Chris Chelios

At 62 years old, Chris Chelios has this physical status:

Playing career

Chelios was born in Chicago, Illinois, on January 25, 1962, and his parents, Gus and Susan Chelios, raised him. They lived in Evergreen Park, Illinois. He attended Mount Carmel High School in Chicago before his family and family moved to Poway, California, where he attended Mira Mesa High School.

Any American colleges had not accepted students in Southern California, Chelios, because they were unable to play high school hockey. San Diego-based United States International University, the only NCAA Division I hockey team west of the Rockies, received his only scholarship offer. However, when Chelios first appeared on campus as a freshman in 1979, he immediately knew he was in the wrong situation, facing younger players with significantly more junior hockey experience. He was eventually dropped from the team and considered quitting hockey. Rather, Chelios tried his luck in Canada, where he was twice cut by junior B teams and then reached a low point where he had to borrow money from strangers to get home to California one year. "I wasn't any bigger or any better than the other guys," he said, so they weren't about to take a kid from the state when they could have a local guy."

Although adding 40 pounds of muscle, Chelios returned home and increased three inches. In 1981, the Montreal Canadiens had him drafted. He appeared for the Moose Jaw Canucks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where he scored 87 points and 175 penalty minutes in just 54 games in his final season. After being drafted, Chelios spent two years with the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was selected for the United States team at the 1982 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as one of the country's top collegiate players. He appeared on the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship team in 1983 and was named to the all-tournament squad and the second WCHA all-star team.

Chelios was a member of the United States team for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. He made his Canadiens debut in the regular season and five in the playoffs, playing 12 games in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs. He was a member of the 1984 Canada Cup in the United States.

In 1984, Chelios made the Montreal Canadiens a good sport, highlighting himself by his presence. He was known for his offensive skills early on, and his coworkers even named him "Soft Hands Chelios." He earned a trip to the National Hockey League All-Star Game and was selected to the 1985 NHL All-Rookie Team. He scored 64 points in 74 games, a high total for a defenseman in the 1980s, and second to Mario Lemieux for the Calder Memorial Trophy. He had ten points in nine games last year, with a +17 plus/minus. Despite the fact that he appeared in 41 games in the 1985–86 season, he claimed his first Stanley Cup victory while standing in front of Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goaltender Patrick Roy.

Following two more good seasons in Montreal, the Chelios truly burst out in the 1988–89 season. He scored 73 points in 80 games at +35, was selected to the All-Star first team, and captured his first James Norris Memorial Trophy. During the Philadelphia Roller Coasters' (now Eastern Conference) Finals series against the Philadelphia Flyers (which the Canadiens won in six games), Chelios was reviled by Flyer fans for a nasty hit on Brian Propp that caused him to miss the next game. The Flyers did not retaliate against Chelios until their fate was sealed late in Game 6; Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall skated out of his net to strike Chelios, resulting in his 12-game suspension.

Chelios was sent to the Chicago Blackhawks on June 29, 1990, after playing only 53 games in the following season (in which he was Canadiens' co-captain, with Guy Carbonneau, making Chelios the first non-Canadian player to captain), but Denis Savard became the first non-Canadian player to captain. According to a criminal complaint, the trade took place one day after Chelios was accused of braying with two police officers as they attempted to arrest him for urinating in public outside a bar in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.

Chelios continued to score at his usual rate in his first season with Chicago, totaling 64 points and earning a spot on the second NHL All-Star team. In 1992, he led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final, where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was in top form for the 1992–93 season, scoring 73 points and winning his second James Norris Memorial Trophy. His Norris Trophy-winning play, which some sports journalists referred to as "Sweet," earned him the nickname "Honey Nut." The nickname derives from his name's spelling and pronunciation of Honey Nut Cheerios, a common breakfast cereal.

He played for EHC Biel in the Swiss National League A from 1994 to 1995.

Chelios was named captain of the Blackhawks in 1995–96, a position he played in until 1999. He had another fine season, scoring 72 points and winning his third James Norris Memorial Trophy. In the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, he led the United States to its first international hockey victory since the 1980 Winter Olympics. Chelios was chosen to the All-Tournament Team.

With his veteran leadership and his large remaining workforce, Chelios could also assist teams. He was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Anders Eriksson and two first-round draft picks on March 23, 1999.

Chelios played at their best ability when he was transferred to Detroit, where he had less responsibilities and more experienced teammates helped keep the team's playing at their highest rate. His +40 plus/minus led the league in 2002, and he was then named to the first All-Star team. He also coached the United States hockey team to a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics, and he was chosen to the Tournament's All-Star team. Chelios received his second Stanley Cup crown when he was in the Red Wings' victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Chelios and fellow Red Wing teammates Derian Hatcher and Kris Draper decided to play hockey for the Motor City Mechanics, a UHL team headquartered in Fraser, Michigan, in 2004 after the cancellation of the NHL season. He was heavily chastised for this decision because the UHL has the maximum wage structure in place, but he was also opposed to a salary cap in the NHL. In October 2004, he trained with the United States bobsled team in the hopes of qualifying for the Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Although Chelios did not participate in the bobsled, he did cap the USA hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he captained the team.

The 43-year-old re-signed with the Red Wings for a one-year deal on August 4, 2005. Chelios re-signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings on May 24, 2006. Chelios became the active leader for the majority games played after teammate Steve Yzerman's departure on July 3, 2006. In a playoff game against the Calgary Flames on April 21, 2007, he became the first defenseman to score a short-handed goal in the NHL.

Chelios was the captain of the US Olympic Hockey Team that competed in Torino, Italy, at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Chelios set a new precedent by playing in ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics, becoming the first person to participate in an Olympic ice hockey tournament, twenty-two years since he first participated in the first one. Bibi Torriani, a Swiss hockey player who had played for twenty years (1928 and 1948), set the old record.

Chelios was re-signed by the Detroit Red Wings for the 2007-08 season. Chelios became the second oldest player in the NHL history on January 8, 2008, at 45 years, 348 days, defeating Moe Roberts. Gordie Howe, who played until age 52, was the oldest. Chelios played in his 248th playoff game on April 12, 2008, breaking the NHL record set by Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. Chelios was also the oldest active participant to win the Stanley Cup later this season.

For the 2008–09 season, Chelios signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings. Chelios appeared in his first two games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, the American Hockey League (AHL) farm team for the Red Wings, on December 5, 2008. He was the oldest player in the AHL's 73-year history at 46 years old. Chelios was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy at the end of the 2008–09 season.

He signed a 25-game pro tryout contract with the Chicago Wolves after the Red Wings announced that they would not be re-signing Chelios. Chelios has signed a two-way deal with the Atlanta Thrashers after his second 25-game pro tryout deal with the Wolves. Chelios played for the Wolves before being sent by the Thrashers in the hopes of giving the team a spark. He appeared in seven games for the Thrashers but failed to gain any points. Chelios was sent by the Wolves on April 7, 2010.

Chelios officially retired on August 31, 2010. He was 48 years old at the time. Chelios will be hired to work in the Red Wings' front office the same day, according to Red Wings general manager Ken Holland. He was named Adviser to Hockey Operations in Grand Rapids, and he was in charge of assisting with the Red Wings' defense prospects.

In 2013, it was revealed that Chelios would become an NHL analyst on FS1, which also included reporting the 2014 Winter Olympics.

After NBC pulled out due to scheduling conflicts, Chelios, along with former Red Wings teammate Brett Hull, were among ESPN's analysts covering the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, which ESPN had picked up in 2016 for their coverage of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Chelios' departure from the Detroit area and the Red Wings front office in July 2018 to return to Chicago to be closer to his family. The Chicago Blackhawks also revealed that Chelios would be brought on board to serve as an ambassador for the brand.

Chelios returned to ESPN in 2021, after ESPN regained the rights to broadcast the NHL. Chelios played in the same studio analyst role he held for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and Mark Messier, and he appears alongside Barry Melrose and Mark Messier in the game on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+.

Coaching career

At the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, USA Hockey named Chelios as an assistant coach for Team USA on June 17, 2015.

Chelios was added to the Red Wings' coaching staff on June 23, 2015, where he will continue to play a role in player growth by working on-ice with the team's defensemen during practices. His work involved assessing in-game player results and delivering his insights and observations to Red Wings bench coaches, as well as teaching in-game. He will also attend all home games and occasionally accompany the club on the road.

Career statistics

Bold italics indicate NHL record

Source