Chris Pronger joins Panthers’ front office
SUNRISE, Fla. — Former NHL MVP Chris Pronger eventually wants to be a general manager, and Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon saw that as an opportunity.
The Panthers added Pronger to their front-office staff, announcing Thursday they’ve given him the title of Senior Advisor to the President of Hockey Operations. In simpler terms, he’ll be Tallon’s understudy of sorts and a part of the brain trust in Florida as the Panthers try to get back to the post-season.
“I like to hire smarter people than myself, to make myself look smarter,” said Tallon, who is also the Panthers’ hockey operations president. “I’ve gotten to know him for the last four or five years. He’s got a lot to say. He doesn’t sugarcoat it. I like his approach. I like his knowledge. He’s opinionated and we like a staff that has that in them.”
Pronger technically was an active player until this past season ended, even though his last NHL appearance was Nov. 19, 2011. He was sidelined because of post-concussion symptoms and other issues caused from taking a stick to the right eye. When he got hurt, Pronger was the Flyers’ captain in the second year of a seven-year, $34.5 million deal.
His contract was traded by Philadelphia to Arizona in 2015, but Pronger never could return to the ice. He’s spent the past three years in the NHL’s department of player safety, and often spoke of wanting to pursue a GM role somewhere in the league.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with and learn from an executive with the track record that Dale has,” Pronger said. “I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to help the Panthers work towards winning the Stanley Cup.”
Pronger won both the MVP and Norris Trophy, presented to the top defenceman in the league, for the 1999-2000 season. He helped Canada win two gold medals in his four Olympic appearances, won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim and appeared in 1,167 regular-season games with five clubs. He finished his playing career with 157 goals and 541 assists, is one of only two defencemen since the Second World War to be an MVP — Bobby Orr is the other.
Tallon said Pronger would work with another former defenceman in the Panthers’ front office, director of player development Bryan McCabe.
“They’re current guys, they’re modern guys, they know what they’re talking about,” Tallon said. “It’s all part of helping us get to our destination of winning multiple Cups.”
NOTES: After losing forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith to Vegas as part of the Golden Knights’ expansion draft manoeuvrs, Florida still doesn’t know if Jaromir Jagr will be back with the team next season. Tallon said he expects to have conversations with Jagr’s camp in the coming days. Jagr had 16 goals and 30 assists with Florida this past season . ... Tallon also addressed the signing of Henrik Haapala, who was the leading scorer in the Finnish league last season: “Obviously, we like goal scoring and we’re committed to that.” Happala had 15 goals and 45 assists in 51 games for Tappara last season.
CHARLOTTETOWN — An 18-year-old hockey player from P.E.I. who punched a referee twice in the face, cutting his lip, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Cole Trevor Crane was being escorted off the ice after a fight in the last minute of play in a game at an arena outside Charlottetown on March 26.
It was the championship final between Crane’s Sherwood Falcons Midget AA minor hockey team and the North River Flames, according to an agreed statement of facts filed in provincial court.
Crane had grabbed the jersey of a linesman attempting to break up the fight, and referee John William MacDougall escorted him off the ice, taking Crane by the jersey.
As at least two spectators recorded videos, Crane pushed MacDougall and punched him twice before being restrained by MacDougall, a linesman and Crane’s brother, a teammate on the Falcons.
Crane’s father, who had been watching from the stands, also become involved in the incident.
“As Cole was being restrained, his father James Crane came to the door to the ice surface from the stands. He grabbed Cole and pulled him off the ice, then yelled ‘take your (expletive) hands off my son,’ and he appeared to throw a punch at MacDougall and closely missed,” according to the agreed statement.
MacDougall’s lip was cut, but did not require medical attention. He ran out the remaining seconds of play and ended the game.
Crane, who has no prior record, pleaded guilty to assaulting MacDougall.
Chief Judge Nancy Orr sentenced Crane to 30 days, to be served intermittently, followed by 18 months on probation.
Cyndria Wedge, the province’s director of prosecutions, said the Crown sought a jail term to act as a deterrent to others, and provided the court with a scholarly article on players’ assaults on officials.
She said it noted that judges have compared hockey referees to police officers.
“They’re there to manage and control behaviour, and they’re persons in authority, and I know that our courts deal very strongly with people who obstruct or resist police officers,” she said Thursday.
“This is an assault on an official. In a lot of cases, hockey referees are volunteers. They’re on the ice to do a job. As a society, I think we have an obligation to provide them with some protection whenever these kinds of things occur.”