There was a time when any supporter of the Detroit Red Wings would have found the notion to be unfathomable. The news that Chris Chelios was leaving town would have been greeted with suggestions of good riddance and and advice to not let the door hit him in the butt on his way out.
Even Chelios had to admit that sometimes, even nearly two decades later, it still does seem a bit surreal to him as well.
“Admittedly, I was skeptical about the 1999 trade that brought me to Detroit,” Chelios said in a statement. “As a Chicago guy who was playing for the Blackhawks at the time, we despised those Detroit teams of the 1990s.”
Acquired in a blockbuster deal with the rival Blackhawks at the 1999 NHL trade deadline, Chelios was part of a pair of Stanley Cup winners as a Red Wing and in 2001-02, finished second to teammate Nicklas Lidstrom in the Norris Trophy voting.
“After the trade, however, things changed quickly and I began to feel right at home,” Chelios said. “What an unbelievable experience, playing on some of the greatest teams in league history, with some of the greatest players of all-time. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a part of it all. The Cup-winning teams in 2002 and 2008 are the obvious highlights, but I’m grateful for every chance I had to put on a Red Wings sweater.”
Chelios announced Thursday that he is leaving the Red Wings organization after nearly 19 years to be closer to his family in Chicago. Since retiring as a player in 2010, Chelios, 56, has worked in coaching and player development with the team, and served as an advisor and an ambassador for the franchise.
He’d always shied away from taking on more of a full-time role, especially on the coaching side of the game, wanting the flexibility to be able to get home at a moment’s notice and help out with his aging parents.
“For me, this is an opportunity to move back to Chicago to be closer to family, and in particular my mother,” Chelios said. “I began to seriously consider moving home last February after the passing of my father. Now that my children have all graduated, it seems like the ideal time for my wife, Tracee, and I to make the move.”
He added that while the Red Wings will no longer be his employer and that Detroit won’t be his home, Chelios wants everyone to know that you haven’t seen the last of him in Hockeytown.
“To the fans in Detroit – I want to say thank you,” Chelios said. “You embraced me from day one. My experience in Detroit was a lot of fun and we definitely had some unforgettable times together. Just know that I won’t be a stranger. I plan on visiting the area whenever I can, especially now that my son, Jake, is playing in the Wings organization.”
Jake Chelios, 27, signed as a free agent with the Red Wings organization earlier this summer. A defenseman and a former Michigan State Spartan, he spent the last five seasons in the AHL, the first two with the Chicago Wolves and the last three with the Charlotte Checkers.
Tommy Boy Says Bye-Bye
One of the worst first-round draft picks in Red Wings history is no longer a Red Wing. Goaltender Tom McCollum earlier this week signed an AHL deal with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Selected 30th overall by the Wings in the 2009 NHL entry draft because at the time the Wings were panicked by the slow development of Jimmy Howard as an NHL prospect, McCollum appeared in three games for the team, posting one victory and a save percentage of .879.
While hindsight is always 20-20, among the players the Wings left on the board when they selected McCollum was Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, the sort of elite puck-moving blueliner Detroit sadly lacks. And later in the draft, the best goalie available was taken when the Washington Capitals tabbed Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup winner Braden Holtby.
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