Chronicle Online 3/29: Hawks freefall continues

Hawks freefall continues

By Lawrence Benedetto
Vitality Editor

It can’t get any worse than this.

This has to be the lowest point as a Chicago Blackhawks history. When Chris Chelios was traded last Tuesday, my mind, my body and my heart collectively stopped, completely stunned at the latest turn of events. How could the Chicago Blackhawks do this to their fans for the third time in three years?

First, it was Jeremy Roenick, a gritty goal scorer who wasn’t afraid to hit anybody. Hawks’ management could ‘nt make “J.R.” play by their rules when it came to a contract, so the fan favorite was shipped to Phoenix. In exchange, Hawks fans have been forced to put up with Alexei Zhamnov, a finesse player who has only performed up to his expectations in spurts throughout his Chicago career.

Second, it was Eddie Belfour, the outstanding goaltender who carried the Blackhawks too many times during his years here. In the 1995 playoffs, it was his stellar performance alone that kept the Hawks alive, no better witnessed than during the Campbell Conference Finals against the much more talented Detroit Red Wings. Fans loved him, and every night he played, he received the warm cries of “Edd-ie, Edd-ie” raining down from the stands. But, once again, during the 1996-97 season, management decided it would be a bad idea to pay a marquee player, so he was shipped to San Jose for Ulf Dahlen, Michal Sykora and Chris Terreri. In other words, three stiffs who did little to excite the fans and even less to help the organization. Not once did I ever hear an “Ulf-ie, Ulf-ie,” chant coming from a United Center crowd.

Now, this. Nothing can be worse than this. Chris Chelios, the Chicago-born, tough-as-nails defenseman was made to be a Blackhawk. When the Blackhawks brought him home by trading for him in 1990, he immediately became a fan favorite. In 1995, he became the team’s captain, and nobody seemed to be a better fit.

During the past two seasons, the Hawks have completely collapsed and become the worst team in the Western Conference. It has been especially tough on Chelios, the self-proclaimed “Blackhawk until the end of my career.” He has looked his age a few times this season, but he was playing well since Lorne Molleken took over as head coach.

Once again, Hawks’ management stepped in with hard-line tactics regarding their star’s contract situation, and they refused to grant Chelios’s wish for a two-year extension. Chelios was hurt by the team’s lack of support and decided to allow General Manager Bob Murray to listen to trade offers.

And listen he did.

Chelios was shipped to the hated Detroit Red Wings in exchange for defenseman Anders Eriksson, a player who’s name you will most likely soon forget, along with a pair of first-round draft choices. Since the Blackhawks have proven in the last ten years that they are inept when it comes to choosing young talent, don’t expect much out of those two picks.

Of all the teams in the National Hockey League, why did it have to be Detroit? This never would have happened ten years ago, when the Hawks and Dead Wings were themost bitter rivals in the league. By principle, Chicago would have never dealt their beloved captain to the despised hockey club from “Hockey Town U.S.A.”

Who is to blame for this unwarranted trade? Both sides actually. Murray, owner Bill Wirtz and the rest of Hawks’ management deserve much of the “credit” for dealing Chelios. They continue to deny their stars the money and respect they deserve, so their stars continue to walk away from the organization. If he got a good deal, Wirtz would probably trade away the Blackhawks’ Indian-head logo, the centerpiece of Chicago’s storied organization.

On the other hand, Chelios deserves some of the blame too. All year he claimed that he never wanted to leave the team, that he wanted to finish his career in Chicago. Just two months ago, when asked about the possibility of being traded to Detroit, he answered with a defiant “No,” saying that he “hated that place too much.”

There must have been a change of heart from the most quintessential Blackhawk since the days of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. Chelios let the absorbent amount of money Detroit offered get in the way with his solid stance as a lifetime Chicago Blackhawk. That’s more disappointing than the trade itself.

When I saw highlights of Chelios skating onto the Joe Louis Arena ice Wednesday night in a Dead Wings jersey, it made me sick. For nine years, he defended the pride of Chicago. In fact, he was the pride of Chicago. All of that went out the window when he put the red-and-white winged-spoke over his head.

Chelios will be sorely missed in Chicago, but his departure is simply the next step in the Chicago Blackhawks organization’s downward spiral.