The Orange and Black are going to need to do it without their captain for the rest of this season.
Flyers captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome, the team announced Thursday night.
General manager Paul Holmgren made the announcement through a team spokesman early in the first period of the Flyers' 4-3 win at Montreal.
"It's really tough news about Chris," said coach Peter Laviolette, who learned the news just before the game. "I think first and foremost we wish for him to have good health and anything after that I guess we'll sort it out."
Pronger was sidelined since Nov. 19.
Holmgren said: “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome. It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.”
NBC Philadelphia's Howard Eskin reported that Pronger told him that he suffered the concussion when he was struck in the eye with a stick earlier this season. The team never said that Pronger suffered a concussion in the incident.
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Pronger visited Maroon and Collins on Wednesday in Pittsburgh after complaining about a fairly persistent headache and sluggish feeling. The 37-year-old defenseman missed six games this season with the eye injury and had surgery on his left knee last month.
"It's hard to replace a guy like that," Laviolette said. "He plays 26, 27 minutes and there's no one individual in the organization that we can find somewhere and replace him."
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