Chelios ends stellar career; joins Red Wings front office

Hockey Betting Lines

08/31/2010 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran defenseman Chris Chelios has officially called it a career and will move into a front office role with the Detroit Red Wings.

Chelios played in a record-tying 26th NHL season last year, a brief seven-game stint with the Atlanta Thrashers where he failed to record a point. He tied Gordie Howe's original mark, first set when he played from 1945-71 and 1979-80.

After breaking into the league with Montreal following the 1984 Winter Olympics, the Chicago native compiled 185 goals and 948 points over 1,651 regular-season games with the Canadiens, Blackhawks, Red Wings and Thrashers.

In addition, the often-punishing backliner recorded 31 goals and 144 points in 266 playoff contests. He was part of three Stanley Cup-winning clubs, the 1986 Canadiens and the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008.

"I've been fortunate enough to be a part of this game at the highest level for a long time," said Chelios in a release from the Red Wings. "I've met a lot of great people and developed some special relationships along the way. The three championship teams I've been lucky enough to be a part of have truly been the highlights of my career. I'm excited for this next challenge to begin and I'm also thankful the Wings have extended this opportunity for me to continue to be close to the game."

Chelios played for the Wings from the tail end of the 1998-99 campaign through 2009.

In his new role with Detroit, Chelios will serve as an advisor to hockey operations.

Wwwgetabet Hockey Betting News

<< Alabama's Ingram to miss opener with knee injury
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram of Alabama will miss the season opener after injuring his left knee during practice.He was hurt Monday and coach Nick Saban said in a statement the star tailback had an arthroscopic procedure

<< Stuttgart signs Italian midfielder Camoranesi
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart acquired Italian midfielder Mauro Camoranesi from Juventus on Tuesday and signed him to a one-year deal. Camoranesi helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup and has played 54 times for his countr

<< Giants place Sorgi, Moss on IR
East Rutherford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have placed quarterback Jim Sorgi and wide receiver Sinorice Moss on injured reserve. Sorgi, who was signed in March to back up Eli Manning, suffered a shoulder injury in the preseas

<< Steelers waive Frazier, release four others
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived linebacker Andre Frazier, who was part of the club's past two Super Bowl teams. Frazier re-signed with Pittsburgh in March, but reported to camp with a knee injury. He wa

<< Chiefs release Long
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have released wide receiver Lance Long. Long appeared in seven games, starting one, for the Chiefs last season. He caught 20 passes for 178 yards.

Hoffenheim signs Icelandic midfielder Sigurdsson >>
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim acquired Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson from English Championship side Reading on Tuesday and signed him to a four-year contract. Sigurdsson, 20, scored 16 goals in 32 matches for Read

Ingram to miss Alabama's opener >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will miss Alabama's opener this Saturday against San Jose State after undergoing surgery on Tuesday morning to repair knee damage. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said

Liverpool adds defender Konchesky from Fulham >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Paul Konchesky completed his transfer from Fulham to Liverpool on Tuesday. Konchesky, 29, signed a four-year deal with Liverpool. Fulham acquired Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic from Liverp

In the FCS Huddle: Playoffs turn 20, but not of age yet >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are plenty of intriguing storylines as the Football Championship Subdivision season gets set to kick off the 2010 season week, but the biggest is the expansion of the playoffs from 16 to 20 schools.

New York Giants 2010 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Memories are short in New York, and the city's sports figures and teams are often judged more on present performance than on past accomplishments. It's a train of thought Tom Coughlin can certainly relate to. Despite havin

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.