If Big Brother were watching Chris Chelios Friday night, it wasn’t in Joe Louis Arena. The Blackhawks defenseman–who was sure to be under league scrutiny after suggesting possible retaliation against Detroit’s Igor Larionov for slashing Hawks defenseman Steve Smith Sunday–did not make the trip here.
The official word was that Chelios has the flu. Asked after Thursday’s game about a report from Toronto that he had injured ligaments in his right thumb Sunday, Chelios deadpanned: “Who me?” and turned up his hands displaying two normal-appearing thumbs.
Rookie Ivan Droppa played in Chelios’ place.
Saving Craven: Murray Craven did not make the trip either, and coach Craig Hartsburg said Craven, who has been bothered by a bad back, will not play Sunday in the season finale against St. Louis.
“He’s feeling good,” Hartsburg said, “but at this point you’ve got to be smart. He’s better off if he sits out a few more days so he’ll be fresh for the playoffs.”
Fresh start: Bernie Nicholls was given the night off, giving much-traveled journeyman Danton Cole his first start in a Hawks uniform.
Cole, 27, now has played for five National Hockey League teams and entered Friday’s game with 58 goals in 316 games. His best season was 1993-94, when he scored 20 for Tampa Bay.
Cole was acquired in a minor-league transaction involving defenseman Bob Halkidis, who never appeared in a Hawks uniform.
Playoff details: The Hawks will open the playoffs Wednesday in the United Center against an opponent still to be determined. Game 2 of the first-round series will be Friday.
Tight-lipped: The NHL’s official stance on Hawks owner Bill Wirtz’s charge that there is one set of rules for the Hawks, another for the rest of the league: No comment.