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More thoughts on Gary Roberts and Chris Chelios, who may not make much of an impact on the Stanley Cup final, but sure can be entertaining to listen to …

Roberts doesn't expect to play in Saturday's opener against the Detroit Red Wings - it looks as if Adam Hall will take his spot on the fourth line - as he recovers from a case of pneumonia. Roberts is an asthmatic and as such, is susceptible to pneumonia - he's had it three times in the past two years, he said. A renowned fitness freak, Roberts is trying to put the weight back on. Yesterday, with TSN host James Duthie within earshot, Roberts quipped: "I've been on the Glenn Healy program the last little while - pizza, wings, beer. I'm going out the way I came in."

That's a reference to the pudgy 18-year-old that Calgary drafted back in 1984. Roberts was playing in the minors in '86, the first time the Flames met Montreal in the Stanley Cup final. When they did play against each other in '89, Chelios was a stalwart on the Canadiens' blue line, but remembers playing mostly against the Doug Gilmour-Joe Mullen-Colin Patterson line.

"That's a little too far back - to remember the match-ups," said Chelios, whose longevity is so extraordinary that he even got a mention in a Boston Legal episode this past season, on the issue of ageism.

Originally chosen 40th overall in 1981, four members of his draft class area already in the Hall of Fame, including Al MacInnis, MVP of the '89 playoffs (the others: Dale Hawerchuk, Ron Francis and Grant Fuhr). Chelios played his first NHL game a month after competing in the 1984 Olympics against a Hartford Whalers' team with Greg Millen in goal. Millen was here Friday as the color man for the CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.

His teammates included current Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey and head coach Guy Carbonneau. Penguins left wing Ryan Malone's father, Greg, played against Chelios in that game as did Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett and former Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville. Six members of the Pittsburgh Penguins were not born when Chelios made his NHL debut. Overall, Chelios is the second-oldest NHL player ever to play in a playoff game, surpassed only by Gordie Howe (52 years, 6 days).

Roberts remembered how Chelios was "a key guy for them, a major competitor. The one thing I always recognize with Chelios is, he competes every night and has - that's why he's still playing. At 46, he's maybe not as quick on his feet as he used to be, but he still reads the play really well, anticipates and cheats at times and because he anticipates so well, he gets away with it."

The two almost met once before in that '02 final - Roberts had 19 points in 19 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a memorable run to the third round that eventually came up short against the Carolina Hurricanes. That would have been a special final too - Toronto vs. Detroit, two Original Six teams - but it was not to be. Detroit keeps coming back; or getting close anyway. Toronto, sadly, keeps drifting farther and farther away.

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