from Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press,

Then, just four days after announcing he was leaving the Wings and planned on visiting Detroit whenever he could, Chelios took a job Monday as a Blackhawks ambassador.

Really, Cheli? Four days? Couldn’t wait just a little longer for the tears in Detroit to dry? I assumed he would take a job with the Blackhawks eventually. But four days?

This feels like it was orchestrated from the start. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe the timing was just an incredible coincidence.

But if Chelios’ job with the Hawks was already in the works last week, he should have waited to announce his move and his new job at the same time. I could understand a beloved player saying he’s leaving Detroit to be closer to family and also taking a job with his hometown team, even if it is a hated rival. It would make sense. The dude’s moving and he needs a job.

Instead, the delayed announcement feels like a calculated manipulation. And Chelios never acted that way when I covered him over the years. He was always a go-to guy and a straight shooter in the Wings’ dressing room. He was honest – probably too honest if you ask NHL commissioner Gary Bettman – and he didn’t pander.

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