Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbooks) - Chris Chelios has participated in three Winter Olympics, all as a member of the United States hockey team. He may make it four Olympics in 2006, but not in the way that you think.
Chelios is acting on a new interest, the bobsled, with the hope of competing for Greece at the '06 games in Turin, Italy. The 42-year-old is training with the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation this week, learning the art of being a brakeman.
"I am looking forward to getting the experience of learning the ropes of bobsledding," said Chelios. "It's a great opportunity to work with the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and their athletes. I hope this is the first stepping stone on my way to making it to the next Olympic Games."
Chelios is training with 2002 Olympian Jean Racine, 2002 Olympic Gold Medalist Vonetta Flowers, upcoming National team men's bobsled driver John Napier, as well as Olympic coaches from the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation.
Chelios has spent the last five-plus seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, winning his second Stanley Cup in 2002. He is currently a free agent.
HITCH HEADS SOUTH
Philadelphia Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock is coaching this fall, during training camp for the Corpus Christi Rayz of the Central Hockey League. To fill the teaching void in his life, the former Stanley Cup winner is with the team this week through next Sunday.
"Hopefully I can bring something to training camp and I am looking forward to working with both teams," said Hitchcock, who will also help out with the New Mexico Scorpions during his time south. "I'm missing the teaching aspect of the game right now, and I think this is a great opportunity to get back into that."
TSN CANADA PUTS NHL, NHLPA IN THE HOT SEAT
On Tuesday night, one day before what was supposed to be the start of the NHL season, The Sportsbooks, of Canada put the top negotiators for the league and Players' Association in their "Hot Seat." Bill Daly, chief legal officer of the NHL, and NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin faced several questions from a panel that included TSN's Bob McKenzie and Gord Miller, as well as Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox.
During the session, Daly and Saskin were kept separate so they could not hear the other's answers.
Among the issues covered with Daly were the recent comments made by new Atlanta Thrashers owner Steve Belkin saying that replacement players would be considered if the lockout lasts for a year.
"Steve wasn't talking on behalf of the National Hockey League, he was talking on behalf of Steve Belkin," said Daly. "To be quite honest, he's been an owner of the Atlanta Thrashers for only 4 months, he's only been to one board meeting. I think Steve was talking about maybe what he would do if he was in our situation, he wasn't talking on behalf of the league."
Saskin, meanwhile, was asked why a salary cap wouldn't work for the NHL, considering how both the NBA and NFL have flourished with a cap system.
"Well they may be the most successful leagues, for the owners, but I don't think that their systems are particularly fair for the players, and necessarily for fans," Saskin said. "So I don't know that I would agree that they are the most successful sports in that sense."
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN
The NHL would have had seven games on the docket Wednesday night to kick off the 2004-05 season. The Tampa Bay Lightning would have raised their Stanley Cup banner before facing the Philadelphia Flyers in a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals.
Instead, fans across the land are struck with their local regional sports channel showing "classic" games of yesteryear. Among such offerings is "Predators Classics" to be shown on Fox Sports Net South in Nashville.
Ten Predators games from years past -- all six of them -- will be shown in the coming month. Considering that the Preds have been in existence since 1998 and they have made the playoffs only once, don't you think they are stretching a bit here? I guess, though, when you're desperate for programming, you're desperate for programming.
