NJDevs4978 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 From Yahoo! Pronger out of World Cup, replaced by Bouwmeester August 15, 2004 CALGARY, Alberta (Ticker) - Team Canada continues to be hit by the injury bug. St. Louis Blues defenseman Chris Pronger became the latest member of Team Canada to withdraw from the World Cup of Hockey, which is slated to start later this month. Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky announced Sunday that Pronger will be unable to play due to injury. Pronger reportedly suffered a right knee injury recently. Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester will replace Pronger. "We are disappointed that Chris could not participate, but this gives a great opportunity to one of Canada's rising young stars," Gretzky said. "When you can replace Chris with a player of Jay's caliber, it shows how much depth we have in this country." "I am honored by the opportunity to represent Canada," Bouwmeester said. "This is a chance to play with and against the best players in the world, and I am excited to be a part of Team Canada at the World Cup of Hockey." Pronger joins Ed Belfour, Steve Yzerman and Rob Blake as high-profile players from Canada's gold medal Olympic team in 2002 who have pulled out of the World Cup, which begins on August 30. The third overall pick in 2003, Bouwmeester has collected six goals and 30 assists in 143 career games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Well, there goes the lock for the gold. No Blake and no Pronger can really hurt Canada. It's now up for grabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas0nMacIsaac Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Niedermayer, Foote, Jovo, JayBo, Redden, Hannan, Brewer, Regehr still are better then anything any other country can put up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Niedermayer, Foote, Jovo, JayBo, Redden, Hannan, Brewer, Regehr still are better then anything any other country can put up. Thats pretty scary that they have to settle with that dcorp... lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 That's still a solid D Jason. But it doesn't scare me as much. Canada also didn't even select the best replacement. They could have chosen Aucoin, McCabe or Souray instead of Bouwmeester. Makes me wonder what the heck they're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 That's still a solid D Jason. But it doesn't scare me as much. Canada also didn't even select the best replacement. They could have chosen Aucoin, McCabe or Souray instead of Bouwmeester. Makes me wonder what the heck they're doing. Maybe Gretzky doesn't like them, Derek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Mmm.. my co-worker is all pissed off that Souray wasn't picked. Obviously he's a Canadiens fan... I think Bowmeester is a capable player. But you're right. Pronger for Bowmeester is quite a downgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Maybe Gretzky doesn't like them, Derek. Maybe the Great One needs his head examined . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Maybe Gretzky doesn't like them, Derek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHEDEVIL30 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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