Holland won't offer Chris Chelios new contract

[Frozen-Man 144]

See ya Cheli!

I wish you had never come to the Wings. Had you retired 10 years ago, people would be calling Lidstrom the 2nd best D-man of the last 25 years, because they would remember just how great you were. You were a fabulous *******, a man I loved to hate. Then you came here, and at first you were merely "very good", and with time you learned to suck. I respect you and wish you the best of luck whereever you go from here - I just hope that when you do hang up your skates, people remember the Cheli of Montreal and Chicago, and not the Cheli of Detroit. I hope that playing so long does not hurt your rep in hockey D-Man discussions, though I fear it already has. Maybe it will get better with time, it did for Howe.

You never miss a chance to bash the Red Wings. Do you have any idea what you are talking about or do you just spout off any drivel, whether true or not, that disparages the Red Wings. Cheli put up his best plus minus of his career (and the second best in the NHL that year) the first full year he played with Detroit. He again captained the USA hockey team and lead them to a silver medal (this was during 2002 which was during his third year with the Wings). He was the runner up to Lids for the Norris in 01-02, amazingly rare and proves how great he was that year as he was runner up to his own teammate (oh yeah he also was a +40 that year which was an NHL best). In the '02 post season he was a playoff best +15, he lead all defensemen with 13 playoff assists (fourth among all players), second in playoff points by a defenseman (behind Lids), first in shorthanded assists and points, and 12th overall in scoring.

There is no doubt that he has declined as he got older but that has mostly been the last few years, he has had less responsibility and ice time and has been a good failsafe for the team. To suggest that he "learned to suck" in Detroit or that he should not be remembered for what he did as a Wings player is stupid and once again shows your hatred for this team.

[egroen 384]

Chelios was a STUD in the '07 playoffs with Schneider and Kronwall out.

[Gnredwing 10]

I was in 9th grade when the Wings got Chelios and I wasnt sure what to think of it. But he was a warrior and he proved to me he was a great player. Its very sad now that he wont be on the Wings anymore. What makes me more upset is that we didnt win in his last year. Best of luck Chelios!!!!

[Guest micah]

You never miss a chance to bash the Red Wings. Blah blah blah blah....

Your crush on me was flattering, but now it's gotten a bit unnerving. I'm married and I'm not interested. Well, send pics - but don't get your hopes up.

Where exactly did I bash the Red Wings?

Please rank the following in terms of dominance. Rather than picking and choosing momments or even individual seasons, please consider all time spent wearing the uniform. Thanks.

Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadian

Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawk

Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wing

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

See ya Cheli!

I wish you had never come to the Wings. Had you retired 10 years ago, people would be calling Lidstrom the 2nd best D-man of the last 25 years, because they would remember just how great you were. You were a fabulous *******, a man I loved to hate. Then you came here, and at first you were merely "very good", and with time you learned to suck. I respect you and wish you the best of luck whereever you go from here - I just hope that when you do hang up your skates, people remember the Cheli of Montreal and Chicago, and not the Cheli of Detroit. I hope that playing so long does not hurt your rep in hockey D-Man discussions, though I fear it already has. Maybe it will get better with time, it did for Howe.

Dude, I'd spend the money and buy a clue...

[egroen 384]

Please rank the following in terms of dominance. Rather than picking and choosing momments or even individual seasons, please consider all time spent wearing the uniform. Thanks.

Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadian

Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawk

Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wing

Detroit is naturally 3rd, but how exactly does that equate to "suck"?

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Your crush on me was flattering, but now it's gotten a bit unnerving. I'm married and I'm not interested. Well, send pics - but don't get your hopes up.

Where exactly did I bash the Red Wings?

Please rank the following in terms of dominance. Rather than picking and choosing momments or even individual seasons, please consider all time spent wearing the uniform. Thanks.

Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadian

Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawk

Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wing

I think one could simply garner that from your avatar.

[Guest micah]

Detroit is naturally 3rd, but how exactly does that equate to "suck"?

Note that I said Cheli started his time in Detroit "very good", but ended it sucking. Compared to your average NHL Defenseman today, he sucks. He is not as good as the average Dman. He was great, but he isn't even good anymore. Doesn't matter what sweater he's in, he doesn't have it. I hope he plays 10 more years - just not on a team I like:)

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

Your crush on me was flattering, but now it's gotten a bit unnerving. I'm married and I'm not interested

Hmm...could explain your endless need for violence. Would there possibly be a correlation between your being on LGW demanding the Wings fight somebody and when the cops leave your house because your wife kicked the snot out of you AGAIN? Just curious. Your endless need for violence is pathetic and such a lack of grasp of reality of the risk and damage when 200+ pound athletes are hitting each other. I don't mean on your Nintendo, I mean for real.

[jollymania 162]

i could see him going to chicago, he would at least be an upgrade over sopel

[Guest micah]

I think one could simply garner that from your avatar.

Silly, that's not me bashing the Red Wings, that's Jim Vendermeer bashing a (bigger, but weaker and more cowardly) Red Wing, Johan Franzen. I put it up when someone on here was calling Franzen "tough". He's a great player, but Franzen is perhaps the softest player in the league. Rather than being the Wing-hater that some would like to paint me as, I am a rational fan. I call players as they are by my estimation. A guy like Franzen has great offensive upside, but is also a giant *****. Chelios was a great player who was also a cheapshot artist, today he's a subpar player but no longer the dirty player he once was.

I know it drives some people crazy that a man can be a fan of a team without excusing that team's players of their deficiencies. There isn't a Wing that doesn't deserve some applauding and some criticism. I give both where they're due. Nobody comments on the applause for some reason.

[Guest micah]

Hmm...could explain your endless need for violence. Would there possibly be a correlation between your being on LGW demanding the Wings fight somebody and when the cops leave your house because your wife kicked the snot out of you AGAIN? Just curious. Your endless need for violence is pathetic and such a lack of grasp of reality of the risk and damage when 200+ pound athletes are hitting each other. I don't mean on your Nintendo, I mean for real.

Hmm. I like to talk about hockey and hockey players, while you and a few others like to talk about me. I'm not sure I'm the one with the problem.

You're right though, my wife is tough as nails. 4 kids, never an epidural, plus she puts up with my s*** - that woman is grit defined. She's way tougher than Franzen, despite being even tinier than Hudler. She's as pretty as Filpula, and as smart as Lidstrom.

[Snazzy 0]

Holland should hire him to be our defense coach.

[Frozen-Man 144]

Your crush on me was flattering, but now it's gotten a bit unnerving. I'm married and I'm not interested. Well, send pics - but don't get your hopes up.

Where exactly did I bash the Red Wings?

Please rank the following in terms of dominance. Rather than picking and choosing momments or even individual seasons, please consider all time spent wearing the uniform. Thanks.

Chris Chelios, Montreal Canadian

Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawk

Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wing

Typical, rather than actually back up the bull crap you post you try to turn it into something personal and use homoerotic aspersions to try to take away from the stupid comments that you were called to task on. I notice that you don't actually defend the stupid comment that Cheli "learned to suck" in Detroit. I give actual evidence and statistics that he obviously didn't suck in Detroit. You then act as if Cheli learned to suck the last couple of years rather than understanding the obvious fact that he is 47 rather than 37 when he came here a decade ago. Wow who would have thought a 47 year old guy wouldn't be as good as a 37 year old guy, rather than "learning to suck" as you accused him of doing he actually succumbed to the horrible reality of natural human aging. You say he learned to suck in Detroit and that you hope people don't remember his years here. That is just dumb and yeah a form of bashing the Wings with your inability to see the reality if it means something good about the Wings. Obviously the guy was not as good in the twilight years of his career as he was in his prime. That is true of every play . . . that's why they call it their "prime" . . . and yet he was still amazing for most of his career here, but only you can turn that into a problem with the Wings because because he was great in Montreal, great in Chicago, and "learned to suck" in Detroit. Oh and by the way it is not that I give a rip about you, I have this strange inability about seeing people spew stupid and untrue comments without correcting the untruth. Simple solution, stop making stupid and untrue comments and I guarantee that I won't be responding to you at all. Other than to correct your dumb comments I have never read anything you posted worth commenting on.

[Wingfan24 0]

Chelios has been great the past years for us. I'll always remember him and eager at the winter classic

[Guest micah]

Typical, rather than actually back up the bull crap you post you try to turn it into something personal and use homoerotic aspersions ....

You're a dude? Seriously?

I didn't see that coming...you seem so....emotional. Sorry for assuming you was a chick.

Anyway, Cheli sucks now, right? People who remember him primarily from his time in Montreal will not remember him being anything short of amazing Defensively. People who remember him primarily from his time in Chicago will not remember him being anything short of amazing. People who remember him primarily from his time in Detroit just might remember him being something short of amazing. My post said that I hope that isn't what happens - you might consider taking that at face value.

I think you're reading what you want to read, accusing me of somehow bashing the Wings by noting that Cheli played his only sucky years here, even though in the same post I mention the example of Gordie Howe, who played his great years in Detroit and his sucky years elsewhere. You seem to have a strong emotional attatchment to me.

I remember this chick in 8th grade who would always ridicule me for being less than smart, even though I was then, as now, wicked smart. Turns out she just wanted on. You remind me of her. Don't send that pic I mentioned, it would ruin the whole thing. Just keep reminding me of her, makes me smile big:)

[C20lw 0]

Its kind of weird to think about, hes been great for the team and the fans. I dont think ive ever heard of him ever snubbing any fan. I know in the past few years he has slipped, but his presence on the bench and on the ice was felt. You can't tell me whenever he took a slap shot from the blue line none of you went "OH s***" when opposing players (even goalies) flinched.

I know the team is moving forward and getting some fresh talent into the lines and we don't have many options but to let Cheli go. But he still will be missed.

Thanks Cheli, good luck next year. Hope you are happy in whatever you decide to do. But for the love of God dont play for Anahiem. I would seriously hate to hate you.

[55fan 5,133]

Its kind of weird to think about, hes been great for the team and the fans. I dont think ive ever heard of him ever snubbing any fan. I know in the past few years he has slipped, but his presence on the bench and on the ice was felt. You can't tell me whenever he took a slap shot from the blue line none of you went "OH s***" when opposing players (even goalies) flinched.

I know the team is moving forward and getting some fresh talent into the lines and we don't have many options but to let Cheli go. But he still will be missed.

Thanks Cheli, good luck next year. Hope you are happy in whatever you decide to do. But for the love of God dont play for Anahiem. I would seriously hate to hate you.

Amen to that. It is a great fear of mine. With Parros to back him up, he might find years of new life torturing the Wings. Please, Cheli, if you must play out west, play for the Kings. They could use a good veteran to teach the kids how to win.

Of course, if you go to Nashville, Kristi might finally get her jersey signed after 6 years of trying to get your sig on the darn thing.

[Vladifan 680]

See ya Cheli!

I wish you had never come to the Wings. Had you retired 10 years ago, people would be calling Lidstrom the 2nd best D-man of the last 25 years, because they would remember just how great you were. You were a fabulous *******, a man I loved to hate. Then you came here, and at first you were merely "very good", and with time you learned to suck. I respect you and wish you the best of luck whereever you go from here - I just hope that when you do hang up your skates, people remember the Cheli of Montreal and Chicago, and not the Cheli of Detroit. I hope that playing so long does not hurt your rep in hockey D-Man discussions, though I fear it already has. Maybe it will get better with time, it did for Howe.

I just hope that you'll understand that we as individuals will remember whatever Cheli we want to remember. We all have our own experiences and responses to The Man. The Cheli I'll remember is the one who was a plus-56, the very year we went to a Hawks'/Wings game in Chicago and some blowhard idiot in front of us who never shut up called him "scum". He was never scum. Never was, never will be. And anybody who feels the need to say that he "sucked" has their own set of problems to deal with. And cutesy, put-down little responses on this thread aren't gonna get you any closer to being less arrogant or dismissive of other posters' views.

Nobody, but nobody had his work ethic and honestly, I'm guessing some of the naysayers here couldn't even fathom the hours he put in to stay in shape, let alone even think about working out like he did. He was a great teacher, and a great PR member for the Wings.

I'll never forget his battles with Forsberg, Lindros, and whoever else he could get to. I was thrilled to see him take out players I really, REALLY didn't like. I hated him as a Hawk, loved him as a Wing and I will miss him very much. And I wish him nothing but the very best in whatever's in his future.

[The Noodle 39 14]

Gonna miss Chelios a lot! I for one was always mad how he rarely ever played for us these past couple years. I know Babcock likes youth and that is one of the reasons why we are so great.. but man.. Chelly should have been a permanent assistant captain on this team and played more! Really mean IMO how they treated this legend and i hope someone does sign him cause he can still be effective out there!!

But can't argue with our teams ways because we have been so awesome. God Bless Chelios and im gonna really miss him here...

[Frozen-Man 144]

You're a dude? Seriously?

I didn't see that coming...you seem so....emotional. Sorry for assuming you was a chick.

Anyway, Cheli sucks now, right? People who remember him primarily from his time in Montreal will not remember him being anything short of amazing Defensively. People who remember him primarily from his time in Chicago will not remember him being anything short of amazing. People who remember him primarily from his time in Detroit just might remember him being something short of amazing. My post said that I hope that isn't what happens - you might consider taking that at face value.

I think you're reading what you want to read, accusing me of somehow bashing the Wings by noting that Cheli played his only sucky years here, even though in the same post I mention the example of Gordie Howe, who played his great years in Detroit and his sucky years elsewhere. You seem to have a strong emotional attatchment to me.

I remember this chick in 8th grade who would always ridicule me for being less than smart, even though I was then, as now, wicked smart. Turns out she just wanted on. You remind me of her. Don't send that pic I mentioned, it would ruin the whole thing. Just keep reminding me of her, makes me smile big:)

Funny, go back and read this thread EVERYBODY took it the same way I did. Your pathetic attempts to worm your way out of previous statements once again did not work, but nice attempt to change the subject back to personal imaginary statements rather than argue your point. I did however, notice that you once again took the opportunity to state that you are very smart (I guess you have to keep telling everybody since there is no way there to discern that fact from your posts . . . but at least you have stopped bragging, for a moment at least, about how rich you are and how girls want you . . . wait you had to bring up about how a girl in 9th grade wanted you ) but I'm pretty sure that using the term "wicked smart" in the first indicator that you in fact are not.

[Guest micah]

Funny, go back and read this thread EVERYBODY took it the same way I did. Your pathetic attempts to worm your way out of previous statements once again did not work, but nice attempt to change the subject back to personal imaginary statements rather than argue your point. I did however, notice that you once again took the opportunity to state that you are very smart (I guess you have to keep telling everybody since there is no way there to discern that fact from your posts . . . but at least you have stopped bragging, for a moment at least, about how rich you are and how girls want you . . . wait you had to bring up about how a girl in 9th grade wanted you ) but I'm pretty sure that using the term "wicked smart" in the first indicator that you in fact are not.

You're hurting my feelings now.

What exactly am I trying to "worm out of"? I stand by what I typed. I don't stand by the things that you and perhaps other immagined me typing.

That girl was in 8th grade dude, keep up.

[Guest micah]

The Cheli I'll remember is the one who was a plus-56, the very year we went to a Hawks'/Wings game in Chicago and some blowhard idiot in front of us who never shut up called him "scum". He was never scum. Never was, never will be.

I so wish I had a way to convert from olf Beta tape Chelios the coward cheapshotting Steve Yzerman, and then s***ting his pants when Bob Probert came calling, like Cheli should have klnown he would. Sorry, people who cheapshot Steve Yzerman are scum. Pronger? Scum. McGuire (although Yzerman said he started it)? Scum. Chelios? Scum.

Best Defenceman I ever saw, but often pretty scummy. Sorry. He was less scummy than Ulf Sammuelsson and Claude Lemieux though.

[ChelisChick 174]

You're hurting my feelings now.

What exactly am I trying to "worm out of"? I stand by what I typed. I don't stand by the things that you and perhaps other immagined me typing.

That girl was in 8th grade dude, keep up.

ENOUGH!!!!!!!!

If all you want to do is bash Cheli and come back with more personal put-downs, please go do it somewhere else, or take it to PM.

Some of us here are actually upset about Cheli leaving. So if you could please climb down off your high horse and respect that.

Edited June 24, 2009 by ChelisChick

[rage 24]

Looks like he's hosting a Press conference tomorrow.

The 47-year-old defenseman says he will host a news conference Wednesday morning at Cheli’s Chili Bar and Restaurant in Detroit to answer questions just days after the Red Wings confirmed he will not be offered a contract to stay.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-c...p&type=lgns