Chris Chelios talked today about not shaking hands with the Anaheim players after Tuesday's Game 6 loss that ended the Red Wings season. He sounded like a man who was facing the possibility that he might have played his final game (although there is a good chance he'll return next season). Also like a man who saw a lot of things happen this past winter, including an employee at his restaurant being killed by an ex-employee who is the son of another restaurant employee. Add into that his son finishing his final year of high school in the area and preparing to head out west to play in the USHL and these are the comments that Chelios made after clearing out his locker, Friday:
"I’m the biggest believer in tradition, having honor and showing class. To be totally honest -- this is not an apology I couldn’t lie – with all sincerity, trying to keep it together in the last 20 seconds of the game realizing we were going to get knocked out, it was almost a blackout kind of thing. Going to the room, coming back and shaking hands with the coaches. Whether you’re going to get sick and throw up or bawling your eyes out. It’s a situation where I’ve found myself not being able to control my emotions maybe twice in my life. The first thing I thought about a day later was to explain to my sons why because I try to teach them everything you’re supposed to do. I mean this with all sincerity … no disrespect to the Ducks, no animosity towards them … I just couldn’t control it. I don’t want to get into the details. I’ve always done the right thing and tried to do the right thing. Set a great example for the Detroit Red Wings and my family. … I’ve been through a lot off the ice as well as on the ice which might have had something to do with it. In the last 20 seconds, a lot went through my head."