DETROIT — He won't be a Detroit Red Wing, but Chris Chelios still wants to play.

The 47-year-old defenseman said Wednesday he has no hard feelings about Detroit's decision not to sign him for next season.

Chelios says he wants to sign with another NHL team. Chelios says his family won't move from the Detroit area, where he owns a bar.

Chelios says he would prefer to play with a team in the Eastern Conference. He says the travel would be easier than it would be in the far-flung Western Conference.

He says he and his agent will start contacting teams July 1, when he officially becomes a free agent.

Chelios won two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1998-1999 season.