Update (23. Jun, 9:40 AM): Interesting Holland quote in the Windsor Star regarding a possible future in Detroit should he have trouble signing elsewhere:
“I told him to spend the summer (looking) and if things don’t work out we can talk down the road.”
I assume that such a discussion would involve a front office position and not a playing one. Good to see the Wings standing by to take care of the guy if needed. - Matt
The end of the Chelios Era in Detroit, that is. The Wings will not offer him a contract this summer, opening the possibility that he may be forced into retirement. Here’s hoping someone picks him up (Chicago, Bill suggests), because I’d hate to see one of America’s great players have no option but to hang them up.* Retirement for a guy like Chelios should come on his terms.
Thanks for the past decade, Cheli, and good luck going forward.
*Can’t find verification on this with a quick Google search, so correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t Murphy and Fetisov left unsigned before being forced to retire due to disinterest around the League? The landscape has changed in the NHL since those years, and that could mean increased chances of being picked up for Chelios, but I wouldn’t call it a lock.