Chris Pronger is a xenophobic idiot.
During a presser today before the Ducks/Kings London games (which I will rant on sooner or later), Pronger said that if the NHL placed franchises in Europe that Canadian kids wouldn't report to them if they were drafted.
Now I know this is coming from the guy who bitched and moaned his way out of Edmonton so it shouldn't be taken that seriously but he is a big enough name that his words resonate. And they are pretty f-ing stupid.
Only spoiled brats like Pronger and Lindros (see the post below) would pass up a chance to play in the biggest, best league in the world just because they would have to be away from home for a few months each year. I know guys who traveled to faraway hockey outposts like Norway just so they could keep playing the game they loved. And let me tell you, the level those guys played at pales in comparison to the NHL.
Personally, I think there should be teams in Europe, but not yet. Once the cost and time of travel comes even farther down thanks to improvements in technology, the league should absolutely have teams in Stockholm, Prague, Vienna, Moscow, etc. An ideal world would have the game spread like soccer and have the NHL become a Champions League. Now that may never happen, and expansion should be the last thing on the NHL's mind right now, but to say that players would report because of the distance is just foolish.
Some people love the game Chris; its too bad because a player with your skills would be a helluva ambassador.
1 comment:
What's even more idiotic about his statements is that a large number of NHLers leave their homes in Europe to move to North America. If it works one way, why not the other?
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