No need for Pronger to rush back to Flyers
Hockey Betting Lines
08/19/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a few weeks time, the importance of NFL
training camp will be called into question when Brett Favre starts the regular
season under center for the Minnesota Vikings.
At 40 years of age, Favre will get just over three weeks of practice in with
his teammates before the start of the 2010 season, and the abbreviated training
camp will likely give the legendary quarterback more than enough time to get
back into the swing of things.
The Philadelphia Flyers could learn a thing or two from Favre when
contemplating the situation concerning their No. 1 defenseman Chris Pronger,
who is currently recovering from surgery to his right knee.
Pronger underwent a procedure on July 27 to remove loose bodies from his knee
and his recovery time is expected to bleed into the start of training camp.
There is also concern that the veteran blueliner will not be ready to play for
the defending Eastern Conference champion Flyers when they begin the regular
season in Pittsburgh on October 7.
Like Favre, Pronger is a seasoned professional who at this stage of his career
needs little time to get prepared for a season. Unlike NFL players, Pronger
doesn't even need to study a bulky playbook to get ready for the campaign; he
simply needs to be physically fit.
It's no secret that Pronger is an immensely unpopular player amongst NHL fans
(unless he suits up for your favorite team, of course), but there are few
people who can deny the mammoth defenseman's work ethic and passion for the
game of hockey. His current injury and the way he battled through it during the
Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Finals last spring stands as a testament to his
determination.
Pronger originally suffered the injury in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference
semifinals against Boston, but the ailment never caused him to miss a game. In
fact, Pronger still wound up leading the entire league in ice time during the
postseason, averaging just over 29 minutes of action per contest. He even
managed to log a whopping 37 minutes and 33 seconds of ice time just six days
after hurting the knee.
But, that was the playoffs, the time of the year when players of Pronger's ilk
prove what their true value is to an NHL team. There is little doubt that
Pronger will do everything in his power to be back for the start of the
regular season, but both he and the Flyers know that the former Hart and
Norris Trophy winner's overall health is the bigger priority.
"I do not have a time frame. The team knows that," said Pronger last week. "I
spoke to the doctor and trainer and it is really just about when my knee feels
good and strong again. I don't want to come back early and play a couple of
games and then be out of the lineup and then play a few more and be out. I want
to come back when the knee is as close to 100 percent as possible so I can play
every single game from then on."
The fact that the Flyers have shored up their blueline over the course of this
offseason should also be a factor in Pronger taking his time getting back into
game shape. Philly acquired Andrej Meszaros and Matt Walker in separate trades
with the Tampa Bay Lightning and also signed veteran Sean O'Donnell. That trio,
combined with Kimmo Timonen, Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn, could be a solid
six-man rotation for the Flyers while the club waits to regain the unique skill
set Pronger brings to the ice.
The Flyers should be able to keep their heads above water if Pronger happens
to miss the start of the season. After all, unlike the NFL, the regular season
in hockey is an 82-game marathon and not a 16-game sprint.
Just as Favre knows the importance of getting on the field in time for the
start of the campaign, Pronger has been around long enough to realize that his
club can hold on for a couple of weeks before he joins them on their long road
to qualify for the playoffs.
It's not an ideal situation for the Flyers and Pronger, but it's also not an
issue that should have a big effect on their postseason dreams.
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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