On the line
What started out as speculation turned into trade rumors about Blackhawks star defenseman Chris Chelios, and apparently with good reason.
Seems Vancouver coach Mike Keenan came after Chelios the way he always goes after players he has coached before.
Chelios, bothered by trade rumors earlier because he doesn’t want to leave his hometown, nonetheless said, “I know for a fact Mike called the Hawks (to talk trade),” and the Hawks said go away.
But still, would you play for Keenan again?
“Only if he coaches in Chicago.”
Special K
During a game last week in Detroit, Keenan pulled the plug late in the second period after his team fell behind 2-0 to Detroit. He sat his top six players, believing there was no way the Canucks could overcome a 2-0 deficit to the Wings and trying to save them for a game the next night in Buffalo.
While he stood placidly behind the bench, he apparently pitched a major fit in the dressing room during the second intermission, the fourth known explosion in his two-plus months on the job. The Vancouver Province reported that Keenan grabbed an air fan at one point and started pummeling it. Said one player: “He lost it again. He’s just as frustrated as we are with this. He just doesn’t handle it very well.”
Lucky Keenan’s a changed man.
Top story
During a dinner over the All-Star weekend in Vancouver, former Blackhawk Dennis Hull was called to the podium to speak.
But suddenly, he dashed backstage for several minutes. When he reappeared, an eyewitness said, he had a wavy, brown hairpiece on his balding head.
Yep, Bobby’s.
On the Market
Attention Bob Murray, Hawks GM:
Florida GM Bryan Murray said Phoenix GM Bobby Smith asked if the Panthers were interested in either Jeremy Roenick or Keith Tkachuk in a trade because finances may stop the Coyotes from keeping both.
Tkachuk is only one of the three best power forwards in the world and perhaps the only one who might be available, because Eric Lindros and John LeClair aren’t leaving Philadelphia.
It’s about nothing
Yankees chief annoyance George Steinbrenner was on MSNBC’s “News Chat,” discussing the end of “Seinfeld,” in which Steinbrenner has been portrayed as George Costanza’s boss.
“If you can’t laugh at yourself and have others laughing at you, it’s pretty sad,” Steinbrenner said. “Now that doesn’t apply to my players. They are not allowed to laugh at me.”
Pretty picture
John Elway vividly recalls his NFL debut 15 seasons ago, stepping to the line of scrimmage and seeing Pittsburgh’s Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert on the other side.
“He had no teeth and he was slobbering all over. I’m thinking, `You can have your money back, just get me out of here. Let me go be an accountant.’ I can’t even tell you how badly I wanted out of there.”
Little help
Shaquille O’Neal has been seen practicing free throws outside his mondo-expensive home in Los Angeles, according to John Salley, who lives down the street.
And reportedly shagging balls for him one time was his former LSU coach, Dale Brown.
Quotable
New York Knicks forward Charles Oakley, on the impact of Patrick Ewing’s injury: “Everyone knows since Patrick went down, we’ve been underhanded.”
