Chris Chelios Chris Chelios ( ; born Christos Kostas Tselios on January 25 , 1962 ) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman . He is currently the Executive Adviser to Ken Holland , the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings . Chelios played for the Montreal Canadiens , Chicago Blackhawks , Detroit Red Wings , and Atlanta Thrashers . When he was called up from the AHL ' s Chicago Wolves to play for the Thrashers during the 2009 – 10 NHL season , Chelios was the oldest active player in the NHL - and the second oldest of all time - had played the most games of any active player in the NHL , was the last player from the 1981 NHL Entry Draft still active ( or any draft from 1986 and earlier ) , and had the most career penalty minutes of any active player . On November 24 , 2006 , he played in his 1 , 496th NHL game , the most of any American - born player , passing the record total of Phil Housley . In the 2008 – 09 season , he appeared in the playoffs for an NHL record 24th time , having missed the playoffs only twice ( 1997 – 98 and 2009 – 10 ) in his entire career . Chelios is of Greek heritage . His cousin , Nikos Tselios , has also played professional hockey and is a former first round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes . On August 31 , 2010 , he announced his official retirement and will be taking a front office job for his former team , the Detroit Red Wings . Playing career . Early years . Chelios was raised in Evergreen Park , Illinois and was a standout youth hockey player . He briefly attended Mount Carmel High School , but moved to Southern California in 1977 . Attending San Diego ' s Mira Mesa High School until his graduation in 1979 , Chelios has been honored in the Marauders ' Hall of Fame . Unable to play high school hockey in Southern California , Chelios wasn ’ t recruited by any U . S . colleges . His only scholarship offer came from local San Diego - based U . S . International University , the only NCAA Division I hockey team west of the Rockies . But when Chelios arrived on campus as a freshman in 1979 he soon realized he was in the wrong environment , facing bigger players with considerably more junior hockey experience . He was eventually cut from the team and considered quitting hockey . Instead , he tried his luck in Canada , where he was twice cut by Junior B teams in Canada and hit a low point when he had to borrow money from strangers to get home to California one year . Chelios said , " I wasn ' t any bigger or any better than the other guys , so they weren ' t going to take a kid from the States when they could have a local guy . " He returned home and grew three inches while adding 40 pounds of muscle . He was then drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft . Prior to that , he played for the Moose Jaw Canucks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League where he tallied 87 points and 175 penalty minutes in just 54 games in his final season . Chelios enjoyed two strong years at the University of Wisconsin – Madison after being drafted . As one of the top collegiate players in the country , he was selected for the United States at the 1981 – 82 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship . In 1983 , he was part of the Badgers ' NCAA Men ' s Ice Hockey Championship team and was named to the all - tournament team and the second WCHA all - star team . Chelios was a member of the U . S . Olympic team for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo , Yugoslavia . After that he made his debut for the Canadiens , playing 12 games in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs . That summer he joined the U . S . team at the 1984 Canada Cup . He wore number 24 in Montreal , Detroit and Atlanta but number 7 with the Chicago Blackhawks and Wolves . Montreal Canadiens . In 1984 , he made the Montreal Canadiens for good , and distinguished himself with his play . He earned a trip to the National Hockey League All - Star Game and was named to the 1985 NHL All - Rookie Team . He scored 64 points in 74 games , a high total for a defenseman , even in the higher - scoring 1980s . He came second to Mario Lemieux for the Calder Memorial Trophy . In the playoffs that year , he scored 10 points in 9 games , with a + 17 plus / minus . Although he only played 41 games in the 1985 - 1986 season , he won his first Stanley Cup , playing in front of Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy . His play got him the nickname " Soft Hands Chelios . " Following two more good seasons , Chelios really broke out in the 1988 - 1989 season . He scored 73 points in 80 games at + 35 , was named to the All - Star First - Team , and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy . During that year ' s Wales Conference ( now Eastern Conference ) Finals series against the Philadelphia Flyers ( which the Canadiens won in six games ) , Chelios became reviled by Flyer fans for a dirty hit on Brian Propp that left the Philadelphia winger with a serious concussion and forced him to miss the next game . For the remainder of the series , the Flyers did not retaliate against Chelios until finally , after the series fate was sealed late in Game 6 , Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall memorably skated out of his net to attack Chelios . After playing only 53 games in the next season ( in which he served as co - captain , with Guy Carbonneau ) , on June 29 , 1990 , Chelios was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 2nd - round draft pick for Denis Savard , who is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame . Chicago Blackhawks . In his first season with Chicago , he continued to score at his usual rate , tallying 64 points , and earned a spot on the Second NHL All - Star Team . Chelios would help lead the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final in 1992 , before being swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins . He was in top form for the 1992 - 1993 season , scoring 73 points and won another Norris Trophy . During the 1994 – 95 NHL lockout he played for EHC Biel in the Swiss National League A . In 1995 – 96 , Chelios would have another great season for the Blackhawks , scoring 73 points and winning his third Norris Trophy . When the Summer of 1996 rolled around , he would help lead the United States to its biggest international hockey win since the 1980 Winter Olympics , beating Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey final series and was named to the All - Tournament Team . Chelios was captain of the Blackhawks from 1995 to 1999 . Detroit Red Wings . At 37 , Chelios could still help teams with his veteran leadership and his largely - remaining talent . On March 23 , 1999 , he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Anders Eriksson and two first - round draft picks . The move to Detroit , where he had fewer responsibilities and more skilled teammates , helped keep Chelios playing at close to his peak level . In 2002 , his + 40 plus / minus led the league , and he was again named to the First All - Star Team . He also led the United States hockey team to a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics , and was named to the Tournament ' s All - Star Team . His season culminated in the Red Wings ' victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals , giving Chelios his second Stanley Cup . In 2004 , because of the cancellation of the NHL season , Chelios , along with fellow Red Wing teammates Derian Hatcher and Kris Draper , decided to play hockey for the Motor City Mechanics , a UHL team based out of Fraser , Michigan . He was heavily criticized for this decision as the UHL has a maximum salary in place , but at the same time he was strongly against a salary cap in the NHL . In October 2004 he trained with the U . S . bobsled federation in a bid to compete for the Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics . While Chelios didn ' t compete in the bobsled , he did captain the USA hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . On August 4 , 2005 , the 43 - year - old re - signed with the Red Wings for a one - year contract . On May 24 , 2006 , Chelios re - signed a one - year contract with the Detroit Red Wings . On July 3 , 2006 , Chelios became the active leader for most games played upon the retirement of teammate Steve Yzerman . On April 21 , 2007 , he became the oldest defenseman to score a short - handed goal in the NHL in a playoff game against the Calgary Flames . Chelios was the captain of the US Olympic Hockey Team that played at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino , Italy . By participating in ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics , Chelios set a new standard , by becoming the first player to take part in an Olympic ice hockey tournament , twenty - two years after he played in his first . The old record was set by Swiss hockey player Bibi Torriani who had played twenty years after his debut ( 1928 and 1948 ) . Chelios re - signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2007 – 08 season . On January 8 , 2008 , Chelios became the second oldest player in the history of the NHL , at 45 years , 348 days , passing Moe Roberts . Only Gordie Howe , who played until age 52 , was older . On April 12 , 2008 , Chelios played in his 248th playoff game , breaking the NHL record set by Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy . Later that season , Chelios also became the oldest active player to win the Stanley Cup . Chelios signed another one - year contract with the Red Wings for the 2008 – 09 season . On December 5 , 2008 , Chelios played in his first of two games for the Grand Rapids Griffins , the American Hockey League ( AHL ) farm club for the Red Wings , as part of a conditioning stint . At 46 years of age , he became the oldest player in the 73 - year history of the AHL . At the conclusion of the 2008 – 09 season , Chelios was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy . Chicago Wolves and Atlanta Thrashers . After the Red Wings announced that they would not be re - signing Chelios , he signed a 25 - game pro try - out contract with Chicago Wolves . After a second 25 - game pro tryout contract with the Wolves , Chelios then signed a two - way contract with the Atlanta Thrashers . Atlanta kept him with the Wolves until he was recalled to the Thrashers , hoping that he could provide a spark for the team ' s playoff hopes . He played in seven games for the Thrashers , but failed to score any points . On April 6 , 2010 , the Thrashers lost a game against the Devils that they had to win , in order to reach the playoffs , which meant that the Thrashers missed the 2010 playoffs . On April 7 , 2010 , Chelios was sent back to the Wolves . On August 31 , 2010 , Chelios officially retired . He will work with the Detroit Red Wings in the development of new players . Front Office . Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced that Chelios would be hired to work in the Red Wings ' front office . He was named Executive Adviser to the General Manager and will also work with Wings ' defense prospects . Business . Chelios has two restaurant / bars in Dearborn ( opened in 2003 ) and Detroit ( opened in 2006 ) , Michigan ( Cheli ' s Chili Bar I and Cheli ' s Chili Bar II ) . In 2008 , he opened a third location in Clinton Township , Michigan . He previously owned a Cheli ' s Chili Bar on West Madison in Chicago , near the United Center , but this closed after his move to the Red Wings . On January 2 , 2007 , two employees of Cheli ' s in Detroit were fatally stabbed . Megan Soroka , 49 , was a manager at the restaurant and Mark Barnard , 52 , was a chef . Police arrested Justin Blackshere , 17 , who allegedly confessed to the crime . He was a busboy at the restaurant and was fired in November 2006 . Blackshere ' s pregnant girlfriend had also been fired from her job as a dishwasher . Blackshere was found guilty of murder in the first degree on August 22 , 2007 . He was sentenced to life in prison without parole on September 7 , 2007 . Chelios took a leave of absence from the Detroit Red Wings to help the families of his murdered employees . He said , " I ' ll come back when I feel ready and the families feel ready . I ' m just going to try to get through this day by day with everybody . " On January 9 , 2008 , the Red Wings announced that Chelios would be playing that night . His only Olympic medal came from the 2002 Salt Lake games , winning the Silver losing to team Canada . Chelios played a key role in the Team USA win over Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey . He captained the US team in 2004 World Cup of Hockey where the USA lost in its semi - final to Finland . He retired from international play holding the record for most games played ( 47 ) for any country in Best - on - best hockey .