Red Wings blueliner and first-generation Helleno-American Chris Chelios isn't letting the lockout keep him out of ice sports. He
took three practice runs in a two-man bobsled down Mount Van Hoevenberg last week in preparation for a possible tryout for the 2006 Greek Olympic team.
What's that? You didn't know Chelios was Greek? Well, his branch of the family tree doesn't use an especially Greeky transliteration of the name. Check the alternate spelling used by his cousin
Nikos Tselios, an almost ten-year pro hockey vet with two NHL appearances on his rap sheet.
"That might hurt worse than hockey," Chelios told the press after his first run. "Geez! What a rush. We had some good speed. It's the fastest thing I've ever done. You don't have any control the way you're moving, I'll tell you that. I'm nervous now.'' Chelios's sleigh reportedly raced at speeds over 80 miles per hour. Here are a
couple pictures of
Chelios's day on Mount Van Hoevenberg.
In unrelated Chelios news, the veteran defenseman
endorsed Wayne Gretzky for League commissioner, a post the Great One is not seeking. Gretzky issued a statement that "Chris' comments are flattering, but I have no interest in being the commissioner of the NHL."