Chelios autobiography coming soon; first excerpt focuses on trade fallout

[Kurtosis]

You're making gigantic, grand canyon sized leaps.

He's in another galaxy at this point as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ColdSteel2]

You're making gigantic, grand canyon sized leaps.

They're saying he was an ******* for reminding us how ****ed up the situation was. Sorry, that's unacceptable. The disgrace of this organization was very much swept under the rug to the point where the team was basically off the grid. There was no reason to show any respect towards what they were doing, this town should have been treated like Omaha or something, no NHL team, and he did, kudos to him. When something has gone that sour, it needs to be tilled as much as possible, not greeted with "Don't remind me!"

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I'm from Evergreen. My dad is the same age as Chelios. They grew up going to scouts together and played together.

Me not liking Chelios wearing a wings sweater in that picture and coming back with a cup he won with my team's biggest rival doesn't mean I condone what Dollar Bill was doing. They're both wrong.

 

[ColdSteel2]

I can't make any separations with the Dollar Bill Wirtz dark ages era. And looking back in retrospect, I wouldn't change a single thing that embarrassed them, no matter what the reason.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Sure, but if Chelios is going to start slinging mud he should expect to get a bit muddy.

You paint Chris as some white knight champion of morality. That's so far from the case it's mind boggling.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I can't make any separations with the Dollar Bill Wirtz dark ages era.

And there is where lies the problem.

We can hate 1 thing and still find someone else to be an *******. It's not a 1 for 1.

 

[Martin Riggs]

Disgruntled Hawk nailed it. Both parties were wrong. The old man was wrong for being stuck in the 50s and running every star we ever had out of town and Cheli was wrong for rubbing it in our faces the way he did. And he wonders why he's still hated around here... On another note, the Flyers were interested in Chelios back in '99 as well. Had he'd gone there instead of Detroit, I doubt this would be such a sore subject 15 friggin' years later. He wouldn't have won another 2 cups and he probably would have been retired by the time the '05 lockout hit.

 

[hawksrule]

They're saying he was an ******* for reminding us how ****ed up the situation was. Sorry, that's unacceptable. The disgrace of this organization was very much swept under the rug to the point where the team was basically off the grid. There was no reason to show any respect towards what they were doing, this town should have been treated like Omaha or something, no NHL team, and he did, kudos to him. When something has gone that sour, it needs to be tilled as much as possible, not greeted with "Don't remind me!"

Here's an analogy:

Your girlfriend hooks up with your archenemy. They start going out. [mod]You thank her for the reminder of how terribly you were both treated by a third party.

 

[Kurtosis]

And there is where lies the problem.

We can hate 1 thing and still find someone else to be an *******. It's not a 1 for 1.

Apparently in Coldsteel's world everything is a zero-sum game.

 

[ColdSteel2]

He is a Chicagoan though. He's not allowed to bring the Cup back to his hometown and have some fun with it? And he was supposed to walk on egg shells for this sad sack organization? Lucic beat the Canucks on their home ice in a game 7 final and he had his day in Vancouver. The only difference is he did it with the respect that was deserved. The Chelios thing is like a kick the dog situation, looking for the wrong person to take your frustrations out on.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Coldsteel, I agree with you that Chelios has the right to bring the Cup back to his hometown and celebrate his winning it. But fans also have the right to negatively react to that if it bothers them. Chelios doesn't have the right to unconditioned adulation and worship from fellow Chicagoans just because of it being his birthplace and him having played several successful years there. He has to earn that adulation by showing respect to the fans and they will give him adulation back. Chelios did not consider that in his younger days and while some may forgive him now, others will never forgive or forget. Them's the breaks. Chelios complaining about it now isn't going to do anything to change it.

And it's interesting you bring up Lucic as a comparison. Didn't Vancouver fans threaten his grandparents and their Serbian Orthodox church or something, and some dude try to beat him up for him going to a bar in Vancouver last year? That's way beyond anything Hawks fans are doing to Chelios by just reacting negatively to him on an Internet message board when his name is mentioned or having booed him at the United Center.

 

[Elvis P]

He is a Chicagoan though. He's not allowed to bring the Cup back to his hometown and have some fun with it? ...

Yeah and he's also the greatest American player ever. I'm just too patriotic to dislike him. USA! USA!

 

[ColdSteel2]

Personally, I wouldn't have done it in Lucic's situation, not the parade type atmosphere anyway. It would have been more private. The wound was too deep and too fresh and there are too many nut jobs out there. As a fan, it wouldn't bother me if he did but I can understand people being pissed about it. If some of you took his actions toward the organization personally, it is what it is. But at some point, can't people just bury the hatchet? He was a Hawks great, a Chicago born star and like it or not, he was one of the few athletes who went out of his way for the fans while he was here.

 

[Gurth]

I think there are some parallels to the Favre situation here in that I don't for a second believe that either Chelios or Favre were trying to rub any fans' faces in anything.

Think about it. What would Chelios (or Favre) have against the fans?


Favre always maintained that his beef was with Packers' management and I have no reason to doubt him. Problem is that the fans were collateral damage to his beef.

He should have had enough awareness to recognize this and should have thought twice about his course of action.


I believe that Chelios was thumbing his nose at Wirtz and company, not us. What motivation at that point would he have to insult any of us?

The problem is that we all became collateral damage and just like Favre, he should have considered more carefully.


Where the two diverge (for me) is that the Ole Dongslinger was a tool to the Packers for several years leading up to his departure and jumped through hoops to get to the Vikings - who at the time were our most hated rival and were for 10-15 years or more (sorry Bears fans, you're probably back on top now, or would be if you could beat us ).


Anyway, hate him if that's how you feel. I don't coz like Cold Steel, I believe and agree with his motivations, even if I don't agree with his methods. Old man Wirtz is probably the single most hated person of my life in a sports context.

What he did to my favorite team and favorite players can never be forgiven - again, in a sports context.

 

[Blue Liner]

I think there are some parallels to the Favre situation here in that I don't for a second believe that either Chelios or Favre were trying to rub any fans' faces in anything.

Think about it. What would Chelios (or Favre) have against the fans?


Favre always maintained that his beef was with Packers' management and I have no reason to doubt him. Problem is that the fans were collateral damage to his beef.

He should have had enough awareness to recognize this and should have thought twice about his course of action.


I believe that Chelios was thumbing his nose at Wirtz and company, not us. What motivation at that point would he have to insult any of us?

The problem is that we all became collateral damage and just like Favre, he should have considered more carefully.


Where the two diverge (for me) is that the Ole Dongslinger was a tool to the Packers for several years leading up to his departure and jumped through hoops to get to the Vikings - who at the time were our most hated rival and were for 10-15 years or more (sorry Bears fans, you're probably back on top now, or would be if you could beat us ).


Anyway, hate him if that's how you feel. I don't coz like Cold Steel, I believe and agree with his motivations, even if I don't agree with his methods. Old man Wirtz is probably the single most hated person of my life from a sports context.

Good post.

 

[hawksrule]

Yeah and he's also the greatest American player ever. I'm just too patriotic to dislike him. USA! USA!

I think Leetch is right there with him.