Chris Chelios Quotes (51 Quotes)

If you would've said 10 years ago that I'd be playing at this level, I would've doubted it very much.

Our confidence level should be a lot higher now after putting out a game like that (against Kazakhstan). If you look at the upsets that have happened, you realize that every country is in the thick of it. If you win a game, you are on top of the world and if you lose one, you are back in the pack. We have to worry about Slovakia and win that game.

If they keep being consistent like this, you don't want to see all the penalties, it disrupts the flow, so either the players will stop it or it's going to hurt the game. Only time will tell. Yesterday (Wednesday's game against Colorado) was a great game, not too many penalties, tonight there were a lot of penalties that probably should have been that weren't called, but there was some flow.

His leadership in the room, obviously, has been so important,

The energy he brought. I love a coach who has that kind of passion for hockey. It's just too bad we couldn't finish it for him.

We've got a lot of guys at camp, so it's an opportunity for maybe one of them,

That's the most obscure place you could have it. Most players won't go. I think he set up to discourage as many people as possible from going.

The only thing I can say is, I've been through the same thing, and you do come back strong and you can heal strong and come back the same player 100, ... He's in great shape, and he's a hard worker, so I have no doubt he can come back and be the same play

I wanted it to be like 40-below, wind, storm. That's the only thing that would have saved the Bears. That's what killed them was those passes. Too bad. It was a good year for them.

The biggest thing we stressed with (coach) Herb Brooks was that we needed to get off to a good start and to play with intensity right from the beginning of the tournament. That's the way we have to treat the Olympics. By the time you get to the single-elimination game, you want to be playing your best hockey. We are going to have to make the young guys understand that ... getting our intensity level high right from the beginning.

Maybe we were a little too fancy at times and we just need to get the puck into the net. We made a few mistakes, a little bit over aggressive and if you make mistakes against a quality team like this they will burn you. I think we will get better as the rest of the tournament goes on.

They were teaching you how to act, how to respect other players, just so you get a humble attitude. The leadership I had back then was a great learning experience.

We just can't convert our chances. We had the puck up the middle of the ice a lot, and didn't get anything to show for it.

We wanted to play with passion and excitement, and we did that. We could have very well have won the game. We played well enough to win.

He looks big in there and made some great saves. When he needed to make the big saves, he did.

For whatever reason we did get complacent. For a game we had total control, we were winning, great teams find ways to win and keep leads, especially at this point in the season. There's no excuse for it. But thank God it wasn't a team that (was) chasing us or needed the points, which was a good thing.

In my wildest dreams I would have never, if you had asked me 10 years ago, thought I would still be playing at this level.

There's also the matter of Saskin's contract, a four-year deal that includes a two-year option, worth about 2.1 million annually. That's another thing that Trevor decided to take upon himself, ... It was just Trevor Linden and Ted negotiating with each other.

Ted is censoring the information that we want put out to the players. He has made it difficult for us to communicate.

Obviously, we're disappointed with the outcome again, like the first game, but we can't be frustrated. That's a good team we played. I thought we played well enough to win but they played well, too.

It's one of the few things I haven't accomplished. A great way to end my career with the U.S. hockey team.

The big concern was that nobody knew what was going on.

There's no excuse for it. We did get complacent. We had a game in total control, it was there to win, and good teams keep leads, especially this time of season.

I feel so fortunate to have an opportunity again at my age. In my wildest dreams, never, if you asked me 10 years ago, did I think I'd still be playing at this level.

And as far as on the ice, he gives us just that much more depth. It's going to take him a little time to get his timing, I'm sure. Hopefully, we'll get to ease him in on the power plays. ... Just let him get his feet wet here and let him get used to the speed again. It's been a struggle with him from training camp with the groin. So it's great to have him back in the lineup.

Our special teams, again, we didn't score on our power play, they did. We took some bad penalties. We stay out of the box, no problem, we're in total control.

We went through Alan Eagleson days, and we were told to trust him, and the guy ended up in jail, ... We'll just leave it at that.

Well, you can never say that. I mean, it's hindsight. But skill-wise, talent-wise, I'd say he's up there with anybody. There's no one that was better than him that I played against.

Everybody said it was a big concern going into the last Olympics, but the international game is not as physical as the NHL, so it's not the same. I don't think its going to be an issue at all. It wasn't the last time.

We had no business giving (Columbus) any life ... it cost us a point. Great teams find a way to keep leads and win especially at this point in the season.

You have national television and you're trying to promote scoring. Calling it tight and making the calls, it's all part of it right now. As long as it's consistent and even, I guess that's all you can ask.

Maybe the five days (off) will do me good in the long run. It (the Olympics) was a great experience. Up until the last game we were in every game. You can make all the excuses in the world but good teams find a way to win and we never did that.

The players are determined to ensure that all NHLPA members are fully and completely informed about matters relating to their membership and their futures. This is about democracy and transparency. As veteran players we want to return the Association to i

You watch him and he tries these things and sometimes you're shaking your head, but he pulled that off, and that was a huge goal for us.

Physically, I'm fine. We're looking for offense, we're down a goal, so we got the guys there to try and generate some offense. Obviously, we're disappointed with the outcome again like the first game, but we can't be frustrated. I thought we played well enough to win it, it's just they played well, too.

Right now, with a tie, a loss and a win, we've got to come up with a big game against Sweden.

I started with him. We were rookies together. I've known him a long time. Aside from the health issues, he probably was or is one of the greatest ever. ... As far as one-on-one skill, I don't think there's anybody better.

It's not his desire, it's how he can handle it physically. He hasn't told me a word.

The biggest thing I've done is more water sports and a lot of mountain biking. I think the mountain biking took me to another level - it's all legs, and even balance.

It's a disappointing outcome again, like the first game, but I thought we played well. That's a good team.

I'd like to put in my two cents. I'd like to see Matt Millen coach the team, to be honest with you. Because he keeps talking about they need a disciplinarian guy and a hard-nosed guy that kind of fits the character of the city. I think he's the perfect choice to just get out there and start rocking some heads.

We're on a pretty good roll. We stress being aggressive, but you get bounces, too. They (the Avalanche) had a couple of (scoring) chances. We try to make them make a really good play if we're going to get beat. Right now, it's working pretty well.

That's taking 90 million out of the market place for players. That lowers the market for everyone. That's going to hurt our marquee players. It's contradicting the deal we agreed to.

There is just a problem with the way Ted was chosen -- they didn't follow due process, ... No one knows if Trevor appointed Ted himself, which he had no right to do, because the player reps are supposed to vote on it also. The biggest concern is, no one knows what's going on, and that's a fact. Scott Mellanby , who is a player rep, had no idea that Ted even got an extension, and wasn't even allowed to vote on that. We realize it's not everybody, but there are some players that are unhappy. It's a terrible way to start the season.

I don't think any team could have had a worse scenario than us, missing five guys and the week road trip on the West Coast. It's not an advantage, but that's the way it is.

This is the team that beat the Czechs. All the teams are good. We're disappointed with the outcome, but not the outlook.

Chris Chelios points the finger at the decline of offense in the NHL squarely in one directionthe league's 30 coaches. As long as coaches play their marquee players for 15 minutes a game, it's not going to change, ... Let them play 25-30 minutes and let them score, that's the way it should be. But it's coaches and their systems.

We know we're going to be ready. Every game is so crucial. Every game will be a big game for us. Tonight, we cleaned up a lot of things and we hope to get better. We know what to expect. We know we took too many penalties against Latvia. You can't do that with the skill levels of the teams in this tournament. We're aware of what we have to do.

They say they're not going to go with replacements, (but) we'll see. They'll change their mind overnight.

Time is of the essence and it's running out. We've got to feel good about ourselves.