Flyers cause big stir

Menacing blue liner Chris Pronger, with more than 1,000 games and one Stanley Cup on his résumé, was traded from Anaheim to Philadelphia in a deal in which the Flyers yielded ex-Ducks winger Joffrey Lupul, a top defensive prospect (Luca Sbisa), and a pair of first-round draft picks.

Selected second in ’93 by Hartford, after the Senators led the way with the enigmatic Alexandre Daigle, Pronger has become one of the game’s leading physical forces behind the blue line. Now 34, he will bring his trademark thump to the distant sons of the Broad Street Bullies, who now have their answer to Boston’s Zdeno Chara as a big, intimidating shutdown defenseman.

The Flyers-Bruins matchups just became even more fun. Pronger and Chara will be on Fenway Park ice Jan. 1 when the NHL brings the clubs together for the Winter Classic inside the Back Bay bandbox.

As for the rest of the first round, held in the home of the storied Canadiens, it played out much as expected. The Islanders led off by selecting scoring sen sation John Tavares, touted for more than two years to be the top pick in the ’09 draft.

Tampa Bay followed with Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, who, like Pronger, is a mean, 6-foot-6-inch bone-jarring force.

The Avalanche, selecting in the No. 3 spot, then chose forward Matt Duchene, who in recent days was rumored perhaps to upset the applecart by being selected No. 1 overall.

But Islanders general manager Garth Snow, the former Olympic netminder from Wrentham, Mass., put all the rumors to rest soon after 7 p.m. when he named the prolific Tavares as the possible savior of the bedraggled, faded franchise in Uniondale, N.Y. When Tavares’s name was called, a small but boisterous collection of Islanders fans stood up and cheered wildly. According to Snow, a crowd of some 10,000 fans came to Nassau Coliseum, the club’s Long Island home, to watch the momentous occasion on the big screen. If only the Islanders could get 10,000 in the building on a January night to see the home team play the Blues or Senators.

“You have the opportunity there to start with a young core of guys,’’ said Tavares, “and grow into the future. You see how many teams have done it before and you can see where it’s headed with the draft picks. There’s a great tradition there to bring the winning tradition back to Long Island. That’s what my goal is and I want to be successful at the highest level.’’

Aftrer playing in the Swedish Elite League, and going up against men years his senior, the towering 18-year-old Hedman could have a faster start than any of the Round 1 protégés. In a lighthearted moment at a media luncheon Thursday, the host, Pierre McGuire, asked Hedman if he were mean. “Yes,’’ said Hedman. He offered no further explanation, other than a fixed stare.

Hedman will have to apply a degree of mental toughness just to survive the long-running shenanigans of the bumbling Bolts franchise. The day before the draft, GM Brian Lawton sent an e-mail to all league GMs, reminding them that he was the only team employee authorized to make deals for the Lightning.

“I look forward to turning things around with that team,’’ said Hedman, who later added, “I’m just happy to become an NHL player . . . it became Tampa and I’m just as happy as can be.’’

A persistent rumor in recent months, amplified here the last few days, has had Tampa sending superstar center Vincent Lecavalier to the Canadiens. As of last night, Lecavalier remained with Tampa, where he now might have Hedman to watch his back.

The Bruins, with the No. 25 pick, which they used to select right wing Jordan Caron, were rumored earlier in the day to be sending flashy winger Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs for veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle. An early-morning report, later revised on tsn.ca, even had the Leafs tossing in their No. 7 pick in the draft. But the swap never materialized and a source familiar with the discussions told the Globe that the No. 7 pick was never in play.

The Leafs stood pat and selected Lebanese-Canadian Nazem Kadri, a skilled center with the London Knights.

“A lot of people thought Lebanese don’t step a foot on the ice,’’ said a smiling Kadri. “So this is nice, definitely.’’

By far the loudest cheer of the night came shortly after 9:30 when the hometown Habs were called to the floor. As GM Bob Gainey delayed his trip to the podium, the fervent CH fans chanted, “Go Habs Go . . . Go Habs Go.’’ And then the joint really went nuts when one of their own, Louis Leblanc, was called to the stage.

Leblanc, who grew up in a Montreal suburb, is a crafty center with excellent hands. He is headed to Harvard this September.

The Rangers followed with the No. 19 pick and selected Chris Kreider, a 6-3 left winger from Boxford, Mass., who played the past two seasons at Phillips Academy in Andover. Two very familiar faces were on stage to greet him: Gordie Clark, the former Bruins assistant coach, and Jeff Gorton, Boston’s former assistant general manager.

The delay at the Habs table, one pick before Kreider, might have been over whether to select Leblanc or Kreider. As Kreider walked by the Montreal table to get to the stage, one scout at the Habs’ table stood up to shake his hand.

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.