Taking his share of bumps and bruises over the years, 36-year-old Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is playing in his 17th NHL season. After tallying 10 goals and 45 assists for 55 points last season, Pronger appeared to have a lot left in the tank and was showing signs of deserving to keep a top spot on the team’s blueline.

Now the All-Star blueliner finds himself on the sidelines awaiting to heal from an injury that may keep him out for the remainder of this NHL regular season.

Pronger had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand this past week and told the media that the surgery went well. Adding to that was Flyers GM Paul Holmgren who said Pronger may miss 3-4 weeks making his return in the regular season questionable at best.

Pronger injured the hand in a game against the rival New York Islanders on Feb. 24 when he blocked a shot; yeah the veteran is still doing all the little things that has made him one of the top D men in the league for well over a decade.

In an interview with NHL.com Pronger said:

“It’s a little swollen, still bandaged up and all the rest of that stuff. I probably won’t know more until we get this off in a few days as far as that goes, really just how it progresses over the next couple of weeks.”

With the injury being on the upper part of the body, the good news is, Pronger can continue to skate to stay on shape and be ready for the playoffs.

If Pronger makes it back in the three week period that Holmgren mentioned, that would place him back on the ice on April 5 with Philly having just three regular season games left. That in mind, it’s more likely we won’t see the 36-year-old until the puck has dropped for this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

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