Edmonton Oilers fans showed up at Rexall Place on Tuesday, armed with signs and derogatory chants to exact revenge on Chris Pronger. In the end, Pronger and the Anaheim Ducks had the last laugh.

It was the first trip back to Edmonton for the former league MVP since he unexpectedly demanded a trade in the offseason. The reason he wanted out of town remains a mystery. Pronger will only say it was due to “family reasons.“ Making the trade even more surprising was the fact that in his first year with the team, Pronger had just helped lead the Oilers to within one win of the Stanley Cup. It was the greatest team success he has ever enjoyed, then suddenly he wanted out. It hard to believe that just over five months after the Oilers amazing playoff run, Edmonton fans would be booing Pronger every time he touched the puck.

Things started out well for the Edmonton faithful with the home team grabbing a 2-0 lead behind goals from Marty Reasoner and Ryan Smyth. Oilers fans were giddy. Not only would they get to soundly boo the traitor but they would also see their beloved Oilers beat one of the best teams in the NHL.

However, things changed late in the second period when “you know who” made something happen. With the Ducks on the power play, Pronger made a beautiful pass that was smartly redirected into the net by Teemu Selanne to get the Ducks on the board. After that the game started to change.

With the score 2-1 to start the third period the offensively minded Oilers inexplicably decided to sit on the lead. It seemed to be just a matter of time before the Ducks scored to tie the game which is exactly what Chris Kunitz did with less then a minute to play. Before Oilers fans could regroup with a chant of “Let’s go Oilers, Pronger Sucks!” Ryan Getlaff took the puck from Ryan Smyth and fired a shot between the legs of a defender that beat goalie Dwayne Roloson. Game over, Ducks win and Chris Pronger smiled. Not even being hit in the head by a coin as he exited the ice could wipe it off his face.