Chris Pronger has some advice for Vancouver Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers.
Myers has been excellent in his two games since returning from his three-game suspension for cross-checking Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard. More on that later.
Myers’ play has been so good that Sportsnet’s Randip Janda compared Myers to prime Chris Pronger, who was in the building for Myers’ first game back from suspension on Monday night. That game, of course, was a 5-2 win for the visiting Canucks, and was a game in which Myers tallied a goal, an assist, and five shots on goal.
Chris Pronger must have said something to Tyler Myers in St. Louis on Monday. Myers is playing like 2025 Pronger over the last 2 games.
— Randip Janda (@RandipJanda) January 30, 2025
Head coach Rick Tocchet described Myers’ play as “excellent”, and the big blueliner followed that up with another strong performance on Wednesday when the Canucks beat the Nashville Predators by a final score of 2-1. Myers picked up the assist on Linus Karlsson’s first NHL goal with a beautiful dish to the 25-year-old’s tape.
🚨CANUCKS GOAL🚨
Linus Karlsson scores his first NHL goal on a great feed from Tyler Myers!
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL#Canucks #Smashville pic.twitter.com/nn9GCdBnaI
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) January 30, 2025
The comparison of Myers to Pronger resulted in Dan Murphy astutely pointing out that Myers’ cross-check to Bouchard’s face and the suspension that followed was “Pronger-esque” as well.
And it was to that tweet that Pronger chimed in with a reply of his own.
Yes he did use his stick in an untoward manner thus the suspension. As a taller player he needs to cross check in a downward motion @sportsnetmurph so as to negate any potential for supplementary discipline
— Chris Pronger (@chrispronger) January 30, 2025
“Yes he did use his stick in an untoward manner thus the suspension,” Pronger, 50, wrote. “As a taller player he needs to cross check in a downward motion so as to negate any potential for supplementary discipline.”
Pronger should know, as he was one of the most feared defencemen of his era and yet was only suspended once for cross-checking despite being suspended a total of eight times in his career.
Clearly, he knows the secret to big men getting away with cross-checks.
Hopefully Myers is taking notes, because the Canucks can’t afford to have him out of the lineup when he’s playing as well as he is right now.
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