Chris Chelios attends the ceremony of the Chicago Blackhawks retiring his No. 7 jersey ahead of the game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, February 25, 2024. /AP
The Chicago Blackhawks retired the No. 7 jersey of Chris Chelios, their legendary defender, ahead of the game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday.
"The path, the journey, where we came from, where I came from, it's so hard to believe this is actually happening today," Chelios said at the ceremony. "I'm so grateful, being from Chicago, being a Chicago sports fan my whole life. I still can't believe I'm making this speech, quite honestly."
Born in Chicago in 1962, Chelios was first drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 40th pick in 1981. He made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut for the Canadiens in 1984 and was traded to the Blackhawks in 1990.
Chelios was selected into the first All-Star team three times and the second All-Star team twice during his nine seasons as a Blackhawk. He also won the James Norris Memorial Trophy twice. The trophy is awarded annually to the league's top "defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." His defensive passion and efforts also gave him 1,495 penalty minutes, the longest in team history.
The Chicago Blackhawks retire the No. 7 jersey of Chris Chelios ahead of the game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, February 25, 2024. /AP
"He was the ultimate competitor, the ultimate leader and ultimate friend," Chelios' former teammate Jeremy Roenick said of him.
"The best advice I ever got in my career was from him," former Blackhawks defenseman Gary Suter said. "'If you drink beer at night, you've got to sweat it out the next day.'"
"Playing against him, you knew you were in for a tough night," Tony Amonte, who played both as Chelios' both teammate and opponent, said. "He'd have five or six sticks taped and they weren't to shoot pucks. They were to break arms. He's a beast. He does everything to an extreme."
Chelios was traded to the Red Wings in 1999, played another 10 seasons there and won his second and third Stanley Cup titles with the team – his first trophy of this was won as a Canadien. He finished his NHL career in the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010 after playing a total of 266 playoff games, the most in league history, in his 26-year-long career.