Cup soothes Chelios, Hasek

PITTSBURGH -- One watched from the bench, the other listened from the dressing room.

But when it was all over and the Red Wings had defeated the Penguins, 3-2, Wednesday night, goalie Dominik Hasek and defenseman Chris Chelios were right there celebrating another Stanley Cup.

"It's a little bit different situation for me, but to be part of the winning team was my ultimate goal, why I decide to play hockey again and come back to Detroit," Hasek said. "I'm so happy for everyone here."

Chelios insisted there was no awkwardness for him.

"It's no different," Chelios said. "It's the same exact thing. Different time, different faces, but the same feeling after you win the Cup. It's the greatest feeling in the world. There's not a guy who wouldn't change spots with me right now in this league."

Chelios confirmed that he almost certainly will return next season for his 24th year in the NHL. Hasek, however, sounded like he might not be back, but he plans to make that decision within the next couple of weeks.

Chelios, 46, played in 14 of the first 15 playoff games, but was scratched for the final seven, including the entire Stanley Cup Finals.

He couldn't stand to watch Wednesday's clincher.

"I sat with one of the assistant coaches, Jim Paek," Chelios said. "He sat in a shower stall. I just sat in the corner. I couldn't watch it. The last game was so stressful. I decided I'm going to listen to it like radio. It's a lot easier to listen to it than watch it, trust me."

Chelios said it was easier to handle sitting because the Wings were winning.

"When you're winning, it's way easier," he said. "When you lose a game then you start thinking you can contribute more, you can help the team. That's just the nature of the beast.

"The bottom line is I'm part of a team, a role player, contributed a little bit the first three rounds. Now look at the reward -- winning the Cup."

As for his plans to return next season, Chelios said, "I have every intention, yeah. If Kenny (general manager Ken Holland) wants me back, I'm back. That's all because I'm always there for them.

Holland said he wants Chelios back.

"I told Cheli on the ice, he was a real pro," Holland said. "He was injured (for) Game 6 of Dallas series. In goes Andreas Lilja and Cheli never gets another opportunity to play in the Finals.

"But when (Wednesday's) game is over, you see he comes flying out of the locker room with his equipment on to join the guys.

"I mean, he's the consummate pro. He leads by example. He was out here with the Black Aces (reserve players) for a half an hour, an hour, every morning after practice trying to stay ready.

"It wasn't about him, it was about the team."

Holland said he will meet with Chelios to finalize details on next season.

"We have to sit down," Holland said. "He's a great role model. He's still got lots of hockey left in him.

"So certainly I would love to have him back. He's still a good player. He loves hockey. He loves to play, he loves to compete. You can't have enough of those guys in the locker room."

Whether Hasek will be in that locker room is another story. He said his decision will come down whether he's motivated enough to play again.

Hasek, 43, started the first four games in the opening round, but was replaced by Chris Osgood after allowing three goals in less than 27 minutes.

Osgood came to the rescue, starting the final 18 games of the playoffs while Hasek watched from the bench.

"It was tough," Hasek said. "I don't know how to compare it to something. I believed I would get a chance to play again. Unfortunately for me, the coach made a different decision. Most important, it's a team goal. We won the Cup. That's most important."

What's most important now is Hasek's next move.

"I'll go home and within the next 10 days I'll make a decision," he said. "He (Holland) mentioned something to me and my agent that he wants to talk. I told him, during playoffs, this is not a good time to talk.

"I know my body is able to do it, but the question is it's all about my motivation. If I don't feel motivated to get ready and prepare for every game for the next season, the decision will be to quit, to say goodbye. If I feel I am motivated, I make decision to play again. Definitely, I want to do it before the end of this month."

How will Holland handle the situation?

"I want to sit down with him," Holland said. "If Dom tells me that he's really motivated and he really wants to come back, I'm interested in talking. I'm not going to convince him to play. If he walks into my office and tells me, there's passion there, there's energy, there's enthusiasm, then we're going to have a long talk.

"We like (reserve goalie) Jimmy Howard. But you can't have enough depth. I thought Dom and Ozzie, the last two years, have given us a tremendous one-two punch in net."

You can reach Dave Dye at dave.dye@detnews.com">dave.dye@detnews.com.