2009 NHL off-season trades, rumours, draft thread

It's just good, old-fashioned ribbing, GB. Happens all the time here, no matter the sport.

 

Good Lord, take the broom stick out of your ass and laugh, GB.

 

Is there a specific reason for this? Is it that he wants to prove he can still do it, can't give up the itch, or what?

 

Specific reason for what? Calling it a career? Because he's old.

My point (and maybe it wasn't completely clear) is that he would like to play (he has mentioned about wanting to play in four decades.

But he is also realistic that he may not get another chance to play. And that he would be content in retiring to his restaurants, as well as watching his kids play in the area.

 

No, for wanting to carry on. Would you say it's principally the wanting to play in four decades thing?

 

No kidding.

 

I'm sure the Penguins' focus is now squarely on keeping Fedotenko on Malkin's line. Losing Gill and Scuderi is a big blow, but fortunately for the Penguins, they've got some depth there in Wilkes-Barre.

 

A friend of mine who played Senior AA hockey until he was past 40 had the perfect attitude: "play as long as you can - you have the rest of your life to watch."

 

What Steve Chelios (Chris' brother) told me in May (he was hired to coach the local junior A team and I did the story) was that Chris is just a stubborn ole SOB who wants to prove everyone wrong, go out on his own terms, not as a healthy scratch by a coach who didn't appreciate him. Said that Chris had mentioned playing until age 50.

Now, personally, I disagree and think Chris should have retired about 3-4 years ago. But it was interesting to hear that side of the story from someone who knows him.

 

If going out on his own terms was really important to him, retiring on top (in 2008) would have made for a great exit.

My feeling about it is, Chelios should keep playing for as long as someone wants to keep paying him to do so. But he should make it clear, if and when he signs his next contract, that if he's going to sign, he's going to want to play a regular shift and not be a seventh defenceman who gets to dress once every 10 games or so. What's the point in that?

Basically it means that if a team actually thinks he can help in a regular role, at a reasonable salary, it'll come calling. And if he seriously wants to play for the sake of playing, his salary expectations will be based on that wanting rather than his history.

 

I seem to remember an interview on TV a few years ago when he started to get up there in age, and of course the issue of how long he wanted to play came up. Now if I remember correctly he said he wanted to break Howe's games played record. That record is actually within reach. Howe played 1,767 NHL regular season games. Chelios is at 1,644. Give him two full seasons and he is there.

 

Pens keep Fedotenko. Rumored terms: 1 x $1.8M