The good old hockey game

AL PODGORSKI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image 

Chris Chelios played his first game for the Chicago Wolves Friday night as his club fell 1-0 to the Manitoba Moose in a shootout.

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- On a night when the Manitoba Moose -- and one former Manitoba Bison -- moved freely among Wolves and 42-year-old Mike Keane was just the second oldest player on the ice, everything seemed possible.

And so here it is, from the opening faceoff to the final horn:

First period

They put on quite a pre-game show. Fireworks, fireballs, lots of fire... And lots of smoke. There's a thick haze hanging over the ice as they prepare to drop the puck. It reminds me of those old photos of the Montreal Forum in the 1970s, when you needed a ticket and a pack-a-night habit to attend a Habs game... Izzy Idonije, who played for the University of Manitoba Bisons before he played for the Chicago Bears, dropped the ceremonial first puck, wearing a Wolves jersey emblazoned with the No. 71... Wayne freaking Messmer sang the anthems tonight. Yeah, that Wayne Messmer, the guy who at old Chicago Stadium nightly walked the line between singing an anthem and inciting a riot. He's still got great pipes, but the atmosphere here at the Allstate Arena isn't nearly the same.

There's the old Winnipeg Jet Ron Wilson behind the Wolves bench. Wilson and Don Lever were hired as assistant coach and coach this week and are making their debut tonight... This guy Chris Chelios can apparently play hockey.

In the first 150 seconds, he's got a shot on goal and a shot on Moose winger Dusty Collins, who the probable Hall of Famer absolutely levelled as an unsuspecting Collins made the mistake of going for a skate down the left side... Moose goalie Cory Schneider's been great, making eight stops in just the first 10 minutes.

Second Period

The Wolves got a phantom hooking penalty as the siren blasted at the end of the first... Never saw it and it doesn't matter as the Moose don't get a single shot on the power play... There was talk of 10,000 fans for the night, with the Wolves taking out full page ads in the papers and 30-second spots on local TV heralding the return of Chelios to Chicago... Doesn't look like 10 grand to me...The Allstate Arena also houses DePaul's once-vaunted men's basketball team...

You know this is a Polish town when they: a) run a perogy promotion on the big screen and b) they actually spell perogy the way it's supposed to be spelled -- Pierogi. Dziekuje bardzo...Just got the crowd count -- a paltry 5,023... That's awful in a place that usually draws well. Wonder how many they'd have drawn without Chelios making his return? Strange... The Chelios thing -- Karen Crouse of the New York freaking Times had a credential for tonight. I don't see her in the press box though... 47-year-old Chelios just hacked 23-year-old Moose winger Sergei Shirokov on the ankle. Must be like getting slashed by your dad...

Third Period

Moose defenceman Brian Salcido, who got a concussion the last time these two teams played and had missed six games because of it, is back in the lineup and looks great, sending teammate Guillaume Desbiens in alone on Manny Legace. Desbiens fans... And so it's gone for the Moose offence lately... The arena here is out in the Chicago suburbs, just a few minutes from O'Hare... I know the people in River Heights complain that plane wheels scrape their roofs, but at least you don't need a mortgage to take a cab to the Winnipeg airport. The cab ride from downtown Chicago to O'Hare? $80 -- minimum... Still 0-0. These two teams might never score... Fun to watch great goaltending -- a former NHLer and a future NHLer.

Overtime

Those other 5,000 fans that never showed up tonight missed an outstanding hockey game... I love 4-on-4 in overtime. Both teams get a point and then they play wide open for the extra one. Purists hate it, but it's fun to watch... Shootout? Not so much. But here we go anyway... And the Moose veterans get it done -- Mike Keane and Matt Pettinger score in the shootout to give the Moose a sweet bus ride to Milwaukee.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 24, 2009 D1