More photos » by Ryan Remiorz - AP

Browse more photos »

"I met with Chelios and told him we would not be offering him a contract. He wants to play again. I really think that he does have another year in him. I think he can play 10 to 15 minutes. I think he can play on a third pair."

– Red Wings GM Ken Holland

There's no room for a mentor under the salary cap as currently constructed, as if there were, I imagine this decision doesn't get made. As it is, the Red Wings need to save every dollar – and roster spot – they can in a bid to climb the mountain once again in 2009-10.

On Jan. 8, 2008, Chelios became the second-oldest player in NHL history, and for many current hockey fans, that may be how he'll be remembered: as a veteran who continued to play well after a great career, a player from another era who came as close as anyone is likely ever to in matching Gordie Howe's incredible longevity.

It appears Chelios's incredible career has finally come to a close, and there's no question he'll be a shoe-in as a Hall of Famer the moment he's eligible.

Chelios is unpopular in many NHL circles for the way he played and things he said in his heyday, but he's also rather incredible if you think of him this way: At 6-feet tall and about 190 pounds, he's not a big man – especially given how nasty he played. He was also never the fastest skater or top offensive dynamo in the league, and came from a town in Chicago that, while steeped in hockey history, isn't known for producing hockey heroes. Many fans don't know this, but his family actually relocated to California while he was a teen, and he was cut from Junior B teams in Western Canada before finding a home with the Moose Jaw Canucks of the sub-major junior SJHL in Saskatchewan.

That team took a chance on him at 17, he piled up 87 and 175 penalty minutes at 18, and the Habs' savvy draft staff took him 40th overall at the end of the second round of the 1981 entry draft (the same year Dale Hawerchuk, Doug Smith, Bobby Carpenter and Grant Fuhr were picked, all of whom retired nine or more years ago).

After that, Chelios was a star, first in the NCAA and then finally in the NHL at age 22. Despite playing the fourth-most regular-season games in league history, in other words, he was a late-bloomer.

So, after 25 NHL seasons – including a league-record 24 in the postseason – three Canada Cups, four Olympic Games, one stint in Switzerland, one season in the UHL at age 43, two World Cups, 11 all-star appearances, three Stanley Cups and three Norris trophies later, it's time to tip our collective hats to one Mr. Chris Chelios.

Even if you can't stand the guy.

The one reason I was really in his corner this season for the Masterton Trophy was the fact that this looked like the end of his run, despite the desire to go on, and I honestly can't see another team take a chance on his services at age 47. That he lasted this long in what can be a brutal, young man's game is, I think, something to be commended.