Chicago For Chris Chelios, it was challenging to sum up his record-tying 26 NHL seasons when the Chicago Blackhawks hoisted his No. 7 jersey to the United Center rafters on Sunday night. However, the former defenseman was keen to emphasize his ten-year (1999–2009) Detroit Red Wings stint.
I should have thanked the Ilitch family,” Chelios said during a special pregame press conference following his jersey retirement ceremony. “When you’re up there, the mind is racing and there’s a few things I forgot. But I think the Ilitches know how much I appreciated my time there (in Detroit) and how great they were to me too.”
Prior to being traded to the Blackhawks on June 29, 1990, Chelios was initially drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 40th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. On March 23, 1999, he was moved to Detroit following nine seasons in Chicago. Chelios played parts of his final season (2009–10) with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL.
Chelios, an 11-time NHL All-Star, won two Stanley Cups (2002, 2008) with the Red Wings after winning the Stanley Cup with the Canadiens in 1986. With 1,651 NHL games played, he ranks eighth all-time and is a three-time Norris Trophy winner.
