Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Chelios, Hatcher and Draper to play in UHL

Associated Press

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DETROIT -- Red Wings defensemen Chris Chelios and Derian Hatcher and forward Kris Draper will play for the Motor City Mechanics of the United Hockey League, the team and Draper said Tuesday.

Chelios and Hatcher were to comment following practice in the afternoon.

Over 300 NHL players are on teams in European leagues while the lockout that threatens the entire North American season drags on.

Kirk Maltby, Draper's linemate with the Red Wings, is also thinking about joining Motor City.

"I might consider it because it's local," Maltby said. "I had considered playing with my brother in England but have decided I'm not leaving the country. Maybe (the Mechanics) wouldn't be a bad option."

The lockout reached its 138th day on Monday and has already already forced the cancellation of 747 of the 1,230 regular-season games plus the 2005 All-Star game. Time is running out to reach a deal and prevent the NHL from becoming the first major North American sports league to lose an entire season to a labor dispute.

Chelios, who turned 43 earlier this month, might never play in the NHL again if the lockout wipes on the whole season. He is a free agent and has been looking to latch onto a minor league team while waiting out the stalemate.

Chelios, whose parents are Greek, has also been toying with the idea of trying out for the Greek Olympic bobsled team for the 2006 Winter Games at Turin, Italy.

Hatcher, 32, was limited to 15 regular-season games and 12 playoff contests last season because of a knee injury.

Draper, who won the Selke trophy last season as the best defensive forward in the National Hockey League, had considered playing in Europe but didn't want to leave his family.

"For us, being North Americans, we don't have that many options," he said. "If we were going to go anywhere, we'd be uprooting the family. This is an opportunity to play hockey here in front of the great Michigan fans."

The UHL is the equivalent to a Class A baseball league. It sits two rungs below the American Hockey League, and three under the NHL.