Chelios: Def Leppard dissed the Stanley Cup
Do not invite Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios and Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott to the same party because the gloves will come off.
Chelios accused Elliott of disrespecting the Stanley Cup during the band’s performance at the “NHL Face-Off Rocks” show at a Detroit concert venue last week. During the show’s encore, Elliott saluted the sport by holding the Cup over his head the same way that the players do after winning the Stanley Cup, and then placed the trophy upside down on the stage.
Backstage observers said that Elliott was in a bad mood all evening and seemed like he wanted to be elsewhere. Some thought his actions on stage were Elliott’s way of taking his frustrations out on the NHL.
Chelios promises he will get even for the honor of the league.
Now, that will be a show.
League braces for an economic storm
The country’s struggling economy isn’t good for anyone, but NHL officials are bracing for one or two Southern-based franchises to look at moving to thriving hockey markets due to the weakening economic climate.
Team executives are concerned that the mess on Wall Street will likely have a direct effect on sales to fans and corporate sponsors this season. If revenues go down, the NHL salary cap will likely decrease by as much as 15 percent (or $8 million) per team.
The cap requires management to make tough decisions and improve their talent evaluation process. The impact of the economic crisis could be felt throughout the NHL for as long as five to 10 years.
Blackhawks fire Denis Savard
The first NHL coach was let go after only four games and just hours after his team’s first victory of the season. The Chicago Blackhawks fired Denis Savard on Thursday and replaced him with Joel Quenneville.
Savard’s plan was to improve on what the young Blackhawk team accomplished last season, hoping to become a playoff contender this season. But he will not get that chance, as general manager Dale Tallon phoned him on Thursday morning with the team’s decision.
Rocky Wirtz took over the day-to-day operations of the team following last year’s death of his father, Bill Wirtz. He made a pledge to the fans this off-season to have the Blackhawks back in the playoffs and he hopes to eventually win a Stanley Cup.
The Chicago media is speculating that Wirtz felt all along that he needed someone else behind the bench. Quenneville will bring a wealth of experience and a winning track record that could have an immediate impact on the young team.
