136 replies to this topic

[mahimahi23]

I never got why people would Boo any player that has accomplished as much as Chelios, and was such a pleasure to watch play. We got to watch him for almost a decade, in his prime, and then he was traded. Fans take things WAY to seriously. Its all about respect and unless said player said something like "f*** your city and the fans", I would cheer them on. Chelios was a great player and deserved a better reception than he got, its that simple.

However, I dont get all the Hawk bashing in this thread. You guys take threads like this as an opportunity to slam the Hawks and take cheap shots. You should show a little class yourself and not stoop to that level just because of a few idiot Hawk fans who dont understand or respect the game and the great players like Chelios.

[sleepwalker]

I dont get all the Hawk bashing in this thread.

Probably because there is none. Re-read the thread. No Hawk bashing. The stuff said has been about their "fans".

[hooon]

I never got why people would Boo any player that has accomplished as much as Chelios, and was such a pleasure to watch play. We got to watch him for almost a decade, in his prime, and then he was traded. Fans take things WAY to seriously. Its all about respect and unless said player said something like "f*** your city and the fans", I would cheer them on. Chelios was a great player and deserved a better reception than he got, its that simple.

However, I dont get all the Hawk bashing in this thread. You guys take threads like this as an opportunity to slam the Hawks and take cheap shots. You should show a little class yourself and not stoop to that level just because of a few idiot Hawk fans who dont understand or respect the game and the great players like Chelios.

While most of this post is true....

I just cant resist pointing out the absurd depth of irony in you attempting to give us a lesson about respect based on your post history and some of the comments you have made on this board.

[darkmanx]

From a Chicago news paper article online....

(Oddly enough, Scotty Bowman was the coach of both the 1973 Canadiens and the 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins.) Fans memories are short, and most only remember that Chelios went on to win some hardware with the hated Red Wings. What many fans forget is that Chelios had the Red Wings on a no-trade list for most of his time in Chicago, and only relented to the trade when management had flushed the organization so far down the toilet that a 37-year-old Chelios accepted a deal out of Chicago in March of 1999.

Let's also not hold against Chelios that the Blackhawks didn't do anything with the two first round picks they got from Detroit in the trade. If you're old enough to remember what was going on with the organization in the late-90s and early parts of the 2000s, it was far from Chelios' fault that the team was in the crapper.

When Chelios accepted the trade out of town, two men I consider horsemen of the apocalypse were running the Blackhawks into the ground.

Of course they weren't watching hockey at that time so how would they know ? Did anyone happen to even acknowledge Stan Mikita yesterday ? because from the silence of the crowd when his name was announced was enough to summarize up Chicago's current fanbase.

[Norwegian Red Wing]

Is this episode posted on YouTube? Would like to see how he was treated for myself..

[haroldsnepsts]

A couple things on the actual topic here.

First, Hawks fans do have a creepy obsession with the Wings. Sorry, but changing "Red Wings suck" after you've won the Cup, in spite of not even facing them in the playoffs, is just weird. Same goes for chanting it at games against other opponents.

That being said, I don't know that Detroit fans would behave differently if the Chelios situation were reversed. Cheli grew up in Chicago. Traded or not, he went to the Hawk's biggest rival (due to history and proximity). He came to detroit just after the Wings's second consecutive Cup win, in part because he felt (correctly) the Hawks were not doing the things necessary to improve the team.

Imagine if Mike Modano played for the Wings for 9 years then played for the Hawks right after they won two Cups and won another Cup with them. There's a fair number of Wings fans who still boo Fedorov. If something like that happened, they sure as hell would boo during an awards ceremony.

I guess that's a long way of saying in this instance I'm not surprised, especially given the Hawks fans already creepy fixation on the Wings. It's just too soon to expect the fans to let bygones be bygones and honor what Cheli did for that team.

[edicius]

And let's take a look at the teams below the Blackhawks right now and where they'd stand against if they win their games in hand.

Here's our baseline:
Chicago: 34 games played, 37 points

Los Angeles: 29 GP, 35 points
Potential points:45 (8 ahead of Chicago)

Phoenix: 30 GP, 35 points
Potential points: 43 (6 ahead of Chicago)

St. Louis: 30 GP, 35 points
Potential points: 43 (6 ahead of Chicago)

Columbus: 31 GP, 35 points
Potential points: 41 (4 ahead of Chicago)

Calgary: 32 GP, 31 points
Potential Points: 35, (2 back of Chicago)

Minnesota: 30 GP, 30 points
Potential Points: 38, (1 ahead of Chicago)

Edmonton: 31 GP, 29 points
Potential points: 35 (2 back of Chicago)

So, of the seven teams that Chicago is ahead of points-wise at the moment, all but two could surpass them with games in hand, which is good enough for 13th place - and even the other two teams (hapless Calgary and Edmonton - teams that have both beaten Chicago) would only be 1 and 2 points back, respectively.

[brett]

That was a good read

Did Bobby hull really walk out?

Can't remember the crowd at the Joe booed anything cept bad calls. Knew the fans were gonna piss me off the second I turned on the game. Dumb

[puckaholic]

That was a good read

Did Bobby hull really walk out?

Can't remember the crowd at the Joe booed anything cept bad calls. Knew the fans were gonna piss me off the second I turned on the game. Dumb

Not at a "we're honoring him for X accomplishment night," but Fedorov and Hossa routinely get/got booed.

[brett]

Not at a "we're honoring him for X accomplishment night," but Fedorov and Hossa routinely get/got booed.

well have to see what happens when hawks come to detroit this season

[newfy]

I just want to point out that Probert was also basically a hometown boy since he was from Windsor. Same situation as Chelios, was traded when he didn't wanna be and whenever he came back to Detroit he got standing ovations watch this and youll see the only person who get s abigger ovation then Probie is Vladdy..




So dont say Detroit would do the same because they wouldn't, in fact they do the exact opposite. Booing Fedorov is different because he basically spit in the face of the Illitch's and bad mouthed more then he should've. Chelios never did anything to Chicago on the level of fedorov.

[haroldsnepsts]

I just want to point out that Probert was also basically a hometown boy since he was from Windsor. Same situation as Chelios, was traded when he didn't wanna be and whenever he came back to Detroit he got standing ovations watch this and youll see the only person who get s abigger ovation then Probie is Vladdy..




So dont say Detroit would do the same because they wouldn't, in fact they do the exact opposite. Booing Fedorov is different because he basically spit in the face of the Illitch's and bad mouthed more then he should've. Chelios never did anything to Chicago on the level of fedorov.

And Hossa?

Probie was nowhere near the same situation as Chelios. Probert had a long history of off ice problems with Detroit and needed a fresh start. He was signed as a free agent by the Hawks after Detroit was done with him. And as beloved as he was, wasn't the star player here in Detroit. By the time he went to the Hawks, he was on his way down. Then another big difference being the Cup wins and the two trajectories of the teams. The Wings at the top and the Hawks headed downward.

What did Fedorov say that badmouthed Detroit? I've always heard him say good things about his time with the Wings.

If you asked Chicago fans, I'm pretty sure they'd say Chelios spit in the face of the Blackhawks.

Edited by haroldsnepsts, 18 December 2010 - 03:46 PM.

[55fan]

Whose idea was it to "honor" Cheli anyway? And why didn't they have Toews do some sort of commercial explaining to the fans that Cheli was a Blackhawk who was a good player and they should cheer when they honor him. Maybe he could even demonstrate how to clap.

[scottj]

In actuality, what Chelios was above and beyond the level of Fedorov in terms of betrayal and classlessness. To everyone disputing my point about Chelios negotiating the trade to Detroit, this is a fact, you can't argue with facts. If he did not want it to happen he wouldn't have asked for it to happen. Take a look at the Hawks 75th anniversary picture posted earlier in this thread... or the time he brought the Stanley Cup to Wrigley if you still do not grasp what a classless individual he is. He deserves every unkind thing done to him by Hawk fans as does that worthless old sack of manure who produced him for wearing that vomit inducing jersey to last night's game.



Dagnabit! you blasted kids got me! just wanted to see if you'd catch that, congratulations, most Wing fans would not be that sharp

HAHAHAHA that's it... it was a test guys!

a test!

no.

Yeah Chelios is such a **** for bringing the cup back to his hometown... he obviously should have just stayed out of state

******* tard

[FIBS]

Alright Gnida is a maroon.

Hawks fans are not classless/disrespectful or whatever for booing him. There were half cheers and half boos any way. He knew he was going to get booed; he told his wife. And despite what you people think, he did in fact negotiate a trade to the red wings. After declaring his "hatred" for the wings. He's from Chicago. Hawks fans had every right to boo him. Just because a google search doesn't find any results for "chelios negotiated trade to detroit" doesn't mean it didn't happen. It did. He, in fact, asked someone else in the organization to talk to Wirtz. That person refused and Chelios had to ask on his own. Chelios then had his agent come up with the deal to detroit. He said he hated detroit and is from Chicago(Evergreen Park actually, its just outside the far southwest side)then subsequently went there when he realized the team was going to s***. Sorry, that is betrayal of the highest form and he got what he deserved and he knew it was coming.

The detroit sucks chants started before your cup run. Started as "Dino(ciccarelli) sucks" when he was on the north stars. When he went to detroit it became detroit sucks and it stuck. The chant doesn't imply the red wings suck. Any true hawks fan doesn't think that of the red wing teams of the last 15 years. It's more of a hate of the city of detroit than the red wings, at least that's the way it seems to me. Most of the bandwagoners just chant it because they think its "what we do". When they really have no idea what it means.

And LOL at the cheering of the national anthem being disrespectful. Far from it. Would you rather have people bs'ing and texting while its being sung or pure support? Many members of the Armed Forces are moved by it. Including a soldier who just received the CMoH. General Schwarzkopf actually showed video of the anthem at the Old Stadium to rally the troops.

Not surprised by some of the experiences some of you had at the UC. It sucks, I know. I go to way less games now because of it. Once at game at the dawn of the "Kane and Toews" era, a "guy" who clearly didn't know a hockey puck from a hostess cup cake wearing a turtle neck and sporting a glass of wine asked me in a pretentious voice, "please sit down, I can't see"... it was during a fight...FML. I couldn't believe it.

[scottj]

It's more of a hate of the city of detroit than the red wings

That's nice...

and completely relevant to hockey

[Brevard]

This isf****** hilarious. You folks are claiming what Wings fans did to Federov was ok but what Hawk fans did to Chelios was wrong?

Bygones my ass. See the photo earlier in the thread. That is a once in a lifetime moment caught in time. Chelios chose to disrespect the franchise and it's fans. At that point it's over.
A decade from now when you celebrate your centenial would it be cool if all the living great donned the Winged wheel and Yzerman demanded to wear a Lightning sweater for the photo? C'mon do not kid yourselves.

As for who boo'd it was by and large the old time fans who chose to boo as they feel the hatred. All the band wagoners pretty much clapped politely.
As as for 90% of Hawk fans being bandwagon fans I used to go to Detroit from Chicago with my father and uncle because there were no tix available in Chicago yet the olympia was empty.
So when Detroit sucked their place was empty and when Chicago sucked there place was empty.

And now for a history lesson.
For the record Chelios leaving can be blamed on both he and Chicago's (DEAD) owner. With a year left on his deal Chelios demanded to have an extension done. Chicago balked. GM Murray (another moron from the Wirtz era) said he hoped after the final year of the deal that he could resign Cheli for a fair amount ... (LESS) hoping to be able to reduce his role by then. Chelios balked and said if he was not resigned he wanted to be traded. Soon after that he is noted on Chicago sports radio as saying he hoped it could be worked out but if not he was open to a trade to any team EXCEPT the Red Wings, that he could never play for them.
So Murray works out a trade and Chelios and Agent are told so they could meet the new GM and see if the extension can be done. Chelios refuses to meet the team and instead wants his agent to run point ... soliciting offers from teams who would be willing to sign Chelios for the amount he wanted. A short time later Chelios's agent gives Murray the offer from the only team that agrees to pay him what he wanted. The rest is history.

Honestly I can live with that whole scenario (money makes the world go round) I cannot blame him for getting all he can. However as someone who has lived and (mostly) died with the Hawks since the mid 60's that picture shown here earlier) cannot be forgotten. That is a permanent scar and the ultimate display of disrespect to Chicago the team and it's fans.

it is why Chicagoans still cheer guys like Larmer, Wilson and even Belfour (who also forced a trade) none of them acted in a manner equal to Chelios.

have a good day.

[detroit_hockey99]

If I was Chelios I would have left the Ice, asked a Fan for a Red Wings Jersey and Ran back out With my two Middle Fingers in the Air!

[Buppy]

Alright Gnida is a maroon.

Hawks fans are not classless/disrespectful or whatever for booing him. There were half cheers and half boos any way. He knew he was going to get booed; he told his wife. And despite what you people think, he did in fact negotiate a trade to the red wings. After declaring his "hatred" for the wings. He's from Chicago. Hawks fans had every right to boo him. Just because a google search doesn't find any results for "chelios negotiated trade to detroit" doesn't mean it didn't happen. It did. He, in fact, asked someone else in the organization to talk to Wirtz. That person refused and Chelios had to ask on his own. Chelios then had his agent come up with the deal to detroit. He said he hated detroit and is from Chicago(Evergreen Park actually, its just outside the far southwest side)then subsequently went there when he realized the team was going to s***. Sorry, that is betrayal of the highest form and he got what he deserved and he knew it was coming.

...

First of all, no matter what the circumstances of his departure were, it's still classless to jeer a former player on a night you're supposed to be honoring them. It's a sports rivalry, not af****** holy war. (And at the time of the trade, and even now, it's barely a legit rivalry. Though I guess Chicago fans would have a different perspective.) Boo him as a player, fine. There's a time and place for it, but last night was not it. If you can't show some respect and appreciation, at least remain silent. If you can't even do that, you're an ass. End of story.

Secondly, unless you can actually produce some evidence no one is going to believe any nonsense about Chelios negotiating his own trade. I'm sure he wanted to go to a contender. At the time that meant Detroit, Colorado, New Jersey, or Dallas (and maybe St.Louis). I think I even remember Holland and Co. wanting to talk to him in person, to make sure he was willing to play here. But I've seen nothing to suggest he was guilty of anything more than changing his mind about never playing for Detroit. The unsubstantiated accusations sound even more petty and ridiculous than the jeering last night.

As for the picture, Chelios was a Wings player at the time the picture was taken, and the teams were actually playing later that night. Maybe it was a superstition thing.

And are Chicago fans really criticizing Chelios for taking the Cup to his hometown, like every other player does with their Cup day?

[FIBS]

First of all, no matter what the circumstances of his departure were, it's still classless to jeer a former player on a night you're supposed to be honoring them. It's a sports rivalry, not af****** holy war. (And at the time of the trade, and even now, it's barely a legit rivalry. Though I guess Chicago fans would have a different perspective.) Boo him as a player, fine. There's a time and place for it, but last night was not it. If you can't show some respect and appreciation, at least remain silent. If you can't even do that, you're an ass. End of story.

Secondly, unless you can actually produce some evidence no one is going to believe any nonsense about Chelios negotiating his own trade. I'm sure he wanted to go to a contender. At the time that meant Detroit, Colorado, New Jersey, or Dallas (and maybe St.Louis). I think I even remember Holland and Co. wanting to talk to him in person, to make sure he was willing to play here. But I've seen nothing to suggest he was guilty of anything more than changing his mind about never playing for Detroit. The unsubstantiated accusations sound even more petty and ridiculous than the jeering last night.

As for the picture, Chelios was a Wings player at the time the picture was taken, and the teams were actually playing later that night. Maybe it was a superstition thing.

And are Chicago fans really criticizing Chelios for taking the Cup to his hometown, like every other player does with their Cup day?

Well, I can't produce links. My sources are "people in the know". I don't blame you for not believing me. That's the way it happened, I'm sorry. My source actually likes Chelios and was likely one of the fans cheering him last night. Even if he is only guilty of changing his mind about detroit its still treasonous and he knows it. He told his wife he was expecting boos(THAT is verifiable). You have to question McDouche for having the heritage night with the wings in town, while Chelios is a member of the wings front office and a year after he retired. So dumb.

edit... and now I just read something on mlive that quotes Chelios as saying he didn't expect a negative reaction. Did he forget the fact that fans booed the announcement of his heritage night? Not sure how he couldn't expect boos. It was pretty obvious. If you people don't see how people feel like they should be then I don't know what to tell you. It's not a consensus either, so for Redmond to blanket all hawks fans as classless for half the stadium booing isn't really fair. But you can tell the guy hates the hawks fans already for the detroit sucks chants.

Edited by FIBS, 18 December 2010 - 06:28 PM.