The question left to be answered is, is this the piece that the Flyers needed to win themselves a Stanley Cup? Well the 2008-09 version of the Flyers finished the regular season with a 44-27-11 record which earned them 82 points which was good enough for fifth seed in the eastern Conference. The Flyers then went on to lose in the first round to eventual Stanley Cup Champions the Pittsburgh Penguins.

It is important to note that the flyers also got the rights to 24 year old center Ryan Dingle in this deal, but let us take a look at what they are getting in Pronger.

Pronger is a 34 year old 6’6” 221 pound defenseman who has played in the NHL since 1993. He has played for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and the Anaheim Ducks. He was the MVP of the NHL is 1999-2000 season and won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007.

Flyers General Manager had this to say, “I made it sort of clear myself, would I like to get a hammer, a guy who makes life miserable for the other team…  this is one of those guys.”

It is also important to note that Pronger is due to make 6.25 million dollars next season, and is in the final year of his contract. The Flyers will have some work to do to fit this contract under the NHL salary cap due to be 56.8 million dollars. It is also quite possible that Pronger’s trip to Philly will be short term only; the Flyer may have just “rented” Pronger for a run at the cup in the upcoming season.

“He’s a proven winner, the size, how he passes the puck, and he’s an ideal fit for this team,” Holmgren added.

Pronger had this to say, “I’m very excited.  It’s obviously a city that’s very passionate for the sport of hockey.  The style of the play that the Flyers have been known to play certainly fits my game.  They’ve got some great young talent and I hope to help not only develop the team into being regarded as one of the top teams in the league, but winning a Stanley Cup.”

Pronger seems to think hat he could be that missing piece he added, “I’d like to think so, but I don’t really know a whole lot about the team right now.  I’ve seen them play a few times in the playoffs, and I like what they have up front.  I think they’ve got a good core group of defensemen on the back end.”

In the end only time will show us if this is the deal that led the Flyers to a Stanley Cup Championship, but one thing remains certain they are a much better team with Pronger than without.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is awarded to the champion of the NHL, Lord Stanley’s Cup is obviously the most important award the National Hockey League hands out.

The Hart Trophy

The Hart is the NHL’s version of the Most Valuable Player in the league. A little different then most professional sports leagues the award is for the player who is most valuable to his team. The original trophy was donated to the league in 1923, and can be found in Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Wayne Gretzky won eight straight Hart’s between 1980 – 1987, Sydney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin won it the last two years respectively.

The Vezina Trophy

This is the goalie trophy, handed out to the net minder who has been the best that season. The trophy is a memorial to great Canadians goalie George Vezina and has been awarded annually since 1927. Martin Brodeur has won the award four of the last five seasons and the great Patrick Roy won the trophy three times.

The Calder Trophy

The NHL’s best rookie is awarded the Calder Trophy at years end. The trophy is named after Frank Calder, a former president of the National Hockey League. A lot of NHL greats have won this award and over history a lot of Hall of Famers win the Calder in there first season. NHL greats Terry Sawchuk, Bobby Orr, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux and Peter Forsberg have all won the trophy. Last year Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane won the Calder.

The Jack Adams Trophy

The coach judged to be the best that season wins the Jack Adams award. Jack Adams the man was a coach and manager in the Red Wings organization and the trophy was donated by NHL broadcasters. A lot of great coaches have won this award including Don Cherry, Scotty Bowman and Pat Burns. Last year there was a surprise winner when Washington Capitols head coach Bruce Boudreau took home the award.

The Norris Trophy

Named for the late owner and president of the Detroit Red Wings James Norris. The award is handed out annually to the leagues top defenceman. In recent history the award had been dominated by future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom who has won the award an amazing six of the last seven years. Bobby Orr won the trophy a record eight times and Ray Bourque won it five times.

The Art Ross Trophy

This trophy is not voted on, it is given to the player who records the most points in the season. Art Ross a manger with the Boston Bruins donated the trophy in 1947. Guy Lafleur won the award three straight years in the 1970’s, Wayne Gretzky won the award an amazing ten times and Jaromir Jagr won it five times. Along with the Hart Alex Ovechkin won the Art Ross last season.

The Selke Trophy

The best defensive forward in the NHL is awarded the Selke Trophy. The award is in honor of Frank Selke who managed great NHL championship teams. The first four times the trophy was handed out it was won by Montreal Canadiens great Bob Gainey who was an excellent defensive forward. In recent years the award has been won by players like Steve Yzerman in 2000, Michael Peca in 2002 and Pavel Datsyuk last season.

Lester B. Pearson Trophy

The trophy is named after former Prime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson, and has awarded since 1971. This is a special award to a lot of players because it is voted by the players themselves. The players vote who they think the most valuable player of the league is. Last year it was won by Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby won in 2007. Dominik Hasek won the award in back to back years in 1997 – 1998 and Phil Esposito won the first award in 1971.

There are plenty more awards the NHL hands out, Maurice Richard Trophy (top goal scorer), Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP), Lady Byng Trophy (sportsmanship), Masterton Memorial Trophy (dedication to hockey) and the Jennings Trophy (fewest goals against average).

Teams can also receive awards like the Presidents’ Trophy (top regular season team), Clarence Campbell Bowl (western conference winners) and the Prince of Wales Trophy (eastern conference champions).

You can find all these trophies displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The National Hockey league does a great job honoring its players. The league celebrates its past and respects all the people who were involved in the game. These trophies are ingrained in the game and young players dream of winning some of these awards. Most of these awards have a lot of history some of which have been around since the 1920’s. To win an award and look at the engraved names and see NHL icons and your idols alike. The National Hockey League treats its players like true celebrities on award night which is truly unique to the league. To be a true hockey fan you need to respect the past, because without the greats of this game there would be no game. If you have a chance check out the Hockey Hall of Fame, you will find this game is full of great stories and emotions and you will not be disappointed.

The six cities that were selected were California Seals , St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia Flyers. Unlike other professional sports leagues in North America, the NHL choose add all teams in one season. The biggest fear upon expanding the league was that the play would weaken with double the amount of players in the league. To fill the new rosters the NHL held an Expansion Draft in the summer of 1967, and each of the new six teams would pick 20 players from the existing NHL rosters. Some big names found their way to new franchises the Los Angeles Kings selected the legendary Terry Sawchuk from Toronto, the Maple Leafs also lost Bob Baun to the California Seals. Bruins goalie Bernie Parent went to Philadelphia and Glenn Hall moved from Chicago to St. Louis. The NHL also increased it schedule having each team play 74 games, increased from 70 games. The top four teams from each division would make the playoffs, and you would have to win three seven game series to win the Cup.

When the 1967-1968 season started it was clear the original six teams were still by far the class of the league. The Montreal Canadians won the regular season title and ended up facing the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final. Montreal easily beat St. Louis in four games to claim Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Chicago Blackhawks forward Stan Mikita led the league with 87 points and claimed Most Valuable Player honors, Rogatien Vachon and Gump Worsley of Montreal split the best goalie honor and Bobby Hull led the league with 44 goals. The Oakland Seals (California Seals) were the worst team in league finishing with only 15 wins and missed the playoffs by 22 points.

In the 1967 season a young defenseman from Boston named Bobby Orr won the Calder Trophy (top Rookie), but in the 1968 season you really saw what he was going to become. He won his first Norris Trophy (top defenseman) and he would go on to win eight straight Norris’. Orr’s skill and talent would go on to change the game for ever, and is widely considered the best defenseman in NHL history. He was faster and stronger then most NHL players and he used those skills to score the famous Cup winning goal in 1970.

The Original NHL expansion in 1967-1968 expansion was a success for the league. Four of the franchises still play in their original locations Philadelphia, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. The Philadelphia Flyers won the first Cup from an expansion team in 1974 and once again in 1975 led by forward Bobby Clarke and goalie Bernie Parent. Philadelphia has become one of the best hockey markets in the world, with devoted fans who love their tough Flyers.

In 1970 the NHL expanded again and added the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres. The expansion continues in 1972-1973 adding the Atlanta Flames and the New York Islanders and once again in 1974-1975 adding the Kansas City Scouts and the Washington Capitols. By this time some of the franchises were having troubles and would be relocated. The league now had 18 teams located all over North America, but not all the locations were selected well. The California Golden Seals had to move to Cleveland and Kansas City had to move to Colorado. Even after the move the original California franchise, that was now in Cleveland was forced to merge with the North Stars in Minnesota. The 70’s was a turbulent time for the NHL, lots of new teams and current teams finding new locations.

The 1970’s were ruled by the Montreal Canadian’s dynasty, Montreal won multiple cups. Led by exciting forward Guy Lafleur, defenseman Larry Robinson and solid goaltending by Ken Dryden. Lafleur was a first overall pick by the Canadians and played his first season in the 1971-1972 season. By the 1974 season Guy had become one of the if not the best player in the NHL and was a fan favorite at the infamous Montreal Forum. In the 1974-1975 season Lafleur almost doubled his career high in points in a season recording over 50 goals and 100 points, he would go on repeat those numbers for the next 5 years. For six straight years Guy was on top and leading the best team in the NHL, on his way to becoming the highest scoring player in Canadians history. Marcel Dionne was another player who was on top of his game in the 70’s, playing with both the Red Wings and the Kings he scored 40 plus goals six times in the decade. Unlike Lafleur, Dionne never had the team success with Los Angeles or Detroit.

In 1967 the NHL decided to expand and really has never stopped since. The decision to put 6 teams in to the league in one season was controversial, but ultimately successful. Four of those original six expansion franchises exist in their original form. The NHL continued to expand to its original state, with some great moves and some moves that didn’t work out. The truth of the matter is that if the NHL doesn’t expand in the 60’s we will never know what would have happened, but you can be assured the league benefitted from it. The expansion years caused a changing of the guard in the NHL, new owners, new players and eventually the need for European players.

The Stanley Cup, is awarded annually to the Champion of the NHL. Unique to the National Hockey League the same Stanley Cup is awarded ever year and carries a lot of history and tradition. The name of the winning players, coaches, management, and staff are engraved on it for future generations to appreciate. The Stanley Cup was donated by Lord Stanley to be presented to the best amateur hockey team in Canada, but was purchased by the NHL in 1947, although he had been contested for by the NHL since 1926.

The 25 year original six era was dominated by dynasties. The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup nine times in the 25 years, but have not been able to win it since 1967. The Montreal Canadians won five straight Stanley Cups 1956 – 1960, led by “The Rocket”. From 1948-1954 the Detroit Red Wings won seven consecutive regular season titles, no other team in NHL history have ever matched there regular season success.

Maurice “The Rocket” Richard of the Montreal Canadians became the first player to score 50 goals in one season in 1944-1945. Scoring 50 goals became the mark that all NHL goal scorers would try and reach, and is still the benchmark today.” The Rocket” played in Montreal from 1942 to 1960 and was widely considered the best player in the game and was idolized by Canadians fans. Richard was the first player to reach 500 goals in a career, he had 544 goals and 965 points over his career with Montreal.

Gordie Howe or Mr Hockey as you may know him played his first professional game in 1946 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. He was an 18 year old right winger, who quickly established himself as a tremendous goal scorer and play maker. Gordie was a great goal scorer, but its important not to over look his physical toughness, he was as feisty as they come not shying away from fights. The saying “Gordie Howe hat trick” was coined for the way Gordie played. a goal, an assist, and a fight in one game. Mr. Hockey’s career spanned five decades and he retired as the highest scoring player in NHL history. Howe and Richard will go down as the best players of the era and be compared to each other forever.

In 1958 the colour barrier was broken in the NHL when Willie O’Ree played for the Boston Bruins. Willie only played 45 career NHL games, and faced constant taunts and racism, he scored four goals in his career. In 1956 Jacques Plante a goalie with the Montreal Canadians became the first to wear a face mask. Hard to imagine today, but goaltenders used to block shots with nothing protecting there face from the puck. Plante was good , but Terry Sawchuk was arguably the best goalie of the Era. Terry made his NHL debut in 1950 as a member of the Detroit Red Wings and amassed 501 wins and 115 shutouts over his career (including playoffs) Terry helped lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to there final Stanley cup in 1967.

In the early days a lot of the NHL was controlled by the Norris family, they had a stake in as many as four NHL teams. The Norris family owned the Detroit Red Wings, had a partnership with the Blackhawks and had control of Madison Square Gardens where the New York Rangers played. The Chicago Blackhawks history has always been one of disappointment, never having a team that was dominant for an extended period of time. Chicago did win a cup in 1961 led by the newly acquired Ted Lindsay and Glen Hall, but haven’t managed to win one since.

In 1952, Hockey Night in Canada was brought to the airways. The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) put a hockey game between t

weekly game quickly became the highest rated shows on Canadian television and still is highly rated to this day. The first players union was introduced in 1957, by Red Wings forward Ted Lindsay as a result of the owners not opening up the books. The players wanted increased wages and pensions, this caused a rift between the players and the ownership and Lindsay was traded to the Blackhawks as a punishment.

The NHL has had its ups and downs in its historic run as the dominant hockey league in the world. A lot of hockey people will tell you that between 1942 and 1967 you could have witnessed the best game ever. The rivalries were great between the teams and there players. Dynasties ruled the era with the Montreal Canadians, Toronto Maple and Detroit Red Wings battling it out every year for the right to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Hockey will never be as pure as it was in the original six era, we will never see players like Gordie Howe or Maurice Richard in today’s game. The mixture or skill and toughness made the game exciting no matter what brand of hockey you preferred. Along the way technology made the game more excess able and a lot of people were exposed to the game for the first time. All hockey fans should look back at the history, I guarantee you will have a better appreciation for the game. The NHL is full of history that is un-matched in any other professional leagues. Hockey players dream of skating around the ice lifting Lord Stanley’s Cup or having there name written along the sides of there idols.