When the Red Wings confirmed the hiring of Chris Chelios last week, they were unable to specifically say what his job title with the team will be or what responsibilities he will have. Those things are still essentially to be determined, but Chelios did talk about what he expects to do with the Red Wings in his new role with the team.
"I'm going to do a little bit of everything for the first year ... see how it goes," Chelios told me yesterday. "I told Kenny (Detroit GM Ken Holland) I didn't want to travel a lot because I want to spend a lot of time with my kids." (Chelios has two sons and two daughters. His sons are attending Michigan State University.)
Chelios' desire to not travel a lot is likely one of the main reasons he decided to retire and take a job with the Red Wings. He reportedly did look at a potential option to extend his playing career before retiring, but it would have taken him not only away from home, but all the way to the other side of the world.
Once Chris Chelios confirms his retirement this week, he will join the Detroit Red Wings front office in some sort of mentoring role. But before deciding to pack it in, the venerable defenceman explored the possibility of playing in Russia's Continental Hockey League this season. We're not kidding, nor should you be surprised. If there's a hockey game being played at your neighbourhood rec centre, chances are the rambunctious Chelios would be in it and you would want to hide.
Playing for a team over in Russia likely would have produced a pretty good paycheck (just ask Jiri Hudler), but at this time in his life, Chelios obviously would rather be in the Detroit area, where he will be able to spend time with his family while continuing to work in the world of hockey.