Open Mic: When Is It the Right Time?

I'm sick of watching players that have passed their prime and still want to make a return. I'm not just talking about the NHL, but the NFL as well. Most recently, Brett Favre.

Brett Favre had an emotional press conference and everything, and now he wants to come back!?

You may not agree that Brett Favre has passed his prime but I think he has. After a year like the one he had last year I don't think that he can repeat that season.

Favre needs to realize that his time in the NFL is done. If he is going to make a return to pro football then he should come to the CFL. If Brett does come back then at least he shouldn't play for the Packers. They would like to have Aaron Rogers play, and perhaps make Rogers the next Brett Favre.

This same thing has happened in the NHL—on three different occasions in the 2007-2008 season, in fact. The difference is that in the NHL two of them (Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne) knew what team they were going to return to.

Now, I'm not saying that it's better when you aren't sure if you're going to return or not, but know what team you're going to return to if you do. It helps.

The other one was Peter Forsberg who had no clue what team to return to other than knowing that it would be one that had a good chance at the cup.

Forsberg waited until the trade deadline, signed with the Avs, and didn't even appear in that many games, scoring just one goal in the playoffs.

So what I'm trying to say is that if you are a team that is dealing with someone who is thinking about making a return, just let them go—unless it's someone like Mats Sundin who knows that he will decide before training camp. But if it's someone like Favre, or Selanne, or Niedermayer, or Forsberg, just let them go if they don't make a decision by that time.

Luckily, Niedermayer decided to play less than a month after the season ended.

Honestly, I have a lot more respect for players who leave and don't consider coming back really hard. I can understand wanting to come back, but when you have retired, you have retired. I don't think that there is a certain time when players need to leave the game. They should be able to leave when they want.

Take Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings. This guy is 46. He may not produce a lot, but he isn't playing just for the money. It's because he loves the game.

I respect players like Chelios because when he plays for a team, he doesn't play there for two years and just leave. He doesn't like to be a rental player.

Chelios has played for Montreal, Chicago, and Detroit and has played 800+ games for all three teams. That is a really dedicated player. I just hope that this year we won't have to deal with anybody like that.