Chris Chelios The Latest Athlete Who Can't Hang It Up When He Needs To
Retirement is a wonderful thought....to people over 40. Let's face it, at my age I am expecting to work in some capacity of the rest of my life. A lot of people at my age believe that same thing and think with the state of social security, planning for over 65 years of age is on the back burner. Let's face it, the age to retire might be 80 around the time I get an opportunity to do so.
One thing that has always bothered me however is when the millionaire sports figure cannot give it up. They "love" the sport so much, that they want to play till that "desire" (and money) is not there anymore. The latest victim of this is Chris Chelios who just signed a deal with the Atlanta Thrashers minor league affiliate Chicago Wolves.
It's amazing to me how Chicago is reacting to this over the hill 47 year old defenseman who only played 28 games last year with the hated Detroit Red Wings. This is the same Chris Chelios who said "
I'd never play for Detroit" and then promptly headed to Detroit to win that cup. As passionate as Blackhawk fans are, you would think they would remember something like that. I guess not.
Now in a total scheme to sell tickets rather than improve the team, the Wolves signed "Cheli" in hopes he can scratch that NHL itch once again with some team. One day after the Wolves
fire their head coach Don Granato after a 1-5 start to the season, apparently it's better to get butts in the seats to see a senior citizen of the game play 20 minutes of ice time and sell a couple jerseys. I'm sure for the 900 season tickets holders, it's gonna be a thrill to see good ol #7 suiting up for the Wolves. The memories of past success in Chicago (?) and his top of the line talents (he does make a good chili) will surely turn the Wolves season around.
Was Rickey Henderson a draw when he headed to the San Diego Surf Dawgs of the Pacific Coast League. Was Michael Jordan's run in Washington considered a success? How about an aging Willie Mays playing in the big apple? How about Randall Cunningham wrapping his career up with Dallas and Baltimore? Don't get me started on the likes of Magic Johnson, George Forman, and Pele.
The fact that the love of the game is so much that an athlete insists on holding a roster spot on teams that need help is outright dumb. These men need to realize that when your time comes, it's over. They take up room on a teams' roster only for their selfish idea that they "still got it" when in fact "it" has been gone for some time now.
Chris Chelios is now in a long line of over the hill has-beens where their careers will be hurt by how it ends. Playing at the All State Arena on a sub-par hockey team in front of 2,000 people is not the way to go out when the year before you were lifting the Stanley Cup.
Chelios should take some advice from his former teammate
Jeremy Roenick. Retire when it's obvious your talents have left you.
-RoCk
Rock Mamola is the Associate Producer of the Mully And Hanley Morning Show and Host of The Joe O And Rock Show, Saturday nights on WSCR 670AM.
2 Comments
Patrick Boylan said:
Dude, welcome the old guy back to Chicago with some class. I think, to start, he needs a new barber. Maybe you can recommend someone to him.
Rock Mamola said:
welcome him with class?? The same class he showed by lying to the Blackhawk fan base saying he'd never go to Detroit (hated rival) then does just that?
Stay classy Cheli.......
-RoCk
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