in our run a couple of years ago. And when he's in the lineup he really brings a lot of intangibles a lot of guys can't bring, so obviously we're upset about it and I'll give him a call when we get out of here." Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia, which blew 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the second period. "We're a resilient bunch and when we dig ourselves holes like that we know what we have to do to get back in games," said Simmonds, who scored for a fourth straight game 18:10 into the second. "We have a never-say-die attitude and we're never going to give up, ever."

Philadelphia has won nine of 10 and is first overall in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, two ahead of Boston and a point behind Minnesota for the overall NHL lead. Erik Cole scored the Canadiens' third tying goal of the period with 15.5 seconds. Louis Leblanc got his first NHL goal and David Desharnais also scored earlier in the second for Montreal, which lost in regulation for the first time in seven games (3-1-3). Carey Price made 21 saves. "We had to be better," Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said. "We were up against the best team in the East and they capitalized on our mistakes." In addition to learning they had lost Pronger for the rest of the season, the Flyers also are without star forward Claude Giroux, the NHL scoring leader with 39 points. He missed his second game in a row and is out indefinitely with a concussion after taking an inadvertent knee to the head from Simmonds on Saturday. Carle got his third point when Meszaros gave Philadelphia its fourth one-goal lead with a slap shot past Price from the point. The Canadiens evened it for the third time in the second moments after Simmonds made it 3-2 with his ninth goal, his fifth in six games. Cole got credit for his team-leading 12th goal on a puck that struck him in front of the net and bounced over Bobrovski and came to rest on its edge just over the goal line inside the right post. Desharnais erased the Flyers' first one-goal lead 5:02 into the second with a strong individual effort. The Canadiens center held the puck patiently as he carried it out from behind the net, moving his way to the slot to fire a shot past Bobrovksi to tie it at 1. Zolnierczyk made it 2-1 with his second goal of the season at 5:48. Leblanc, a Montreal native who was the Canadiens' first-round pick in 2009, drew a huge ovation for his first goal in eight games at 13:24. Talbot scored his ninth goal 12:07 into the first. NOTES: Pronger last played since Nov. 19. ... Canadiens LW Travis Moen missed the game with a lower-body injury sustained Tuesday night in a victory over the New York Islanders. Philadelphia 1 2 1—4 Montreal 0 3 0—3

First Period_1, Philadelphia, Talbot 9 (Voracek, Couturier), 12:07. Penalties_Marshall, Phi (slashing), 3:08; Nokelainen, Mon (holding), 9:08; Kaberle, Mon (interference), 12:39; Bourdon, Phi (slashing), 17:01; Voracek, Phi (tripping), 17:21; Coburn, Phi (cross-checking), 18:50. Second Period_2, Montreal, Desharnais 5 (Pacioretty, Kaberle), 5:02. 3, Philadelphia, Zolnierczyk 2 (Rinaldo, Carle), 5:48. 4, Montreal, Leblanc 1 (Blunden, Subban), 13:24. 5, Philadelphia, Simmonds 9 (Carle, Read), 18:10. 6, Montreal, Cole 12 (Pacioretty, Desharnais), 19:44 (pp). Penalties_Leblanc, Mon (holding stick), 2:32; Couturier, Phi (hooking), 7:21; Cammalleri, Mon (tripping), 16:06; Couturier, Phi (slashing), 19:19; Carle, Phi (delay of game), 19:55; Desharnais, Mon (tripping), 20:00. Third Period_7, Philadelphia, Meszaros 3 (Jagr, Carle), 8:08. Penalties_Couturier, Phi (slashing), 3:46; Plekanec, Mon (high-sticking), 14:50; Talbot, Phi (holding), 17:29. Shots on Goal_Philadelphia 9-10-6_25. Montreal 12-8-11_31. Power-play opportunities_Philadelphia 0 of 6; Montreal 1 of 9. Goalies_Philadelphia, Bobrovsky 6-2-1 (31 shots-28 saves). Montreal, Price 12-9-7 (25-21). A_21,273 (21,273). T_2:30. Referees_Chris Lee, Frederick L'Ecuyer. Linesmen_Steve Barton, David Brisebois. 13. Delaware County Times- Winter Classic: Add another one to the lineup; Drexel vs. Villanova Delaware Times Staff Add another game to the hoopla surround the Winter Classic. Drexel will clash with Villanova on the Citizens Bank Park on Jan 5 in what is being billed as the 'Crosstown Classic.' Tickets will cost you $10. Here's the official release from Drexel: Philadelphia — On January 5, Dragons and Wildcats will take the ice under the stars on the outdoor rink at Citizens Bank Park in a matchup of city hockey rivals dubbed “The Crosstown Classic.” The contest, featuring Drexel and Villanova's club hockey teams, is a unique outdoor hockey experience that is part of a weeklong slate of games surrounding the National Hockey League's “Winter Classic” game on January 2.

"For a Drexel student to play ice hockey on such a grand scale is a tremendous experience," Athletics Director Dr. Eric Zillmer said. It will be the first time either of the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association rivals has played a regular-season game outdoors. Zillmer will drop the puck for the 7:15 p.m. contest, which was made possible by sponsorship from LeBow College of Business and Drexel alumnus and trustee Bob Buckley ('58). “This is going to be a week of great fun for Philadelphia and I'm happy Drexel's students can be an important part of the festivities,” said Dr. George P. Tsetsekos, the dean of LeBow College. “Playing and watching outdoor hockey is going to re-create cherished childhood memories for many people.” The hockey team is one of 30 teams in Drexel's club sports program that involves 1,000 students in intercollegiate club-level competition. "This event showcases university club sports. Most people don't know that club sports participants play intercollegiately at a high level," Associate Athletics Director Dan Simmons said. The Dragons are 12-10 on the season and 7-1 in ECHA play led by Head Coach Gregg Marinari. On the ice, Drexel has been one of the top teams in its conference thanks to the play of goalie Daniel Pyne, who was the starter in net for the American team at the 2011 World University Games, and Kyle Zoldy who recently surpassed the 100-point mark for his career. The Wildcats, coached by Brian Griffin, enter the game with a 4-11 record. The teams met earlier this season, with Drexel blanking the Wildcats 4-0 on November 5. "Drexel is honored to be a part of this prestigious event,” Marinari said. “Our team has worked hard all season long and we are very excited for an opportunity to showcase our talent against a good Villanova team. The Drexel - Villanova rival goes back a long way within the ECHA. It will be a good example of what Philadelphia college hockey is all about." 14. Bucks County Courier Post- Pronger out for season due to post-concussion syndrome Wayne Fish Chris Pronger knows his season is over. Now he has to wonder if his career is in jeopardy.

The Flyers announced on Thursday night that their captain is out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs due to severe post-concussion syndrome. Pronger, 37, had been examined by Pittsburgh neurologists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Mickey Collins on Wednesday. A day later, just about the worst possible diagnosis was announced by general manager Paul Holmgren. “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Maroon and Dr. Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome,’’ Holmgren said. “It is the recommendation of Drs. Maroon and Collins that Chris not return to play for the Philadelphia Flyers for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.’’ Pronger is in the third year of a seven-year contract. The last two Flyers players to suffer from severe post-concussion syndrome are Ian Laperriere, sidelined since the end of the 2009-10 season, and Keith Primeau, who was forced to retire in 2006. Laperriere was struck in the face by a shot in the 2010 playoffs, tried to come back in the following training camp but finally gave up the attempt. More than five years later, Primeau continues to experience symptoms from a series of concussions he suffered late in his career. How Pronger came to this point is unclear. He was struck in the eye by a high stick from Toronto’s Mikhail Grabovski on Oct. 24. Pronger missed six games and then returned to action on Nov. 9 in a game at Tampa Bay. He played five games and then told Holmgren after a game at Winnipeg on Nov. 19 that he wasn’t feeling well. That’s when the Flyers began to list Pronger as suffering from what was thought to be a virus. During his most recent absence, nine games, Pronger underwent left knee surgery. But he also complained that he wasn’t feeling himself. “I’ve just never felt like this where you get lightheaded, you have headaches, you’re nauseous,’’ Pronger said on Dec. 1. “It’s been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some bloodwork and we’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on.’’

Maroon is the doctor who worked with Laperriere, so the Flyers respect his word. Now the Flyers must face the rest of the season without their best defenseman and locker room leader. It doesn’t make things any easier that NHL leading scorer Claude Giroux is also sidelined indefinitely with a concussion. Holmgren said on Thursday night that Giroux’s condition is unchanged. Rookie Brayden Schenn is also sidelined with a concussion. Pronger will go on long-term injured reserve and the Flyers, should they choose, will be able to use his salary cap $4.91 million money toward a possible trade for some assistance. 15. Bucks County Courier-Post- Flyers top Canadiens for 7th straight win Associated Press MONTREAL — Andrei Meszaros scored 8:08 into the third, Mathieu Carle had three assists and the Philadelphia Flyers extended their winning streak to seven with a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Maxime Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers in the victory tempered by news that captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia, which blew 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the second period. The Flyers have won nine of 10 and are first overall in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, two ahead of Boston and a point behind Minnesota for the overall NHL lead. Erik Cole scored the Canadiens’ third tying goal of the second with 15.5 seconds left in the period. Louis Leblanc got his first NHL goal and David Desharnais also scored earlier in the middle period for Montreal, which lost in regulation for the first time in seven games (3-1-3). Carey Price made 21 saves. In addition to learning they had lost Pronger for the rest of the season, the Flyers also are without star forward Claude Giroux, the NHL scoring leader with 39 points. He missed his second game in a row and is out indefinitely with a concussion after taking an inadvertent knee to the head from Simmonds on Saturday.

Carle got his third point when Meszaros gave Philadelphia its fourth one-goal lead with a slap shot past Price from the point. The Canadiens evened it for the third time in the second moments after Simmonds made it 3-2 at 18:10. Cole got credit for his team-leading 12th goal on a puck that struck him in front of the net and bounced over Bobrovski and came to rest on its edge just over the goal line inside the right post. Desharnais erased the Flyers’ first one-goal lead 5:02 into the second with a strong individual effort. The Canadiens center held the puck patiently as he carried it out from behind the net, moving his way to the slot to fire a shot past Bobrovksi to tie it at 1. Zolnierczyk made it 2-1 with his second goal of the season at 5:48. Leblanc, a Montreal native who was the Canadiens’ first-round pick in 2009, drew a huge ovation for his first goal in eight games at 13:24. Talbot scored his ninth goal 12:07 into the first. 16. Camden Courier Post- Flyers earn 7th straight victory Associated Press MONTREAL — Andrei Meszaros scored 8:08 into the third, Mathieu Carle had three assists and the Flyers extended their winning streak to seven with a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Maxime Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers in the victory tempered by news that captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia, which blew 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the second period. The Flyers have won nine of 10 and are first overall in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, two ahead of Boston and a point behind Minnesota for the overall NHL lead. Erik Cole scored the Canadiens’ third tying goal of the second with 15.5 seconds left in the period. Carle got his third point when Meszaros gave Philadelphia its fourth one-goal lead with a slap shot past Price from the point.

The Canadiens evened it for the third time in the second moments after Simmonds made it 3-2 at 18:10. Cole got credit for his team-leading 12th goal on a puck that struck him in front of the net and bounced over Bobrovski and came to rest on its edge just over the goal line inside the right post. David Desharnais erased the Flyers’ first one-goal lead 5:02 into the second with a strong individual effort. 17. Camden Courier Post- Flyers' Pronger lost for the season Randy Miller Chris Pronger was so hopeful that this season would be different. The Flyers star defenseman worked so hard this fall to get himself healthy again after missing a bunch of time in 2010-11 with an assortment of injuries that were still healing through the summer. His determination seemed to be paying off. Against big odds, Pronger was ready for the season opener, and when the Flyers’ campaign began Oct. 6 in Boston, he had a “C” on his jersey as management’s choice to succeed departed star Mike Richards as captain. And that’s where this feel-good comeback story ends. There’s been one health issue after another over the last 7½ weeks, then much worse news Thursday night that trumped everything: Pronger is done for the season with a serious concussion. His career appears to be in jeopardy, too. After all, the five-time All-Star and former Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman is no young man at 37. The decision to shut down Pronger for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs was made one day after he was in Pittsburgh visiting with two touted concussion physicians that have worked for again-concussed Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby over the last year. “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post concussion syndrome,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a statement. “It is the recommendation of Drs. Maroon and Collins that Chris not return to play for the

Philadelphia Flyers for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.” The grim development came only days after the Flyers also lost star center Claude Giroux indefinitely to a concussion. “Claude’s status remains the same,” Holmgren said in his statement. “He is out indefinitely.” Giroux, who was leading the NHL in scoring with 39 points, was injured last Saturday against Tampa Bay when he was kneed to the back of his head by teammate Wayne Simmonds. Meantime, nobody is sure when Pronger was concussed. It could have been over a series of headshots, or perhaps it’s related to the freak eye injury that he suffered from a swinging stick in Oct. 24. After being sidelined for three weeks with the eye injury, Pronger was shut down just a week later with a mystery virus, and when he didn’t get over it quickly, he made a quick decision to undergo arthroscopic left knee surgery to take care of a nagging issue that was an in-house secret, his fifth procedure in 16 months. Three days after his surgery, Pronger gave his last interview in a conference call with Flyers beat writers. At the time, he admitted for the first time that his “virus” included head issues and that he’d undergone baseline concussion tests. “I just didn’t feel well,” Pronger said on Dec. 1. “We said it was a virus, but I didn’t know what it was. I had never felt like that before, where I had headaches and nausea and all the rest of that stuff. So I had a concussion test. I took the baseline test and passed that. It’s been a bit of a mystery with what exactly is going on. I did some blood work and we’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on.” Two weeks later, we’ve learned that hockey has lost another star to a concussion, and this one already has ended a promising season before it’s half over. And perhaps a probable Hall of Fame career, too, for a do-it-all blueliner who’s two seasons into a seven-year, $34.45 million contract. Pronger appeared in just 13 games this season, registering one goal and 11 assists with a plus-1 plus-minus rating. Last season, he missed 32 regular-season games and eight postseason contests due to injuries.

With Pronger’s latest absence long-term, it’s expected that the Flyers will name a replace captain very soon, the top candidates being alternate captains Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen, both of whom have been captains on previous teams. Meantime, Holmgren probably will look to make a trade for a veteran blueliner with almost $5 million in cap space now free. “We don’t change our game,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said when asked recently about moving forward without Pronger. “We have a style and an identity, and we go out and play it. We may rely on others more. We’ve recalled some guys from our minor-league affiliate who have filled in admirably [in rookie blueliners Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon]. It is what it is.” 18. Camden Courier Post- 24/7 review for Friday Randy Miller The first cussing came 50 seconds in courtesy of Flyers coach Talking to his team in the dressing room, Lavy candidly called out: "We are not a conservative team. We are a 'let's bleeping giddy up and go' type of team." A few seconds later, Lavy was at it again: “Play bleeping hard. Play for each other. Support each other. Come back to the bench bleeping dripping tired and bleeping sweating of exhaustion. Put your foot on the bleeping gas.” There was whole lot of foul language but so much more in the debut episode of “24/7 Flyers/Rangers: The Road to the NHL Winter Classic,” which HBO first aired on Wednesday night. The hour-long reality show, the first of four weekly installments leading up this season’s NHL outdoor game at Citizens Bank Park on Jan. 2, provided lots of very interesting behind-the-scenes footage on both the Flyers and Rangers. One of the most revealing parts was HBO cameras capturing the Flyers’ post-game celebration following a victory over Pittsburgh last week. Their dressing room victory song is Mac Miller's "Knock Knock" video, a Hip Hop remix of Linda Scott's 1961 hit, "I’ve Told Every Little Star.” As players were returning to the dressing room, head equipment manager Derek Settlemyre popped in the CD and everyone entering dancing and singing. Rookie defenseman Kevin Marshall displayed some of the best moves.

The No. 1 star in this one goes to Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who couldn’t help himself blurting out a bunch of off-the-wall takes on life. "Right now, I'm very into the universe, like how it was created,” he said during one scene. "What is it? The solar system is so humungous big, right? But if you see our solar system and our galaxy on the side, it is so small. You can't even see it. Our galaxy is huge, but if you see the big picture our galaxy is small ... tiny, like a dot in the universe. And we have some problems here on the Earth that we worry about? ... Don't worry. Be happy right now.” Another time, Bryz was handed a bottle of Russian bootleg booze by a assistant trainer/strength and conditioning coach Jim McCrossin that had a picture of a tiger on the label, then broke into a conversation about China’s poaching laws on killing tigers. "This is tiger and less than probably 5,000 species left on Earth," Bryz told McCrossin. "China law. If you give tiger, death penalty. Yeah, if you kill the tiger and they find you, you're dead. That's it." Bryz’s two children made appearances, as well, during a Flyers Christmas party that included a skate. Vladi Bryzgalov, 5, was in the dressing room in a tiny Flyers uniform and wearing full goaltending equipment, fancy mask and all. "Everyone's going to shoot on me," he said while posing for the camera Watching from behind, Bryz called out, "Mini-Me!" - referring to Dr Evil's lookalike dwarf son in the Austin Powers movies. On the ice, little Bryz showed his stuff in the net while big sister Valery, 7, looked like a future figure skating whiz twirling oni ice. Here are some other highlights: - Jaromir Jagr on returning to the NHL this season and passing on going back to Pittsburgh, his original team, to sign with the rival Flyers: "It probably would be a lot easier if I came back [to Pittsburgh]. My jersey probably would hang one day. But I chose the other way. Sometimes you think your brain knows everything, but you should follow your heart. I never thought I was going to like it so much. I’m surprised. I picked Philly just for hockey. So far, I like everything about it, even the fans. They're crazy.” - Max Talbot, who signed with the Flyers this summer after six seasons in Pittsburgh, meeting former coach Dan Bylsma before his first game against his old club. “Goal scorer now, huh?” Bylsma told Talbot. “I like it.” - Laviolette announcing his starting lineup for the Dec. 8 Flyers-Penguins game in dressing room and saying, “You might as well get right into it, Max. Bleeping right!”

- Penguins winger Matt Cooke to Flyers winger Scott Hartnell during a game: "Hartnell, you bleeping piece of bleep." Hartnell’s retaliation: Hartnell’s retaliation: "You're the dirtiest player in the league, Bud." - A car drive with Wayne Simmonds and then on-ice footage with kids during an unveiling of one of the refurbished inner-city Philadelphia rink, an accomplished of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. During his drive, Simmonds said, “Every team I’ve been on, I’ve never experienced anything from my teammates acknowledging me being Black. It’s pretty obvious, but all the guys are good about it and I think that’s the way it obviously should be.” - Dressing-room dressing of Claude Giroux immediately after he was concussed in last Thursday’s game … then the star center walking into a trainer’s room and HBO’s cameras being forced to stay out. - A lot of in-game and dressing room cursing from Rangers coach John Tortorella, who at one point yelled to his team between periods: “You gotta that bleeping [HBO] mike on, you can’t bleeping think straight.” - Rangers players riding in a limo with underprivileged children to the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. One boy questioned a Ranger about fighting, then shot back, “My favorite sport is chess.” Another Ranger chimed in and said, “You seem to be more of a thinker than I am.” - Rangers captain Ryan Callahan talking after a game with his 95-year-old grandmother. “You didn’t deserve that penalty,” she told him from a wheelchair. “Darn, if I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have gone down there and told them.” - HBO did a nice job including updated footage on Giroux, with the NHL scoring leader shown doing a concussion test and briefly discussing his injury with Lavy. 19. Philly Sports Daily- Flyers Top Canadiens In Wake Of Pronger News Philly Sports Daily Staff One man goes down and another steps up. That’s been the script for the Flyers thus far this season and it rang true again in a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Chris Pronger has been gone for a month, but after word came down that he will be out of commission for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, it was another defenseman, Andrej Meszaros, who scored the game-winning goal for the Flyers. They got another two points to re-take sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. Meszaros’ blast form the point midway through the third period was the final tally for the Flyers who struck first and had to deal with three pesky comebacks from the Canadiens.

A couple of them were fluky and Sergei Bobrovsky would probably like them back, but the effort was good enough for the Flyers’ seventh straight win, a feat they have not accomplished since 2002. For the Flyers, who end a quick two-game road trip, it wasn’t an easy feat in front of a tough Bell Centre crowd. Max Talbot opened the scoring in the first period on a one-timer from the left wing that beat Carey Price, but a few minutes later, David Desharnais evened the score. Harry Zolnierczyk scored his second goal of the season, a diving effort toward the puck, but Louis Leblanc netted his first NHL goal after a favorable deflection left him alone with the puck and an empty net. Wayne Simmonds scored a big determination goal to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games. He tried a wrap-around, but the puck was knocked up in the air. He batted at it with his glove and it hit the ice where he out-muscled the opposition and got there first to pound home his ninth of the season. But then, with 15 seconds left in the second period, Erik Cole evened the score. It wasn’t until Meszaros’ goal that the Flyers were able to pull in front for good. Not only did they have to battle those Montreal mini-bursts, they also had to fight through penalties. They had seven stick infractions on the night, and allowed one goal on nine power plays. Bobrovsky was good on the night, making 28 saves, and gave the Flyers a temporary reprieve from thinking about all the injuries that are either adding up or getting worse. The news that Pronger will miss at least the rest of this season will put a scare into the Flyers. However, every time they’ve faced adversity this season they’ve come through. Thursday night was no different. 20. Philly Sports Daily- Chris Pronger’s Season Is Over Dave Issac Thursday night marks the 17th game Chris Pronger has missed this season. That total will grow much, much longer. The Flyers’ captain traveled to Pittsburgh to meet with neurologists Dr. Joe Maroon and Dr. Mickey Collins on Wednesday and the news was not good. “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome,” said general manager Paul Holmgren. “It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12

season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.” Pronger called last season the “year from hell,” but this has clearly become another circle of inferno for him. He has missed time with an eye injury, knee injury and now severe post-concussion symptoms. There is speculation that the 37-year-old defenseman’s career may be over after this news and it’s easy to see why. With the Flyers alone, Keith Primeau, Ian Laperriere and Eric Lindros all serve as examples of what can happen with head trauma. Pronger is in the second year of a seven-year, $34.45 million deal with the Flyers. He won’t officially retire until 2017 when that contract retires, but the fact that he also might not play over the next five seasons is a scary thought. In the short term, the Flyers have done well to cope. In the long term, their top four defensemen could be burned out down the stretch, heading into the postseason that Pronger will apparently not be able to participate in. They’ve won games without him this season largely because of their depth. “All teams want to have that,” said Jody Shelley on Tuesday. “All teams wonder what happens when you’re down, what happens when things are bad, what happens when guys are missing. We haven’t spent any time talking or thinking about it as far as Pronger and now [Claude Giroux] and things like that. That’s just a test of our system and our young energy, I guess. It’s almost like an ignorance to even spend time looking at that. We just stay focused.” The Flyers will have long-term injured reserve cap relief for as long as Pronger is out of the lineup, but it seems pretty clear that they need to find a way to get some relief on the blue line as well. He would be really difficult to replace. In 1,167 career NHL games, Pronger has 157 goals and 541 assists. He has two Olympic gold medals, a Stanley Cup and a World Championship gold medal. He also won the Hart Trophy in 1999-2000 with the St. Louis Blues. It’s tough to imagine, but the last game he played in, on Nov. 19, may have been the last in his career.

21. Philly Sports Daily- Top Quotes From The First Episode Of 24/7

Philly Sports Daily Staff

The anticipation for HBO’s 24/7 was met, if not exceeded, on Wednesday night when the film was finally screened from all the behind-the-scenes cameras over the past couple weeks.

Peter Laviolette dropped the F-bomb five times before the opening credits even rolled. In the end, he lost the F-bomb battle 10-8 to Rangers head coach John Tortorella.

Aside from the profanity, there were a lot of entertaining quotes from the Flyers and Rangers ends of the documentary alike. Here are the top 10 from the Flyers:

“When I signed here, people said ‘Oh, you’re going to hell. They hate that they never have a goalie and they go hard on goalies. It’s a miserable market for the goalies.’” — Ilya Bryzgalov

“The solar system is so humongous big.” — Ilya Bryzgalov

“If you see the big picture, our universe is so tiny, like a dot. And you think we have some problems here on the Earth? What about, compared to like…nothing.” — Ilya Bryzgalov

“Play f***ing hard. Come back to the bench f***ing dripping tired and f***ing sweating of exhaustion.” — Peter Laviolette

“[Philly] is different than LA, it’s a way better hockey town.” — Wayne Simmonds

“Sorry, G.” — Wayne Simmonds

“I have a theory about Claude and that’s that anyone that plays with him is probably gonna have chemistry.” — Peter Laviolette

“If you kill the tiger and they find you…that’s it. You’re dead.” — Ilya Bryzgalov

“I never thought I would like this so much.” — Jaromir Jagr

“Let’s f***ing giddy up and go.” — Peter Laviolette

22. NHL.com- Flyers say Pronger out for rest of the season NHL.com Chris Pronger's season is over due to post-concussion syndrome. The Philadelphia Flyers said Thursday that after meeting with two concussion specialists, it was recommended that their captain not play again in 2011-12.

"After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome," general manager Paul Holmgren said Thursday. "It is the recommendation of Drs. Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. "Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on his radio show Thursday that the League "knows that concussions are a serious issue. We're doing our best to be very proactive in terms of diagnosis and treatment. "Some of the things we've done, by to going all Plexi on the glass, we've softened the environment," he added. "By having the diagnosis and return to play protocols and baseline testing. By making players go to the quiet room so that there's not a risk of multiple concussions in a short period of time. The rule changes we've made – what Brendan Shanahan's doing on supplemental discipline – these are all things that we're doing to try and react and be proactive because it's something that's serious. It's important and people are working on it every day." The players, who were not told about Pronger until after their 4-3 win at Montreal on Thursday, are prepared to move on without their captain -- and with seven straight wins, they seem to have adapted to his absence pretty well. "We lose his leadership and a lot of little things that Chris brings to this team, but the rest of us just need to work harder," said center Maxime Talbot, who was with Pittsburgh last season when the Penguins played the second half of the season without Sidney Crosby due to a concussion. "I’m not saying players need to change their roles, we just need to work harder because we’re missing a big piece. "We all have to give more. Last season, we lost Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and guys came up from the American Hockey League and scored big goals for us. That’s what we need to do here." Pronger played only 13 games this season, scoring a goal and adding 11 assists. He was out of the lineup for six games and 16 days after suffering an eye injury on Oct. 24 when he was hit in the face by the stick of Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski. He eventually rejoined the team and maintained his usual defensive role.

In a 6-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 19, Pronger actually played a season-high 26:41. In addition to his eye injury and concussion, Pronger also underwent arthroscopic surgery to clean out his left knee in the summer. On Dec. 9, Holmgren told reporters that Pronger "has struggled with other issues that are concussion-like symptoms." "I just didn't feel well, I didn't know what it was," Pronger said that day. "I never felt like that before with headaches and nausea, and that stuff. I had a concussion baseline test and passed that … I got lightheaded, had headaches, you're nauseous." 23. NHL.com- Flyers prepare for a season without Pronger Arpon Basu MONTREAL -- The Philadelphia Flyers came off the ice after a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night feeling pretty good about themselves -- until the media walked in the dressing room and informed the players that their captain, Chris Pronger, would miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs with a concussion. The team made the announcement during the first period of the game and coach Peter Laviolette was informed of the news just prior to the opening faceoff, but the players had no idea and were somewhat shocked to hear it from reporters. Defenseman Braydon Coburn – who logged a team-high 24:21 on Thursday night – chose to look at things from a positive perspective. "There are lots of opportunities," Coburn said. "That's what this club is all about, we've got great depth. When they overhauled this team in the summer time I think that was the focus, having outstanding depth." Laviolette emphasized to his team the importance of remaining focused on winning despite all the injury news surrounding the Flyers these days; considering Thursday night's victory was their seventh in a row, that does not appear to be much of an issue. Still, it's obvious that Pronger makes the Flyers a much better club, and losing him for the season stings. "Certainly the news is not what we wanted, it's hard to replace a guy like that," Laviolette said. "In saying that, we've been moving forward without Chris and more recently without Claude (Giroux). While those injuries are tough to take, I think our team has responded extremely well." Laviolette was asked if the finality of the news on Pronger would remove the potential distraction of waiting for his return, but he did not see it quite the same way.

"There was hope (Pronger would return)," he said. "Right now there's none." The Flyers have seen this happen before -- Ian Laperriere was lost to a concussion last season, an injury he still hasn't come back from. Coburn said Laperriere still found a way to have an impact on the team, and he sees Pronger doing the same thing. "I saw what Ian Laperriere did around our room last year, it was quite obvious that he was not going to play for us, but he definitely played a large leadership role, especially with our young guys," Coburn said. "That's a reason he won that award [the Bill Masterton Trophy]. With Prongs and his strong personality, he'll be there for us. He watches all the games and he'll text me and some other guys, and he always has insight that only a player can give other players." While Coburn is shouldering a heavier workload, Pronger's minutes are being absorbed pretty evenly by Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Andrej Meszaros. The two rookies on the Flyers defense who are getting an opportunity to play in the absence of Pronger and Andreas Lilja, Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon, have been used sparingly. With Lilja set to return soon from a high ankle sprain that has cost him eight games the Flyers will have another veteran available to share the increased workload. Maxime Talbot, who was with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season when they lost Sidney Crosby for the season due to a concussion, said the most important thing for the Flyers right now is to accept the current reality and move forward. “We lose his leadership and a lot of little things that Chris brings this team, but the rest of us just need to work harder,” Talbot said. “I’m not saying players need to change their roles, we just need to work harder because we’re missing a big piece. We all have to give more. Last season, we lost Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and guys came up from the American Hockey League and scored big goals for us. That’s what we need to do here.” 24. NHL.com- Amid Pronger news, Flyers top Habs 4-3 Arpon Basu MONTREAL -- The Philadelphia Flyers continue to prove game after game just how deep and talented they really are. With management announcing during the first period that captain Chris Pronger would miss the rest of the season and playoffs with a concussion, the Flyers went and won their

seventh straight game by beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Thursday night -- providing more assurance the team may be able to overcome the loss of its captain. Coach Peter Laviolette wanted to make absolutely certain that the bad news on Pronger did nothing to cloud the fact his team won a tough game in which the Canadiens came back to tie the score three times. "Let's separate the two, I think that's important," Laviolette said. "That was not an easy game tonight, those guys deserve a ton of credit for the way they competed. That should not be taken lightly." Surprise starter Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves and the Flyers (20-7-3) got goals from Maxime Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk, Wayne Simmonds and Andrej Meszaros, who scored the winner at 8:08 of the third period. "That team just refuses to lose," Laviolette said, pointing towards the Flyers dressing room. "Their attitude and dedication to winning was just awesome. It's just awesome." Local product and 2009 first-round draft pick Louis Leblanc scored the first goal of his career for the Canadiens (13-12-7) at 13:24 of the second period, producing a roar of approval from the 21,273 at the Bell Centre. An atmosphere like that has been rare this season in a building where the Habs now own a 5-6-6 record. "It was incredible," Leblanc said. "I'm going to remember that goal my whole life. The reaction and support of the crowd was incredible. I went through a bit of the same thing when I got drafted (at the Bell Centre in 2009) but it's been a long time since I've experienced something like that." David Desharnais and Erik Cole scored the other goals while Carey Price made 21 saves in goal for Montreal. "We were battling back and forth, but obviously we need to do some things better," defenseman Hal Gill said. "Games like that are fun to play; unfortunately we came out on the wrong end of it." Both teams played the game missing key elements. In addition to Pronger, the Flyers were also missing the NHL's leading scorer Claude Giroux and rookie Brayden Schenn – both of whom are also out with concussions. For Montreal, captain Brian Gionta missed his third game with a lower body injury and Travis Moen missed a first game with a lower body injury. Long-term Canadiens casualties include center Scott Gomez and defenseman Andrei Markov.

Both Simmonds and Cole extended their goal scoring streaks to four games, and Simmonds has scored in five of his last six games as well. But Scott Hartnell saw his own goal streak come to an end at six games. With the game tied 3-3 in the third, Meszaros put the Flyers ahead on a point shot that snuck through Price's pads, one the Montreal goaltender would likely want another shot at. A holding penalty to Talbot with 2:31 remaining gave the Canadiens a great opportunity to tie the game, but they managed just two shots on goal to finish the game 1-for-9 with the man advantage. The Flyers opened the scoring on Talbot's ninth of the season at 12:07 of the first and the Canadiens squandered an excellent opportunity to tie it before the first intermission. Handed a 5-on-3 power play for 1:40, the Canadiens were unable to capitalize, though a Tomas Plekanec goal was waved off because Cole interfered with Bobrovsky at 18:09. The second period saw a flurry of five goals, and surprisingly three of them were by the low-scoring Canadiens. Desharnais got his fifth of the season at 5:02 to tie it, but Zolnierczyk gave the Flyers the lead right back at 5:48 with his second of the season. Leblanc blew the roof off the Bell Centre at 13:24 when he tied it again, but Simmonds scored at 18:10 with a great individual effort for his ninth of the season. Finally Cole tied it up a third time for Montreal with his team-leading 12th of the season and fifth on the power play with 15.5 seconds left in the second period to make it 3-3. 25. ESPN.com – Flyers' options to replace Chris Pronger Craig Custance Chris Pronger will miss the remainder of the season with severe post-concussion symptoms. It's the worst-case scenario for the Philadelphia Flyers. Their star center Claude Giroux is shelved indefinitely with a concussion and now comes news that captain Chris Pronger will miss the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, with severe post-concussion syndrome .

I chatted with GM Paul Holmgren in Chicago earlier this week and presented him with this exact scenario regarding his captain. What if Pronger is out for the year? How does that change Holmgren's approach to the rest of the season? "That's a difficult question to ask," he answered. It's still difficult. But even with the latest bad news, the expectations in Philadelphia won't change. This is still a deep, talented team that expects to challenge for the Stanley Cup with or without Pronger. Assuming Pronger is headed for long-term injured reserve, the Flyers will have some cap room to work with. It'll create roughly $5 million per season which is why it's highly unlikely he'll be announcing his retirement anytime soon (kind of like Ian Laperriere, who is still on the roster), since that number would count against the cap if he did. So what's the next move for the Flyers? Here are some options: 1. Increase the workload for the top four: Holmgren said he has great faith in his current top four without Pronger -- Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle, Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros. "We think the world of those guys," he said. "They're all comfortable in playing all situations -- penalty kill, power play, regular shifts. They all have the ability to play 20 minutes per game or more." All four average over 20 minutes per game this season as they did last season. Carle (22:34) and Coburn (22:02) are both averaging more icetime this year than they did last year, while Timonen (22:12) and Meszaros (20:41) are down slightly. "They take turns now, one of them usually ends up with 27 or 28 (minutes) every night," Holmgren said. 2. Start leaning more on youth: The first thing Holmgren mentioned when presented with the bad-news Pronger scenario was that he's been impressed with the young defensemen on his team. "We're certainly happy with some of our young kids, their play of late -- Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon," he said on Monday. "And Erik Gustafsson is about 10 days away from playing and we were happy with him prior to his injury." The 22-year-old Gustafsson was a plus-6 in five impressive games this season, averaging 18:28 of icetime per game. He's closing in on a return from wrist surgery that could come as early as next week. Marshall and Bourdon were used pretty sparingly in the Flyers 4-3 win over Montreal last night, with Bourdon playing nearly 11 minutes and Marshall just 4:42.

3. A trade to add depth on defense: The Flyers would be fine heading into the playoffs if we knew their top four was going to be healthy and ready to go for a long run. But health is anything but guaranteed in today's NHL. This week was a stark reminder. Depth on defense is invaluable for contenders -- just look at how much the Canucks depended on it last season as they battled through injuries on defense to make a long playoff run. The trade market will certainly clear up as we get closer to February but Holmgren could give Carolina GM Jim Rutherford a call to see if he'd be willing to move Joni Pitkanen, Jaroslav Spacek or Tim Gleason at some point. Eventually, the Senators will have trade options in Sergei Gonchar or Filip Kuba if they can prove they're healthy and able to contribute to a contender. Toronto has depth on defense and Cody Franson has capitalized on playing time created by Mike Komisarek's injury. He has four points in his last four games. It helps drive up his trade value if Brian Burke decides to make a move there. The problem is that the Flyers are far from the only team looking for help on defense. It's going to be a competitive trade market. 4. A blockbuster: This much we know about Holmgren: He's not afraid to make the huge move. It was a blockbuster that landed Pronger in the first place. He also blew up his nucleus this summer in dealing Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. You'd better believe if David Poile decides to trade one of his franchise defensemen, Ryan Suter or Shea Weber, Holmgren will be in the mix. He always is. Last year, the Blues shocked everyone by trading their franchise defenseman Erik Johnson in a stunner with the Avalanche, so there may be options we're not even considering. The Carter and Richards deals gives Holmgren forward depth to work with as well as a player in Brayden Schenn would could be the centerpiece of a blockbuster. Montreal Canadiends Articles (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. Montreal Gazette- Montreal Canadiens' power play searching for confidence boost Pat Hickey MONTREAL - Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said it didn’t make the difference in the game, but he acknowledged that it would have been a confidence booster for what should be his No. 1 power-play unit. Tomas Plekanec buried a rebound in a 5-on-3 situation late in the first period but referee Chris Lee waved it off, ruling that Erik Cole made incidental contact with Philadelphia goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

“It was unfortunate, but we need some production from those guys,” Martin said, referring to the trio of Plekanec, Michael Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn. Cammalleri, who has only one goal in his last 10 games, had a game-high seven shots on goal and had mixed feelings about the power play, which has shown signs of a pulse with the addition of Tomas Kaberle and Chris Campoli. “I feel like we’re snapping it a little better, but we’re not gangbusters,” Cammalleri said. “The other unit has been getting some goals so maybe it doesn’t feel as good for us and it does for them.” Cole said he might have made contact with Bobrovsky, but he was disappointed when the goal was disallowed. “The heel of my skate bumped into him, but I don’t know whether the puck was already in the net or not. But I didn’t think I impeded him in any way,” Cole said. “He gave up a bad rebound and Pleks buried it and it should have counted.” Cammalleri, who was on the ice, said the Canadiens didn’t have time to mope over the missed opportunity. “We just had to regroup quickly because we still had a lot of time left in the 5-on-3 and we wanted to do something,” he said. The Canadiens had eight shots with the two-man advantage but failed to score. They had 14 of their 31 shots on the power play and did manage one goal, but they finished the night 1-for-9, which means they were below their dismal season average of 12.5 per cent. The Canadiens’ other special team, the penalty-kill, was 6-for-6, although defenceman Hal Gill said there was still some work to be done. “I think we did well on it,” Gill said. “We pressured them when we could. There were some weird bounces and there are some things we have to be tighter on around the net.” Gill noted that while the Flyers didn’t score on the power play, Wayne Simmonds gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead four seconds after a penalty to Cammalleri expired late in the second period. But Gill said the Canadiens had to be positive about their performance. “I don’t think we can beat our heads about (the loss),” he said. “We played a good team and to an extent, we did all the things we wanted to.” Martin took a similar approach.

“I think the difference was errors,” Martin said. “We made some errors. Some of it was youth, (but) when you look at their lineup, they’re a pretty good team. We battled hard, we had some opportunities but we came up short.” The 15 power plays meant that some players saw limited ice time and that included rookie Louis Leblanc. He doesn’t play on either of the special teams, but he made the most of his 4:21 on the ice and scored his first NHL goal. “I knew the goalie was kind of down, so I just banged it in,” said Leblanc, who took advantage of a Michael Blunden deflection of a P.K. Subban shot from the blue line. “I was happy about that, but it would have been nice to get the two points. “Like I was telling (Mathieu) Darche, it was like 10,000 pounds lifted from my shoulders,” Leblanc said. “The stick felt lighter. It feels a lot better and I just have to keep going.” Leblanc said he’s surprised to be in Montreal after shoulder surgery forced him to miss training camp. “During the summer I was just focusing on getting stronger, getting my shoulder back,” said Leblanc, who was called up from Hamilton in late November. “I wasn’t expecting anything. I started in Hamilton and if somebody had told me I would be playing for the Canadiens, I wouldn’t have believed them.” Martin has said there’s no guarantee Leblanc will stay up, but the youngster said he is benefitting from playing in the NHL. “I’m learning so much from the guys here, Erik Cole, Plekanec, Kaberle. It’s unbelievable, guys with all that experience and they’re positive toward me, help me out when they can.” 2. Montreal Gazette- Philadelphia Flyers extend streak with 4-3 win over Montreal Canadiens Pat Hickey The skinny: The Canadiens’ failure to clear their zone proved costly as Andrej Meszaros scored on a shot from the point at 8:08 of the third period to snap a 3-3 tie and the Philadelphia Flyers went on to beat the Canadiens, 4-3 Thursday at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens came back to tie the game three times on goals by David Desharnais, Louis Leblanc and Erik Cole. Max Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk and Wayne Simmonds scored for the Flyers, who ran their winning streak to seven games. Playing big: Desharnais may be only 5-foot-7, but he makes a big impact on the Canadiens’ offence. He came from behind the net to score the Canadiens’ first goal and also assisted on Cole’s power-play goal at the end of the second period.

A goal to remember: Louis Leblanc scored his first NHL goal at 13:24 of the second period to tie the game at 2-2. The West Island product was the Canadiens’ first-round draft choice in 2009. Powering down: The Canadiens had a power play - including a 5-on-3 edge for a full two minutes - for the final 2:59 of the first period and the first 50 seconds of the second and they did everything but score. They fired eight shots on net and thought they had the tying goal at 18:04 when Tomas Plekanec found the back of the net off the rebound of a shot by P.K. Subban. But referee Chris Lee waved off the goal, ruling that Cole interfered with goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Powering up: Cole was credited with a power-play goal when he went hard to the net and Max Pacioretty’s pass bounced in off his leg. The goal gave the Canadiens a power-play goal in each of the three games since Tomas Kaberle joined the team. Kaberle didn’t figure in the power-play goal scoring, but he did pick up an assist earlier in the game and has four assists in three games. It should be noted that the Canadiens had one goal on nine opportunities for a success rate of 11.1 per cent. That’s only slightly worse than the Canadiens’ season average of 12.2 per cent, which ranks 28th in the NHL. Another shutout for the PK: The Flyers arrived in Montreal with the fifth-best power play in the NHL, but they came up empty in six opportunities against the Montreal penalty-killing unit which is ranked No. 2 in the NHL. The Canadiens are missing forwards Brian Gionta and Travis Moen on the PK, but Matjhieu Darche, Lars Eller and Michael Cammalleri filled in the gaps. Flyers’ Pronger shut down: Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced defenceman Chris Pronger is suffering from “severe post-concussion syndrome” and will miss the remainder of the season. What’s next: The Canadiens close out the current homestand Saturday against the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN Radio-990). On Monday, they open a six-game road trip with a few days off for Christmas. They are in Boston, Chicago and Winnipeg before Christmas and then face Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Florida after Christmas. 3. Montreal Gazette- Philadelphia Flyers perservering despite losing key players Red Fisher MONTREAL - If you were to take a poll on which team made the most major changes during the offseason, the Philadelphia Flyers would lead it by a generous margin. Captain Mike Richards went to Los Angeles and sniper Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the same day, if you want to believe that. I mean … how are you supposed to win without your two top shooters?

On the other hand, guess who’s still leading the Eastern Conference following the Canadiens’ 4-3 loss to a Flyers bunch on Thursday – a day during which they learned captain Chris Pronger is gone for the rest of the season and the playoffs after being diagnosed with “severe post-concussion syndrome.” Does that tell you what these Flyers are made of, particularly since they’ve also lost NHL points leader Claude Giroux indefinitely with a concussion? What I’m really saying is that the Flyers merit admiration from all of us when you consider how well they’ve done thus far despite missing their two best skaters. Forget about Richards – since Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren received top prospect Brayden Schenn, forward Wayne Simmonds and a second-round draft pick for the Flyers’ captain. Forget about Carter, as well, because going the other way was the No. 8 pick in the June draft, forward Jakub Voracek and a third-round pick. Voracek, by the way, earned the primary assist when Max Talbot opened the scoring in the game’s 13th minute. What makes the Flyers one of the NHL’s best stories thus far is that they’ve been winning without Pronger, who has played in only 13 of the team’s 30 games, and hasn’t played at all since Nov. 19 after complaining of nausea, headaches and fatigue. They’re also winning without Giroux in an eye-catching way, such as losing one-goal leads three times on Thursday, yet making a third-period goal by Andrej Meszaros 8:08 into the third period stand up for their 20th win of the season. How impressive is that? You lose your best offensive and defensive players – and most teams start looking for the nearest panic button. Not the Flyers. And what they surely don’t do is start wondering how long they can stay at or near the top of the standings? How do you put a price on that? Know something? Very good, gritty and well-coached teams almost always find a way. You find a way by scoring the first period’s only goal – Talbot’s ninth of the season. You find it when you keep the Canadiens scoreless despite taking minors at 17:01, 17:21 and 18:50 of the first period – as the Flyers did. David Desharnais was to tie the game when he was allowed to swing around from behind the net and wasn’t checked in the slot, but Desharnais & Friends were still on the ice when the Flyers recaptured the lead 46 seconds later. Mostly, you find a way to win by refusing to lose, which is what the Flyers brought to the Bell despite being outshot 31-25. Add this: you find a way when their general manager is made of the same, stern stuff.

Holmgren had to know he was putting his job on the line when he traded Richards and Carter, but he didn’t look for a place to hide after making the moves. What I’m saying is that the NHL needs more general managers blessed with the hockey sense and spunk of a Holmgren, who replaced Bobby Clarke during the 2006-07 season. A lot of hockey people were measuring Holmgren for a dunce cap when he signed Jaromir Jagr to a $3.3 million contract after Pittsburgh and Detroit withdrew from the chase. Why would anyone pay that much for a 39-year-old guy who had spent the preceding three years playing in the Kontinental Hockey League? So who’s laughing now? Jagr went into Thursday’s game with 10 goals and 15 assists in 25 games, behind only Giroux and Scott Hartnell in terms of points. You might have noticed that he came out of this game with the primary assist on the game winner, which means he’s still on a point-per-game pace. That’s nothing less than spectacular for a guy who logged 19:52 of ice time against a lot of young Canadiens legs. Somewhere, Jagr’s agent – a chap named Petr Svoboda – is smiling. Actually, I’m guessing he was laughing out loud when Jagr set up what proved to be the winning goal. Adirondack Phantoms Articles 1. Glens Falls Post-Star- When chance meets opportunity Tim McManus My sister is one of those people who likes to post anonymous inspirational quotes on Facebook. You know the kind. As a journalist who probably holds onto his cynicism a little too tightly, I always cringe a little bit. OK, a lot. But I can't help coming back to one of those sayings myself to describe something I've observed with the Adirondack Phantoms the past few seasons: Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Give yourself a quick quiz. Over the last three seasons, who were the Phantoms to graduate to the Flyers? (Let's leave current call-ups Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall out of it for the moment because we don't know if their move is for good.)

The answer: Andreas Nodl, Oskars Bartulis (for a season and a half, at least), Zac Rinaldo and Harry Zolnierczyk. Now, ask yourself a second question. Who were the best players to be with Adirondack during that time? The two lists don't really match, do they? Neither of the Phantoms' two Most Valuable Players - Johan Backlund and Ben Holmstrom - have made the leap. The guy with the inside track on this year's award, Michael Leighton, actually came the other direction. Jon Matsumoto, the leading scorer two years ago, is out of the organization. Denis Hamel is on an AHL contract. So was Michael Ryan. So, what is it about those guys who've moved on that makes them special? Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Like a lot of things in life, hockey isn't a meritocracy. It's a strange combination of variables - age, contract, position, need, chance - that decides who goes on and who stays. If you're down a goal with 30 seconds left, you better believe Holmstrom is going over the boards and parking in front of the net. If the Flyers are short a forward and need to call someone up, the choice isn't as straightforward. It's not fair, but it's how the game works. Would anyone argue Rinaldo was even a fraction as valuable to the Phantoms last season as Holmstrom? Of course not, yet it's Rinaldo who is an NHL regular first. The Flyers had a need - the opportunity- for a guy with Rinaldo's skill set, as narrow a range as it may be. Zolnierczyk showed promise in his 16 games with the Phantoms last season, but nothing to suggest he wouldn't need another year here. However, when the Flyers' need arose this season, Zolnierczyk was playing at a near point-per-game pace. Having the chance is only part of the equation, of course. To their credit, both of those guys took their opportunity and ran with it by producing, which is the preparation element in action. Rinaldo reined in the parts of his game that made him such a liability. Zolnierczyk came into camp with an extra step, or three.

What looks lucky or flukey on the surface makes sense when you look at it through that lens. There's another side to that coin, too. Their opportunities very well could have gone elsewhere if even a few of the circumstances weren't different. If Tom Sestito hadn't been suspended, if Blair Betts never gets hurt, perhaps there's no spot for Rinaldo. If the Flyers' need for a forward arose last spring rather than this fall, the call could have gone to Eric Wellwood or Mike Testwuide. And maybe those guys would have stuck there instead. Logic says it's just an opportunity delayed and their call will come. But you never really know when your last best chance comes. There's no better example of the fragile balance between opportunity and despair at this level than Backlund. On March 14, 2010, everything appeared in reach for the Swedish goaltender, who was having an MVP season. Backlund was coming off a 2-1 overtime win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Although he didn't know it, he was about to be called up to the Flyers, where a succession of injuries had left them with a gaping opportunity in goal. (One you may remember being ultimately filled by a guy named Michael Leighton.) But Backlund had tweaked something in that overtime. When he finally got his start with the Flyers, he aggravated it even worse. To condense the next two years into a single sentence, he's never been the same. Can you help but wonder how things may have turned out different if the Phantoms had just held onto a 1-0 lead that day and the game hadn't gone into overtime? That's how slim the margin can be between starting in Philadelphia and number three in Adirondack. He's not the only one. When Bartulis was signed to a new deal early in the 2009-10 season, he must have felt like he hit the jackpot. Two years later his value contract keeps him locked in the AHL because the Flyers can't call him up without surely losing him on waivers.

Matt Walker must have felt similarly when Tampa signed him to a four-year deal that paid him nearly $8 million. Today, that high salary makes him the first choice to dump to the AHL when the Flyers need to clear cap space. Then again, if either of those guys had proved indispensable, Philadelphia would have found a way to keep them. Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. Maybe I should put that on my Facebook after all. 2. Glens Falls Post- Star- Rookie’s debut comes at time Phantoms are hurting for defensemen Tim McManus GLENS FALLS -- In a perfect world, Brandon Manning could have eased into life as a professional hockey player. In the world the Adirondack Phantoms live in right now, no such luxuries could be afforded. Four games into his career, Manning is in about as deep as he can get, including playing the point on the Phantoms' top power-play unit. With five defensemen lost to injuries or call-ups, the 21-year-old's return from a pair of off-season surgeries couldn't have come at a more critical time. "I'm trying to jump in and do what I can, and at the same time, I'm trying to prove myself for when those guys come back and make the best of my opportunity," Manning said. Manning is likely to play in at least two of the Phantoms' three games this weekend as they head to central New York to play Binghamton on Friday and Syracuse on Saturday before returning to the Civic Center on Sunday to face Binghamton again. The prominent role isn't unusual for Manning. He spent a great deal of time on the power play in juniors, helping him amass 34 goals and 107 points in his final 122 games with Chilliwack. He's been thrust into it immediately with the Phantoms through a mix of talent and necessity. Including Manning, three of the four points on the Phantoms' power play are rookies. Another, Cullen Eddy, is a recent call-up from the ECHL. "We have a certain amount of trust in them. But for what we have, we don't have a lot of options on our back end," Phantoms coach Joe Paterson said. "You have to have trust in the players and give them opportunities." Manning's road to the Phantoms' lineup has been much harder than anyone would have imagined when the Flyers signed him as undrafted defenseman out of Chilliwack in the

Western Hockey League last November. Manning, who turned down an offer from the New York Rangers after attending training camp with them last fall, seemed on the fast track. But even as he put up a point-per-game pace last season, a nagging injury caused him to miss some time and travel to Philadelphia for evaluation. Surgery in April to repair two tears in his groin and abdomen was supposed to fix that. It didn't do the trick completely. Manning became increasingly uncomfortable as the summer progressed and had a second surgery just before training camp in April to repair the labrum in his hip. "It's kind of like the chicken and egg thing, which came first? The whole time last year was it my hip bothering me? Or whether it was my groin that developed into my hip, or was it something separate?" Manning said. "You look back on it now and maybe I should have stayed off it a bit more last year, but that's tough to do when you're playing hockey and want to do that every day." Manning began skating in late October and made his debut for the Phantoms on Dec. 3. Understandably, he's not quite 100 percent. Manning said he had a bit of soreness after playing back-to-back games last weekend and Paterson is hesitant to play him in all three games of a three-in-three. Manning hasn't yet been able to show the gritty side of his game that belies his listed size of 6-feet, 195 pounds and reputation as a smooth-handling, offensive defenseman. No stranger to dropping the gloves, Manning averaged more than 135 penalty minutes per season in his three years at Chilliwack. "I like to play the physical game, I like to mix it up a little bit," Manning said. "You're a little gun shy off the start, but once I get comfortable, I definitely want to play that game." Loose pucks: Paterson said it's 50-50 whether the Flyers return forward Tom Sestito before Friday's game. Paterson indicated that was the plan, but it's possible he could stay longer. Sestito was called up this week to serve his two-game NHL suspension from a preseason hit. ... Michael Leighton will make his ninth straight start in goal on Friday against Binghamton. Backup Jason Bacashihua is ready to play when needed after sitting out last weekend with a minor issue. ... Forward Eric Wellwood skated in a teal non-contact jersey. He moved well, but still is "weeks" away from playing, according to Paterson. ... Defenseman Oskars Bartulis remains out indefinitely with an unspecified injury. NHL Articles 1. NHL.com- Trending: Injuries, '24/7' TV and a star returns home

Dan Rosen An injury that continues to dominate the headlines, a show that is living up to the hype, a rivalry that should be thrilling, a return that should be emotional, and a coaching problem that must be rectified as soon as possible. It's all trending this week in the NHL. #InjuredStars The most serious and controversial topic in the NHL gained far too many recognizable faces this week, with Sidney Crosby, Chris Pronger, Claude Giroux, Milan Michalek, Jeff Skinner and Joni Pitkanen all being diagnosed with either concussions or symptoms that are linked to possible concussions. They joined Kris Letang, Marc Staal and others that already are missing games due to similar injuries. Whether they're called concussions or something else is important since it pertains to the exact protocol the team and player must follow. However, there is no denying that these are head injuries and must be dealt with in the most serious manner to protect the players' overall health and well-being. That is why the cautious approach should be commended, not debated. While players in the past used to hide their symptoms for fear that they would be seen as weak, today's players appear to be giving honest evaluations about what they're feeling because they understand all too well that the next game is not as important as the next year, or perhaps longer, of their lives. Trending: Ovi's moves, Crosby's status, Wild in lead If Crosby, Giroux, Michalek, Staal, Pronger, Skinner, Pitkanen and anyone else were to try to play through symptoms, they would be putting themselves and their futures in jeopardy. We want to see them on the ice playing at the level we've come to expect, but we must remember that they are not robots -- they are human beings and their playing careers take up only a small percentage of their lives. #24/7 Is it next Wednesday night yet? Maybe Ilya Bryzgalov can make the universe fast forward so we don't have to wait for the second episode of HBO's brilliant series, "24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic." You know what that universe remark means if you watched Wednesday night. The first episode of "24/7" was wonderfully written, craftily shot and amazingly edited. If you didn't see it, make the time. If you did see it, watch it again, because it's that good

and you'll end up picking up more details that you might have missed the first time around. Favorite moments: Bryzgalov's comments on the universe; Sean Avery's smirk at Artem Anisimov following the rifle-shooting goal-celebration incident against the Lightning; Anisimov's apology to his teammates; Ryan Callahan's conversation with his 95-year-old grandmother following the game in Buffalo; inside access to Giroux's concussion testing; Maxime Talbot's revival of the Christmas sweater; and Jaromir Jagr's comments on why he chose to sign with Philadelphia. #BorderRivalry If you were lucky enough to even catch a period, especially the third, of the game between Minnesota and Winnipeg on Tuesday at MTS Centre, you saw the birth of a rivalry that is sure to capture the imagination of not just hockey fans in the two cities, but across the continent. Bryan Little scored a power-play goal with five minutes left to lift the Jets to a 2-1 victory that snapped the Wild's seven-game winning streak. To say it was an all-out border war would not be politically correct, but the intensity of the two teams that are separated by 466 miles of highway created some compelling action and a memorable finish that should have made anyone watching want to fast-forward to Feb. 16, when they meet again, this time at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. What's even better is that the Wild and Jets will begin playing in the same eight-team conference next season, meaning we'll get six of these gems each season, and potentially more in the playoffs. #TeemuReturns Teemu Selanne's return to Winnipeg on Saturday should bring back a flood of memories to the fans who remember him well from his days in Winnipeg. It should be an emotional night inside MTS Centre, especially for Selanne. He will play in the city where his NHL career started for the first time since Feb. 4, 1996, when he played his final game in a Jets uniform. Three days later he was traded to Anaheim, ending a nearly four-season run in which he put up 306 points in 231 games. Selanne recalls being shocked and feeling like a failure when he heard he was traded. He never felt he could give Winnipeg a proper goodbye, and that's why he's so excited about getting a chance to play there Saturday. 2. NHL.com- Forty invites sent for CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Mike G. Morreale

The Canadian Hockey League on Thursday announced the 40 top 2012 NHL Draft-eligible players who will participate in the 17th annual Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Feb. 1 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C. "The top prospects game is an event that all NHL scouts look forward to attending," NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr said. "The 40 players competing in this game were chosen by the 30 NHL clubs with the game being a unique opportunity to evaluate 40 of the top draft-eligible prospects on a single stage in what has annually become an intense competition." The rosters include the players ranked first in their regional league according to NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings -- Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League. Murray, along with Tanner Pearson of the Barrie Colts (OHL), will compete in this event after representing Team Canada at the 2012 World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Calgary from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2012. "It is a huge honor to be named to this event and to play alongside some of the best players in the 2012 NHL Draft class," said Murray. "I've had some great friends compete in this game, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins last season, and I am really looking forward to this opportunity." Thirty of the 59 CHL clubs will be represented in the contest, including three players from the OHL's Belleville Bulls (goalie Malcolm Subban and forwards Daniil Zharkov and Brendan Gaunce). The host Kelowna Rockets will be represented by forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Damon Severson. "Colton is a guy who will score goals for us and he has that speed," Kelowna coach Ryan Huska said of his team captain. "He's also a guy who will block shots and fight, so he's one of those two-way guys who most teams wish they had in their lineup. I think that's what makes him a special player and separates him from a lot of guys. He's not one dimensional, has a nice blend. He's not afraid to get his nose dirty." The two-day event also features a skills competition and 3-on-3 challenge on Jan. 31, 2012. Two players sure to capture the fancy of NHL scouts will be Russian-born prospects Yakupov and Grigorenko. Yakupov is third in the OHL with 49 points, and also has 19 goals and a plus-17 rating in 24 games. Grigorenko leads all QMJHL rookies with 24 goals, 32 assists and 56 points in 35 games. "I am very excited to play in the Top Prospects Game," Yakupov said.

"I am looking forward to playing against and meeting the other top draft-eligible players from the CHL," added Grigorenko. "I am honored to play among the best NHL prospects and it will be a great challenge for me." Last year, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became the tenth player to compete in this event since 1996 to be selected with the first pick in an NHL draft, and 19 players who skated in last year's Top Prospects Game were chosen in the first round of the 2011 draft. Two players who likely would have been a part of the two-day event but had their seasons end to injuries are Yakupov's linemate in Sarnia, Alex Galchenyuk (torn ACL in left knee), and Moose Jaw Warriors defenseman Morgan Rielly (knee surgery). 3. NHL.com- '24/7' brings fans up close to Rangers and Flyers Bob Condor The HBO series "24/7" returned Wednesday night to begin another four-week immersion with the two teams headed for the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. This time it is "24/7 Flyers/Rangers" heading for Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Jan. 2. Fans of last year's "Penguins/Capitals" version will immediately begin comparing and contrasting. Yes, there is profanity from a coach -- notably from the New York Rangers' John Tortorella -- but in more measured doses than Bruce Boudreau of the Capitals, who inspired bloggers last December to keep a running tab of his four-letter terms. You will likely surmise Tortorella's cursing is more effective, at least from your benchside view, as Tortorella chews out forward Marian Gaborik, who responds by going out to score an important third-period goal in a win. Oh, definitely, there are characters emerging from this December's first episode that will make you laugh over the next four weeks. None is more likely to make you snort than 31-year-old Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. It is not a stretch to connect the dots between "Bryz" (as his coach, Peter Laviolette, calls him when announcing the starting lineup to the team) and, say, Robin Williams -- Williams ad-libs his way through life (and movies), and it appears Bryzgalov might just be a similar scene-stealer every time he shows up on "24/7 Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic." Do not let anyone go into detail about Bryzgalov's opening night. His discussion of the universe, galaxies, solar system and earthly problems should not be spoiled by someone else's telling. Get it straight from the funny man, who also details rare Russian liqueurs and the illegality of hunting tigers during a stop in the inner sanctum of the training room. "His personality is a little bit different," deadpans Laviolette when asked about his goalie, who struggled early in the season but has been stellar in recent weeks.

The episode is far from all ha-ha and light. Early in the hour New York defenseman Michael Del Zotto crashes into the end boards, turning his head at the last moment so that his shoulder takes blow. Del Zotto is mic'd up so viewers hear everything the young defenseman says. The soundtrack is riveting and chilling and surprising all at once, perhaps most of all because it is honest processing of what Del Zotto imagined might have occurred if he went head-first. "I am a 21-year-old who feels like a 61-year-old man today," Del Zotto says as HBO catches it on camera during a solo drive up to the team's practice facility in Westchester County the next morning. But Del Zotto is still feeling lucky, he says. On the Flyers side, there is less luck. Before last Saturday's game against Tampa Bay, Claude Giroux was the team's leading scorer and budding superstar playing on a high-octane line with Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. But after the second period, after being accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Wayne Simmonds, Giroux was held from the game following steps of the NHL's head injury protocol. By Tuesday, Giroux was announced as having suffered a concussion -- and is out indefinitely. "24/7" viewers are privy to what happened from the moment Simmonds collides with "G" (as his teammates call Giroux) through the next morning in the training room through Laviolette discussing how the team will have to fare without its leading scorer as the Flyers take a train to Washington for a game Tuesday night. There are lots of other must-see moments in Wednesday's first episode: One example: Ryan Callahan drawing a disputed penalty then scoring a big goal for the Rangers against Buffalo, 70 miles from his hometown of Rochester, N.Y., with more than a dozen family members on hand. There's a memorable exchange with his 95-year-old grandmother after the win. Others: The ritual of how a big group of Rangers decide which players are stuck with the dinner bill when dining out on the road. … Jagr using some sort of power tool to sand down his stick blades and telling the HBO cameras "I never thought I was going to like it so much" in Philadelphia. … The Flyers mugging to rapper Mac Miller's song "Knock Knock" after every victory. Maybe best of all, we as viewers sit all alone with New York's young forward Artem Anisimov in the locker room as he waits for his teammates to return. Anisimov scored an important shorthanded goal last Thursday, but his goal celebration (using his stick as a rifle by holding it on the blade and "shooting" at the Tampa Bay goal) caused a fracas that resulted in lots of penalties, including 16 minutes for Anisimov. The first Ranger back in the locker room as the second period ends is Sean Avery, who only smiles. Other teammates have cutting remarks but everyone is sort of chuckling, having fun, not taking themselves too seriously. HBO's "24/7" puts you right in the middle of it, and that's the whole idea.

Other HBO play dates for the first episode include Thursday at 5:45 p.m. and midnight; Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Saturday at 10 a.m. and 10:45 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. and Monday 6:30 p.m. The second episode of "24/7: Flyers/Rangers" debuts Wed., Dec. 21 at 10 p.m. ET. 4. TSN.ca- Bruins' McQuaid fined $2,500 for kneeing Senators' Foligno The Canadian Press NEW YORK -- Boston Bruins defenceman Adam McQuaid has avoided suspension for kneeing Ottawa Senators forward Nick Foligno in Wednesday night's game. The NHL fined McQuaid US$2,500 on Thursday for the incident that occurred late in the second period of Boston's 5-2 win. McQuaid stuck his knee out to impede Foligno at the Ottawa blue-line as the Senators left-winger looked to exit the zone. The Charlottetown native was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Foligno, who played junior hockey with McQuaid, had to be helped to the bench and went to the locker-room, but returned to action a short time late. Foligno said after the game that he didn't think his former teammate would intentionally try to injure him, or any other opponent. He added McQuaid's knee made the majority of its contact with Foligno's thigh. The fine levied on McQuaid is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. 5. TSN.ca- Fraser: The severity of Adam McQuaid's dangerous play Kerry Fraser Hi Kerry, sorry for the long message. I'm sure you're going to receive emails about the Adam McQuaid hit on Nick Foligno. I understand that you're a former referee and not league disciplinarian but I was wondering how you see this situation, especially after hearing some of the analysts give their opinion. I do not believe that an injury or lack of injury should have impact on whether or not 1. There is a penalty and 2. There is a suspension. I do, however, believe that an injury should have an impact on whether additional discipline is handed out to the player (via major and misconduct penalties and / or suspensions). As an official, wouldn't this create

a more black and white approach which would provide some consistency throughout the league? In this specific play, McQuaid clearly stuck out his leg to stop Foligno. Regardless of whether or not Foligno was injured, this is considered an illegal hit, just as a hit from behind is an illegal check. Do you think the correct call was made? Would the call be different had there not been an injury on the play? Do you believe that a suspension should occur? Thanks for your insight, love the column. Alain Daoust Alain: I watched this clip one time in real time and cringed at the location of the contact to Nick Foligno's leg. My immediate reaction to this dangerous play (video link) by Adam McQuaid on Foligno was a major penalty for kneeing plus a game misconduct should be assessed. Both referees had their arm raised on the infraction and the penalty assessment was right on target as I just stated. I blew my left knee out when I was 16 years old through a dirty hit. I finished playing junior hockey and officiated my entire career without an ACL in my left knee. Five surgeries on that knee and three on the right one has created a bone on bone situation in both knee joints that causes pain on a daily basis. I am extremely sensitive to leg-on-leg and knee hits. As such, I was quick to penalize this type of illegal play. Bryan Marchment was the one player that I saw utilizing this illegal and dangerous form of contact on a frequent basis throughout my 30 year NHL career. Mush's knee-checking tactic was a primary reason the rule was changed to allow the referee the option of assessing a major and game misconduct penalty beyond just deeming it a minor infraction. A major penalty is assessed based on 'severity' of the act and is not linked to injury that might result to the player struck. When a major is assessed under this rule it is accompanied with an automatic game misconduct. Once a player commits himself to attack the puck carrier on an attempted north-south hit (especially where there is significant separation) the potential is ever present to extend a leg in an effort to compensate for lost position once a lateral shift has been made by the puck carrier. Without question, the severity of Adam McQuaid's use of his knee, including length of extension and location of contact constituted a major penalty. Let's tackle your question on suspensions. I do not believe that the presence of injury should be the primary factor to determine if a suspension is warranted. Each illegal act that falls into the dangerous category should be

ruled upon based on its own merit and judged for the "potential injury" that a player knowingly could expect to result. The threat of suspension for committing a dangerous act creates a deterrent beyond the just the end result when injury is present. Kevin Porter of Colorado Avalanche received a major and game misconduct in a game for kneeing David Booth of the Canucks and was ultimately suspended for four games. In Brendan Shanahan's post decision remarks to suspend Porter reference was made to not only the distance travelled with his knee extended but the significant injury that resulted to Booth (out of action for up to six weeks). I get that the fact that a resulting injury will and should up the ante to punish dangerous hits. Suspensions act as a primary deterrent and to educate players from committing these types of illegal acts in the future. The poor and deliberate decision made by Adam McQuaid to extend his knee and leg in a similar fashion as Kevin Porter did created the potential for injury to Foligno no different than the ultimate injury that David Booth suffered. It was more good luck than anything that Foligno wasn't injured. Had Foligno been injured, I suspect that a similar suspension would likely result to McQuaid. If Adam McQuaid had stuck out his elbow instead of his leg, recent suspension history would dictate that a three game suspension would most likely be imposed. Ruling purely on the extent of the kneeing act (like the one committed by Adam McQuaid), with the absence of injury, I believe any player guilt of this should be suspended for a minimum of one game and a maximum of three (Three would make it consistent with dangerous hits ruled upon recently where no injury resulted). It's the best way to hold players accountable, to educate them in making the correct decisions and hopefully prevent future injuries like the one suffered by David Booth. My knees hurt just thinking about it!

-FLYERS-