San Jose Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick, a former Blackhawk, ripped into Red Wings coach Mike Babcock on Comcast Sportsnet in Chicago this morning for
not playing defenseman Chris Chelios in the playoffs, claiming he has disrespected him and has a grudge against American players. Roenick was talking to hosts Mike North and Dan Jiggets on the “Monsters in the Morning” Show. I asked Babcock for his reaction, and this is what he said: “Two of my kids are American, so I think that kind of takes out the (grudge against) Americans thing,” Babcock said. “Plus, I’ve made my living down here for 16 years, kind of enjoy it. The people in Michigan treat me real good. “As far as Cheli goes, I actually think Cheli and I got a pretty good relationship. I don’t think there’s one player I ever coached that wasn’t in the lineup who was thrilled about it. I bet you Cheli’s the same.” Here’s a partial transcript of what Roenick said.: On why Chelios isn’t playing: “The coach just doesn’t like him for some ungodly known reason. I think he’s got a grudge against American players, but he does not like Cheli at all.” On issues between Chelios and Babcock: “I don’t know if it’s hatred because hate is a strong word, but there is some underlying issue there that I don’t understand. You have to respect (Babcock) for his decisions on who he plays and that’s well and (good). Sometimes it’s just the verbal stuff that goes back and forth from what I understand. Cheli will never complain. He is the ultimate professional. He will do whatever the team needs.”
On Babcock’s treatment of Chelios: “If you’d know some of the things that Babcock says to Chris Chelios, it would make your stomach churn. Just total disrespect for not even just one of the best Americans, but one of the best defensemen to ever play the game. The way he is talked to is just unacceptable. I wish I could elaborate, but that’s not proper, it’s just disrespectful.”