Behind the Jersey: No. 24

Defenseman Chris Chelios turned 42 this past January on the 25th and shows no signs of slowing down. �I feel good physically. I always said it [retirement] would be a physical thing. I�ll never get tired of the game,� Chelios said. Between playing hockey, owning a restaurant, running a charity foundation, and spending time with his family, it is surprising that age hasn�t played a factor into Cheli�s amount of responsibilities. �You guys keep trying to retire me. I really didn�t think it was my last time at the United Center. If it was going to be my last time, I would have wanted to salute and thank the crowd, acknowledge them. But hopefully, it wasn�t (his last game in Chicago)," Chelios said. Chelios grew up attending Blackhawks� games and bought his first pair of skates for $5 at a local Ace Hardware in Chicago. His father, Gus, valued hard work and appreciated the game of hockey both of which were passed on down to his children. As a kid, Cheli played hockey for Mt. Carmel High during his freshman and sophomore years and also became quite the pitcher and shortstop. However, he had to make a decision between the two sports in hopes to play at higher levels. �I wanted him to play hockey because he liked it � not because I liked it. I told him, �Whatever sport you pick, I�ll give you my support 100%. I�ll be behind you, but tough all the way,�� Gus said. Even as a youngster, Cheli�s hard work defined his play of the game. He would spend most of his time at the rink and when he couldn�t, he ran hills to develop stamina. Once his family moved to Poway, Chris made the 10-mile trip to the rink with his equipment in order to practice and then rode his bike the 10-miles back. �He's always been like that. As a kid, he'd walk for miles. He'd work out and do things the other kids didn't do away from the ice. We never had to tell him to do that,� Susan Chelios said. During the summer of 1981, the Montreal Canadiens drafted Cheli late into the second round of the NHL draft. All of a sudden, colleges battled with one another to get him onto their school�s team. Chelios went on to play under Bob Johnson and Jeff Sauer in college at Wisconsin, which he chose over North Dakota. In 1983, Cheli won a national championship while playing for the Badgers. In his first full season in the NHL, Chelios was named to the league�s All-Rookie team. In only his second year with the Canadiens, Chris won his first Stanley Cup. He later became the first American to captain the Montreal team and with this organization he picked up a Norris Trophy win. �He�s a coaches dream because he sets such a good example. He was an integral part of our team,� fellow Montreal teammate Steve Martinson said. Cheli headed back to his hometown of Chicago to play for the Blackhawks where he played almost nine full seasons. In these nine years, Chelios obtained two more Norris Trophy awards, was named the team captain, and broke numerous team records such as the most career penalty minutes (1,495), became the first defenseman to lead the team in scoring in team history, and set a new club record with the most playoff points by a defenseman (21 points in 18 games). Chris became the guy for Red Wing fans to hate after he nailed Sergei Federov across the face with his stick, but following his signing with the Wings in the 98/99 season Cheli is loved by fans, not hated. In his first full season with the Wings the following year, Chelios had a career high plus/minus rating of +48, which was the 2nd best in the NHL that year. During the 2001-2002 season, Cheli helped bring the Stanley Cup back to Hockeytown marking his second Cup win. Through his numerous knee surgeries and a broken thumb, Chelios has shown that his determination and work ethic proves stronger over age and injuries. �With Cheli, you've got a guy with three Norris trophies and two Stanley Cups and he's 40-something and still going strong. He's got every reason to relax and he's out here working harder than everybody else. Other guys see that, or see the success that it brings, and want to see what he is up to and try to emulate some of those things,� personal trainer T.R. Goodman said. For these reasons, Cheli makes a great mentor to 23-year old Jiri Fischer. When Fischer tore his left ACL in November of the previous season, Chelios helped Jiri through the difficulties of rehabilitation and tricks of the trade for defenseman. �If you ask me, he is the American hockey player,� fellow USA teammate Jeremy Roenick said. Chris has played an important role in the USA hockey team both as a leader and a player. USA coach Herb Brooks named Chelios captain for the 2002 Olympic games and he also captained the team back in �98. Once Cheli decides to retire, he would like the opportunity to remain involved with the USA team. �"I don't know if it's coaching, or management, but I'd like to help out. If it's coaching in the tournaments (World Cup, World Championships, Olympics), or whatever, I'd be more than happy to do it. You have to get players to participate, someone maybe they can respect with an NHL background,� Chelios said. In 2001, Cheli�s sister Gigi lost her fight with cancer and in memory of her- Chelios contributes to the Make-A-Wish foundation and other cancer foundations. He also hosts an annual Charity Golf Classic that usually raises around $400,000 to benefit the Cheli�s Children Foundation, which helps abused children in the Chicago area. In addition to his charity work, Chelios opened his own restaurant, Cheli�s Chili Bar, in Dearborn. �I just wanted to put back something into the community. It�s something to do after I finish playing hockey,� Chris said. Between his hockey playing, restaurant running, and volunteering, Chelios is here to stay in Hockeytown, USA.