It's Cheli Time!

[zaxx 0]

I mean no disrespect or offense to Lilja or Lebda but it is time for one of them to sit and put Cheli into the line-up. Unlike the other threads that have emerged I am not going to hate on any players. I love our team and I think we have what it takes to win. So lets focus on the positive reason for putting Chelios into the line-up:

1. Roberts is having his way with our players. From the first line through to the goalie, Roberts is beating down on our boys in a way that only so few can without either getting into trouble or getting off his own game.

2. Chelios is nearing the end of his career. His mins are down and he is being replaced by the youngsters, putting him in now should ignite a fire in him to perform. Last chance for him and he would not want to let himself down.

I watched the crap Roberts pulled the last two games and he gets away with a lot, while also causing our boys to either mess up (looking over our shoulders) or get off their games. No one on our team can compete with that.. oh except the original rat Chris Chelios. I dearly want Babs to put him in the line-up to stir up some trouble and show the other Wings how to get in the Pens faces.

Anyone else feeling this way?

(Just to reiterate I would chose to sit either Lilja or Lebda not due to their performance but rather due to their slot in the pecking order. Please do not put them or any of our players down in this thread, we are in the finals and ahead 2 games to 1. We got hear because of guys like Lilja and Lebda, it takes a team to win and we cannot start hating them all just due to one loss)

[sixer 37]

A couple years ago, yes, but Chelios is not as quick anymore.

Did you miss games 1 and 2 without Chelios?

We're better without him at this point against the speedy Pens offense.

[Graybeard 0]

Putting Cheli in is rolling the dice.

If the rest of the games are called like last night it's perfect for him. I'm not bitching about bias one way or the other just saying that the refs put away the whistles for long stretches of time and let a LOT of hacking and slashing go for both sides. In that kind of game we need more snarl. Considering that is Cheli's kind of play he would have been a perfect fit. If on the other hand the next game is called tight, he probably can't keep up with the Pens and will end up in the box too much.

[sixer 37]

If on the other hand the next game is called tight, he probably can't keep up with the Pens and will end up in the box too much.

And the Pens have an awesome power play, so we need less penalties if anything!

[JayUp88 1]

I miss his beautiful face.......

[dicksmack 33]

Cheli should be in for Lilja...

[DatsMyWings13 4]

I would disagree he has looked slow and tired this playoff run and I'm not sure he would be an upgrade at this point.

[The Secret 304]

Sometimes being scratched does good for certain players. No one can argue Cheli is a super competitor, maybe sitting out will get the drive back in him? Thats my hope anyway!

[zaxx 0]

AM 990 The Team out of Montreal just announced during their sports update that Cheli is being considered as a replacement for Lilja (I think it was Lilja).

Although they also said Holmstrum is listed day-2-day... so good neas bad bad bad news.

[hallelujahlogic 1]

I miss his beautiful face.......

haha my dad calls him "taco nose".

[ben_usmc 253]

I'd love to have Cheli in IF: Babs says this is your last chance I want to see the Cheli of the 1950's, put Roberts/Crosby all them to shame. Show why you are booed in every arena, be the original scumbag you were when you helped create the NHL.

[VM1138 1,921]

It's a risk.

But it's either Chelios' lack of speed or Lilja's excessive colossal turnovers.

I'm not the type to rag on any player excessively, but how many times can Lilja cost us a goal? He's made his reputation on it. Not on being a bad player, but just on that one specific action. It's crazy.

[KocursRightHand 0]

2 words: Kyle Quincey

[ben_usmc 253]

2 words: Kyle Quincey

What about BIG E?

[Reilly 24]

If you're going to put Cheli in, Babcock will wait until he gets home-ice change. Cheli can be useful, but not against Pittsburgh top lines.

[C-TownWing 0]

If you're going to put Cheli in, Babcock will wait until he gets home-ice change. Cheli can be useful, but not against Pittsburgh top lines.

Living up to the avatar once again...totally agree with that.

In any case, like I said last night, I can't really justify benching any of the current six right now. Lilja's been steady since his insertion and Stuart's been great enough overall that one terrible game can be forgiven. I don't want to give Lebda a pass, but you need his wheels to carry the puck on the third pair when you're talking about playing with Lilja/Chelios.

Cheli's a clear upgrade over Lilja passing-wise, but the idea of him getting stuck out there chasing around the Pens' big guns scares me to death. If we lose game 4 and the first pass continues to be an issue, then I make the swap. But I leave the lineup alone for one more game.

[10 Minute Misconduct 104]

CHELIOS TO REMAIN OUT: Babcock said Chris Chelios would not rejoin the lineup for Game 4, and said sometimes coaches can get too caught up in making changes after losses.

[jvxp 0]

2 words: Kyle Quincey

I would not mind seeing that. Replace Lebda.

[Izzy24 44]

I miss his beautiful face.......

I hope he plays at least one game in the series.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Chelios is no slower then Lilja, it couldnt hurt. Unlike Lilja, Chelios is a physcho f*ck and will do anything to win. He had one bad playoff game and everyone hates the guy.

[VM1138 1,921]

Give it one more game, then let Cheli back in. That way he'll have the home crowd, he'll by psyched, and we can have the line matching advantage.

[chelios4eva 0]

obviously I want him in, but I really don't see why not.

He's not slower than Lilja, he made ONE bad mistake (granted it cost us a goal), Lilja has made much more mistakes than Chelios, the only difference is the other team didn't score on th ose 4 or 5 mistakes. Chelios has the experience which helps him most in his favor. He knows where to be and when, kind of like Lidstrom, not to mention he would help the younger guys out also. He's also one of our best Penalty Killers and is rarely caught out of position (except for THE mistake).

The only the Lilja has that Chelios doesn't is his size and ability to make hard hits, but quite frankly, Lilja doens't use it to its full potential like Kronwall has. The only thing he does may be to knock guys off the puck or get between two players, Chelios probably can't check as hard but can still get the puck from the defender, he's also very ballsy, he would do anything to get the win it seems like.

I say put him in....

then again I am a Cheli homer

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Per mLive:

Question: Any change to your defense pairs tomorrow?

Mike Babcock: You mean who's playing with him or the people in them?

Question: For instance, will Chelios be in the lineup?

Mike Babcock: Not at this time. It's not my thought process, no.

[CanadaBoy 151]

I hope he plays in the Stanley Cup winning game

[MalkinsJock 0]

I hope he plays in the Stanley Cup winning game

He won't.. This isn't game four and the Pens aren't down 3-0. You ice your best team possible, not the most sentimental. Whats next, Hasek needs to start?

Cheli and Dom will both get their names on the cup. At their respective ages, if they're worried about being major contributors from this point forward I think they need to hang them up.

Hasek would be OK if he was brought back for half his current salary. Chelios, at $850K is decent but only if he understands that hes not going to be guaranteed a spot in the lineup.

Edited June 1, 2008 by MalkinsJock