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Chris Chelios joked after Tuesday’s practice that he’d like to fight Claude Lemieux at Cheli’s Chili Bar, the bar/restaurant he owns in downtown Dearborn, and broadcast it live on pay-per-view.
“It’ll be awesome,” he said with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
And then there’s Kris Draper, whose face was none too delicately rearranged by Lemieux way back in May of 1996. Think he’s worried about bumping into Detroit’s former number one foe? Not at all.
“I’ve played against him before,” Draper said to reporters. “I didn’t just play against him in ’97 and that was the end of it.”
And that about sums up the collective thinking in the Wings locker room as the Lemieux-laden Sharks swim into Detroit tonight for the teams’ final meeting of the season.
Bottom line: No one cares about Lemieux’s so-called “return” to Joe Louis Arena. The Wings have more important things to think about than a 43-year-old former champion squeezing the last bit of goop out of the tube that is his hockey career. You know, like shaping up for the playoffs and ensuring injured players are healthy and ready to go come April.
Continued Draper:
“There’s more to it than what happened back in 1996 or 1997. But I guess it’s a fun story line so I get to talk about it today and probably tomorrow and then probably San Jose’s media wants to talk about it on Wednesday. So, I’ll try to work on my clichés for you guys over the next couple of days.”
Beyond that there’s really nothing else for Detroit to concern themselves with. Lemieux has played 14 games with the Sharks since making his Ali-like return to hockey, and in the span of those games has earned one point while averaging just seven minutes of ice time per game and spending 17 minutes in the penalty box.
Not exactly MVP material, but then again one doesn’t need much ice time to get inside the head of the opposing team.
In the eyes of Chelios, who to be fair can be quite the pest himself, Lemieux is and always will be an agitator.
“He obviously ticked someone off last week when he got pummeled,” Chelios said, referring to Lemieux’s fight against Theo Peckham of the Edmonton Oilers. “He still managed to keep his mask on, what a surprise. But, that’s what he says, and if it’s still in him at his age to go out there and do that … obviously that’s why they got him, for his experience. There’s something to be said for luck – whether it’s luck or skill, he’s got the Cups to prove it. Maybe they figured Lady Luck will be on their side to have someone with that kind of experience and success.”
So what about that fight between Chelios and Lemieux?
“I’d pay for it, but I’d expect to get in for free at Cheli’s,” Nicklas Lidstrom said. “Who do I think would win? That’s hard. I haven’t seen Cheli fight in a while.”
Said Draper:
“I go straight home after games. I’ll pass. I’ve got some ‘24’s that I’ve got to catch up on, so I’ll watch those.”
In other words let’s move on. There’s a hockey game to be played tonight between two teams, one of which will probably be hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup come June. The Sharks lead the Wings by five points and have two games in hand.
“It’s one of those games that you really look forward to,” Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “They’ve been playing really well, and they’ve got a great team, good goaltending and a great roster overall. It’ll be a great matchup. It feels like we’re ready for them.”
The puck drops at 7:30; Lemieux is just a sideshow.
Notes
- With Brad Stuart returning to the lineup tonight Chris Chelios is a healthy scratch.
- Tonight’s lines will be:
F1. Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Cleary
F2. Franzen-Filppula-Hossa
F3. Hudler-Helm-Samuelsson
F4. Leino-Draper–Maltby
D1. Lidstrom-Rafalski
D2. Kronwall-Stuart
D3. Lilja-Meech
- Ty Conklin is starting in net.
Paul Benvin covers the Detroit Red Wings for The Hockey Writers. Feel free to contact him with tips, video, or general dissension.
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Yeah, that’s what they SAY, but if I were a Wing, Claude wouldn’t last two shifts since Draper is still around…if I was never his teammate, I’d just have to make it clear he better not try anything like that if he wants to see his family again!