Chris Chelios

**Chris Chelios** (born Christos Kostas Chelios on January 25, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the NHL from 1984 to 2010 for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Atlanta Thrashers.

Chelios was drafted 40th overall by Montreal in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

Unable to play high school hockey in Southern California, Chris was not recruited by any U.S. colleges.

His only scholarship offer came from San Diego-based United States International University, the only NCAA Division I hockey team west of the Rockies. However, when he 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.

Chris was eventually cut from the team and considered quitting hockey, but instead, he tried his luck in Canada, where he was twice cut by Junior B teams and hit a low point when he had to borrow money from strangers to get home to California one year. He 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."

Chris 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.

He then enjoyed two strong years playing for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison after being drafted. As one of the top collegiate players in the country, Chris was selected for the United States team at the 1982 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.

Chris was a member of the U.S. 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.

In 1984, Chris made the Montreal Canadiens for good, distinguishing himself with his play. During his early days, he was known for his offensive abilities, and his teammates even called him "Soft Hands Chelios."

He earned a trip to the NHL 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 high-scoring 1980s, and finished 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 1985–86 season, Chris won his first Stanley Cup, playing in front of Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goaltender Patrick Roy.

Following two more good seasons in Montreal, Chris really broke out in the 1988–89 campaign. He scored 73 points in 80 games at +35, was named to the All-Star First-Team, and won his first 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), he became reviled by Flyer fans for a dirty hit on Brian Propp that left him with a serious concussion and forced him to miss the next game.

The Flyers did not retaliate against Chris until their fate was sealed late in Game 6; Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall memorably skated out of his net to attack Chelios, earning him a 12-game suspension.

After playing only 53 games the following season (in which he served as Canadiens' co-captain, with Guy Carbonneau), Chris was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks on June 29, 1990 with a 2nd-round draft pick for Denis Savard.

The trade occurred one day after Chris was accused of fighting with two police officers as they attempted to arrest him for urinating in public outside a bar in downtown Madison, Wisconsin (according to a criminal complaint).

In his first season with Chicago, Chris continued to score at his usual rate, tallying 64 points, and earned a spot on the Second NHL All-Star Team.

He helped lead the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final in 1992, where they were swept 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 reporters referred to as "Sweet", earned him the nickname "Honey Nut". The nickname derives from his name being spelled and pronounced similarly to the famous breakfast cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios.

During the 1994–95 NHL lockout, he played for EHC Biel in the Swiss National League A

For the 1995–96 season, Chris was named captain of the Blackhawks, a role he served in until 1999. He enjoyed another fine season, scoring 72 points and winning his third James Norris Memorial Trophy.

In the summer of 1996, he helped lead the United States to its biggest international hockey win since the 1980 Winter Olympics, as the Americans defeated Canada in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.

At the age of 37, Chris 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 him playing at close to his peak level.

In 2002, Chris's +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 Chris his second Stanley Cup.

In 2004, due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Chris (along with fellow Red Wings 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 of 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 Chris 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, Chris re-signed with the Red Wings for a one-year contract. On May 24, 2006, he re-signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

On July 3, 2006, Chris became the active leader for most games played upon the retirement of teammate Steve Yzerman.

On April 21, 2007, Chris became the oldest defenseman to score a short-handed goal in the NHL in a playoff game against the Calgary Flames.

He 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).

Chris re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings for the 2007–08 season. On January 8, 2008, he 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, he played in his 248th playoff game, breaking the NHL record set by Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. Later that season, he also became the oldest active player to win the Stanley Cup.

Chris signed another one-year contract with the Red Wings for the 2008–09 season. On December 5, 2008, he 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, he was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

After the Red Wings announced that they would not be re-signing Chris, he signed a 25-game pro tryout contract with the Chicago Wolves. After a second 25-game pro tryout contract with the Wolves, he signed a two-way contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Chris remained 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 7, 2010, he was sent back to the Wolves.

## Retirement\Post-Playing Career

On August 31, 2010, Chris officially retired from hockey at the age of 48. During that same day, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland announced that he would be hired to work in the Red Wings' front office.

He was named Adviser to Hockey Operations, with a role of working with Red Wings' defense prospects in Grand Rapids.

In 2013, it was announced that Chris would become an NHL analyst on Fox Sports 1, which also included covering the hockey tournament in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

In July of 2018, Chris announced that he was leaving the Detroit area, and the Red Wings front office, to return to Chicago to be close to his family.

At the same time, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that he was being brought on-board to serve as an ambassador for the franchise.

## International Play

Chris has participated in 11 international tournaments for the United States:

* 1980 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
* 1982 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
* 1984 Winter Olympics
* 1984 Canada Cup
* 1987 Canada Cup
* 1991 Canada Cup
* 1996 World Cup of Hockey (alternate captain)
* 1998 Winter Olympics (captain)
* 2002 Winter Olympics (captain)
* 2004 World Cup of Hockey (captain)
* 2006 Winter Olympics (captain)

## Coaching Career

On June 17, 2015, USA Hockey named Chris an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

On June 23, 2015, he was named to the Red Wings coaching staff where he will continue to play a role in player development, by working on-ice with the team's defensemen during practices.

Chris's job involved evaluating in-game player performance and offering his insight and observations to Red Wings bench coaches. He would also attend all home games and on occasion, join the club on the road.

## Personal Life

Chris grew up in Chicago, Illinois where his father, Constantine "Gus" Chelios, owned a chain of Greek restaurants. The family name was originally "Tselios", but Gus chose to change the family's spelling.

The family moved to Poway, California, in 1977, when Gus left his struggling business in Chicago to open a restaurant in the San Diego area.

Chris was a Chicago Blackhawks fan during his childhood, but was more focused on football, idolizing Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus.

He attended Mount Carmel High School (Chicago) before his family moved west, and then finished his prep studies at Mira Mesa Senior High School in San Diego, California.

He is the older brother of former minor-leaguer Steve Chelios and the cousin of former NHL player Nikos Tselios.

In 1987, he married his wife, Tracee; they met while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They have four kids: sons Dean (born in 1989) & Jake (born in 1991), and daughters Caley (born in 1993) & Tara (born in 1996).

His eldest son, Dean helped his Cranbrook-Kingswood high school team win the 2006 Division III Michigan state high school hockey championship. Dean played for the Chicago Steel of the USHL in Bensenville, Illinois; he last played in 2016 for the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL.

His youngest son, Jake was drafted 49th overall by the Chicago Steel in 2009 and went on to attend Michigan State. He played in the Detroit Red Wings organization for their AHL team, the Grand Rapid Griffins and currently plays in the Kontinental Hockey League for Kunlun Red Star.

His daughter, Caley is a graduate of Northwestern University and is currently a reporter for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chris was very active in charitable causes during his playing time in Chicago, founding "Cheli's Children."

Through his career, he has befriended many non-hockey athletes and entertainers. In 2004, he and surfer Laird Hamilton trained with the U.S. bobsled team and hoped to form the first Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Chris and his family can be found stand up paddle surfing with Hamilton and he credits the activity with helping him maintain his long career.

Chris was a regular at Michigan State University hockey games, cheering on his sons Jake and Dean.

### DUI arrest

On December 28, 2009, Chris was arrested for driving under the influence in Westmont, Illinois. He was the only occupant of the vehicle that was stopped at 4:00 a.m. The vehicle was towed and he was taken to the Westmont station, where he was charged, processed, and posted bond.

In March of 2010, a judge reviewed the video tape of the arrest. The case was dismissed due to lack of probable cause to stop, and evidence the tape provided that Chris was not impaired. However, he was fined for improper lane usage and speeding.

### Malibu Mob

Chris maintains a home in Malibu, California, and is well known as a member of the group of celebrity home owners and friends called the Malibu Mob.

Other members include John McGinley, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, actor Tony Danza, big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, beach volleyball player Gabrielle Reece, musician Tim Commerford, Justin Long, Ed O'Neill, Max Wright, Kid Rock, and tennis player John McEnroe.

### Business

Chelios has owned 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. All locations are now closed, with the Detroit location shuttering in 2018 upon Chelios returning to live in Chicago.

Chris 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. He has indicated a desire to open a new restaurant in the Chicago area.

On January 2, 2007, two employees of Cheli's in Detroit, Michigan were fatally stabbed: 49-year-old manager Megan Soroka and 52-year-old chef Mark Bernard.

Police arrested 17-year-old Justin Blackshere, who confessed to the crime; he was a busboy at the restaurant and was fired in November of 2006. His pregnant girlfriend had also been fired from her job as a dishwasher.

On August 22, 2007, Blackshere was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison without parole on September 7, 2007.

Chris took a leave of absence from the Detroit Red Wings to help out the families of his murdered employees, saying, *"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, 2007, the Red Wings announced that Chris would be playing that night.