The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

You gotta love Chris Pronger.

Athletes, like other celebrities, not only have to deal with the criticism they get when they don't perform well at their chosen professions, they also are harassed about their personal lives when stories surface everything isn't up to snuff. The public has an insatiable appetite for this stuff, and while I'm not a guy who reads the National Enquirer, sometimes it can be fun to read about so-and-so athlete getting loaded, arrested by 10 cops and offering a billion dollars to get released.

Anyway, the fans of the Oilers weren't too pleased when Pronger wanted out of Edmonton. The reason is actually flattering for Chris: They like him and think he's a terrific hockey player. They thought the five-year contract he signed meant he'd be here for awhile.

Now it's quite odd for #44 to be leaving after falling just one game short of the Stanley Cup, so why exactly did he request a trade after such a memorable season? There were tons of rumours circulating about him: they involve other girlfriends, knocking up rink rats, and I believe a journalist was mentioned as a potential lover of Chris. By the way, he's married and has two kids.

The story I believe comes from a source we'll call...Pants. Pants told me that Pronger did in fact have a girlfriend who lived in Edmonton. His wife found out about it, and, just before the playoffs started, moved out of Edmonton with the kids back to St. Louis. Pronger's wife basically told him their family needs to move out of the city or she's divorcing. Pronger asked for a trade to a mutually agreeable place once the playoffs were finished.

So why am I bringing this all up? Well, Pronger just blew a gasket after reading about all these rumours. Just for the record, I find most people blow their gaskets about this stuff when what they read is true, or partially anyway. "I've heard all the nasty stuff, about all my girlfriends ... that I've got more kids than I started with. I must have six kids out there," blasted Pronger. "It started off with I slept with so-and-so, and I'm having kids, then it moved to my wife sleeping with some of my teammates." Essentially, he's denying everything he's ready. But what did Chris say about his experience in Edmonton?

According to the Sun: "He said he liked the city and loved the competitive fire of the team."

So why did he leave after recently signing a long-term contract?

"He just wanted to live elsewhere."

Yeah right. See, you don't have to comment, but if you're going to give us a horrible answer like that, we're going to think either the rumours are true or that you think you're too good for the city you played for.

November 28th is Anaheim's first game in Edmonton.

And how about that Tie Domi? Domi has a warm place in many hearts of the fans of the NHL. But for me, he was a dirty, underhanded player who loved dishing out cheap shots whenever possible.

I remember the elbow he gave superstar defenceman Scott Niedermayer in the 2001 playoffs when only a few minutes remained and the game was essentially over for the Devils: Behind the play, unprovoked, and a deliberate intent to injure. Luckily, he would be ok and return next game, while Domi got a suspension for the rest of the playoffs and the first few games of the next season.

It wasn't long enough. At least I'll have the pleasant memory of Brian McGrattan busting his nose last season that dropped him like a sack of potatoes. Domi, you might be an alright guy off the ice, but as far as I'm concerned, you won't be missed.