Star-studded crowd sees Hawks retire Chelios’ No. 7
CHICAGO • Watching his No. 7 rise into the rafters at the United Center, well, that travelled far beyond Chris Chelios’ wildest imagination.
“I’m not going to say it’s a dream come true because it was never a dream,” Chelios said. “You know, I wanted to make the NHL once I knew I had a chance. It’s crazy.”
Chelios’ jersey was retired by the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday during a pregame ceremony that highlighted the defenceman’s hard-charging lifestyle on and off the ice.
Surrounded by family, friends and former teammates, Chelios blew kisses to the crowd after he was introduced. The fans saluted the Chicago native with chants of “Cheli! Cheli!” while the current Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings watched from the benches.
“As a kid growing up in Chicago, I didn’t have any expectations of becoming a professional hockey player,” he said. “It just wasn’t the thing back then . ... I played it because I loved it. That’s all it was.”
Chelios, 62, played for his hometown team from 1990 until he was traded to Detroit in March 1999. He had 92 goals and 395 assists in 664 regular season games with the Blackhawks. He remains the team’s career leader with 1,495 penalty minutes.
“He was the ultimate competitor, the ultimate leader and ultimate friend,” former teammate Jeremy Roenick said.
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman, model Cindy Crawford and former tennis star John Mcenroe were among a group of Chelios’ longtime friends in attendance. Michael Jordan, another former Bulls star and longtime buddy, sent along a congratulatory video.
Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, two more Hockey Hall of Famers, also watched from a box.