Pronger To Miss Game 4 Because Of Wayward Elbow

OTTAWA (AP) _ Chris Pronger sat next to his boss and explained his latest misstep. <br/><br/>The white hot lights didn't rattle the All-Star defenseman, nor did the barrage of questions about his wayward

Monday, June 4th 2007, 7:31 am

By: News On 6

OTTAWA (AP) _ Chris Pronger sat next to his boss and explained his latest misstep.

The white hot lights didn't rattle the All-Star defenseman, nor did the barrage of questions about his wayward elbow, the one that knocked out Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals and himself out of Game 4.

Pronger, one of Anaheim's two Norris Trophy finalists, was given a one-game suspension Sunday by NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell for the second straight series. The Ducks still lead the Senators 2-1, but without Pronger they might head home with a two-game losing streak for the first time this postseason.

If they buck the odds and win Monday night in red-bathed Scotiabank Place, the Ducks will return to Anaheim with a chance to win the first Stanley Cup title in team history.

After learning he would have to sit out Game 4, the same contest he missed against Detroit in the Western Conference finals, he joined Ducks general manager Brian Burke for a news conference not far from where the infamous hit to McAmmond's head occurred Saturday.

``Now I'm a repeat offender,'' said Pronger, suspended seven times in 13 NHL seasons. ``I'm sure that plays into it as it normally does in any situation. They did the right thing here. It's a situation where there was a head blow and that's obviously something that the league is trying to crack down on.

``I don't blame them in any way.''

The Ducks pride themselves on being physical, but have also proven to be undisciplined. They absorbed the most penalty minutes per game in the regular season and haven't been much better in the playoffs, racking up the worst average of any team to get out of the first round.

Part of Pronger's problem is that his intimidating aggressiveness sometimes crosses the line. He believes he is victimized by his 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame that makes him much bigger than many of his puck-carrying targets.

``It's tough when you're hitting shorter guys, whether it be elbows or shoulders to the head or whatever the case may be,'' Pronger said. ``It's difficult to get down to that level.

``I've got to play with a certain edge and a certain style of play to be effective and play to the highest level I can.''

Tell that to the Senators, who were just as angry Sunday as in the time after the early third-period hit.

McAmmond _ seven inches and 30 pounds smaller than Pronger _ was struck as he skated with the puck toward the Ducks net. He did a spin, fell backward, struck his head on the ice, and slid into the corner in the Anaheim zone.

``It's no doubt that he did this on purpose,'' Senators GM John Muckler said. ``Unfortunately, we have a player that is injured and has a concussion. And it's doubtful whether he'll be able to play on Monday.''

McAmmond lost consciousness but got up, dazed and woozy, and was helped to the dressing room.

``I think it should have been a suspension because it was a blow to the head,'' McAmmond said. ``It wasn't incidental. It's not like that couldn't have been avoided.

``I'm feeling pretty much the same. A little bit headachy, not feeling quite right. I'm going to do everything I can, or as little as a I can, to feel good (Monday). I want to play but at this point in time, I'm not sure.''

Campbell didn't totally discount Pronger's contention that his size might've been a factor in the hit, but didn't think enough of the explanation to let Pronger get away with it even though neither shot was penalized on the ice.

``There's plusses and minuses to being 6-6,'' Campbell said after meeting with Pronger. ``I think just because you have a height advantage doesn't mean you can deliver an elbow to the head.''

The loss of Pronger is nothing new to the Ducks. They beat Detroit without him and won five straight since the game in which he drilled Tomas Holmstrom. That run ended Saturday in front of enemy fans that booed Pronger all night _ way before his latest offense.

The Ducks went 7-7-3 without Pronger in the lineup.

``Nobody can replace a guy like Chris Pronger,'' said forward Teemu Selanne, tied with him with 14 playoff points. ``It's just another bump on the road. We have to put the all-wheel drive on and keep pushing forward.

``We just want to get better and play better ... and not worry about too much other stuff.''

Pronger is the third to be banished twice in one playoff year and the third to sit out a finals game for an act committed in the championship round.

This will be the 14th game Pronger has missed because of suspension: two for elbows to the head, four for high-sticking, another four for slashing, two for cross-checking, and one each for kicking and leaving the bench for an altercation.

``This one took a lot of thought,'' Campbell said. ``We had to examine the medical. We had to examine the play, the act. It wasn't an easy one. But there were some simple aspects to it. A blow to the head with the elbow that resulted in a concussion.''

While Burke was adamant Pronger didn't deserve a suspension for his hit against Holmstrom, he accepted the latest punishment. Burke's biggest problem Sunday was Campbell's decision not to suspend hard-hitting Ottawa forward Chris Neil, who also sports a checkered past.

Late in the second period Saturday, Neil took several hard strides before shoving his left elbow into the right side of forward Andy McDonald's head. McDonald ducked to avoid the full force, but still went down.

Neil also went unpenalized for the hit on McDonald, who escaped injury.

``I think there should have been another hearing,'' said Burke, the NHL disciplinarian during the 1990s. ``This was a reaction hit on a tough play. Chris Neil's hit on Andy McDonald was reprehensible.

``Our player skates away, he gets a free pass. Their player gets hurt, Chris Pronger gets a game.''

Ducks executive Bob Murray called McAmmond, who scored the eventual winning goal late in the second period, to see how he was feeling, Burke said.

``We think it was totally unintentional. The league thought different,'' Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ``Chris Pronger is a competitive player. Some people will say he's using his size as an excuse.

``The fact of the matter is his elbows are higher than most people's elbows. It's not like he raised his elbow to deliver a blow to the head.''