Pronger doesn’t expect encore behind bench

A day after making his “coaching” debut Friday night, Chris Pronger was back in his customary spot on the ice Saturday and did his best to downplay his experience behind the bench in the Ducks’ 3-1 victory over Calgary.

“I don’t plan on retiring any time soon,” Pronger said after practice. “I’ll leave it at that. You’re only six feet from the ice, but it’s a lot different perspective than playing, that’s for sure.”

As he recovers from a broken jaw, the Ducks’ captain was asked by assistant coach Dave Farrish to handle the defense when Farrish had to take over the head duties from an ill Randy Carlyle, who went home with a high fever Friday afternoon.

Pronger did more than look the part with his new haircut and tailored suit.

“I thought it’d be good to have him back there,” Farrish said. “He’s certainly been around long enough.

“He’s like a coach on the ice anyway. Any addition he could add to us back there was going to be appreciated. I thought he did a great job for us.”

Pronger said it was easy to tap certain guys on the shoulder and send them over the boards given that “the group of defensemen we’ve got back there” knew exactly who they were matched up against on the Flames.

The toughest thing? Making sure everyone got the right amount of ice time.

“I’m a realist,” he said. “I know how the game works. Certain players are going to get to play more than others.

“Sometimes it boils down to matchups. If you’re matched up against the right line, you’re going to play a lot. And if you’re not, you’re not going to play as much.

“It’s not like we’re back there reinventing the wheel.”

Although he offered suggestions to Farrish at points in the game, Pronger said he didn’t overstep his boundaries.

“If there was ever a decision, I could just ask Dave what he wanted to do,” Pronger said. “I’m not the coach. I wasn’t perceiving myself as the coach. I was merely back there patting guys on the butt.”

Said regular defense partner Sean O’Donnell: “For never having done something like that, he was good. I was impressed. I don’t know what you want to call it, but he had a presence back there. He knew what was going on.”

In Pronger’s mind, it was a one-shot deal and no more.

On whether he had a coaching itch he wanted to scratch, Pronger said, “No, I didn’t. I don’t plan on scratching it any more either.”

Farrish, 51, coached a combined 1,027 games in the minor leagues, among the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League and the now-defunct International Hockey League.

But it was Farrish’s first experience as the head man behind an NHL bench.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Farrish said. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything to cost us. I think it worked out well. Our players were phenomenal. They did a great job.

Defenseman Francois Beauchemin and winger Rob Niedermayer were given the day off for “maintenance.”

Niedermayer needed several stitches to close his upper lip after being high-sticked by Calgary winger Kristian Huselius, which ultimately led to Teemu Selanne’s game-clinching power-play goal.

eric.stephens@latimes.com