The amazing thing about the Detroit/Anaheim 3 OT marathon on Sunday was Chris Chelios only saw 6:50 of ice time in the entire elongated game.It was only Chelios' 2nd appearance in the post-season, and 30th game of the entire season. He has been scratched until Brian Rafalski fell to an injury.
People love to cheer on the 47 year old in his 25th NHL season, but it is apparent Chelios, one of hockey's great warriors, is no longer a NHL player.
3 comments:
My brother sent me a text yesterday that said it best.
"Cheli looks like Dad out there playing in a pickup game against us"
And we're all 30.
When a guy like Chelios hangs around for as long as he has, he ceases to be just any other "greybeard" and instead takes on the title of "hockey institution."
On that note, I wouldn't mind seeing him play until he's 60!
I've seen all of Chelly's moments on the ice in these playoffs and he is definitely still one of the world's 180 best defenseman. If he wants to play in the NHL and still can, then good for him. But, (and I've read this somewhere too) he will probably have to move on somewhere else to have a chance to play the games and minutes he wants to play. Detroit is the best team in the NHL. They have a #2 defenseman who could be a #1, a #3 who could be a #2 for sure and a #1 in many places, and Chelios, their #7, could be a #4-6 guy on an average or bad team.
There have always been guys good enough to be in the show, good enough to be on a good team, or a significant member of a bad team, but not good enough to be a significant member of a good team. Chelios, at 47, would fit into that category.
I hope to see him go to a team that needs his leadership and has a hole on the blueline. Tampa Bay, for example. Although that would be painful to see.
Post a Comment