Chicago-area native and former team captain will be ninth Blackhawks player to have number hang in United Center rafters.
The Chicago Blackhawks will retire Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios' No. 7, the team announced late on Thursday night. The news was delivered to the 61-year-old Chelios, a suburban Evergreen Park, Illinois native, on stage at the United Center by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during the band's concert at the sold-out arena.
See video: https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1699995662207562229?s=20
Chelios' jersey number will be lofted on a banner before a game on Feb. 25, 2024 against the Detroit Red Wings. After leaving the Blackhawks, Chelios played 10 seasons with the Wings, and skated on Stanley Cup teams in 2001-02 and again in 2007-08 at the age of 46.
Chelios will become the ninth Blackhawks player to have his number retired. Here's his reaction on Friday morning in a video from the Blackhawks: https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/video/chelios-on-jersey-retirement-6336839552112
The former D-man, now an ambassador for the Blackhawks, retired at age 47 after skating in seven games for the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009-10 to close out an NHL career that ran an amazing 26 years. Chelios finished with 185 goals, 763 assists and 2,891 penalty minutes — he could be chippy and ornery — in 1,651 regular-season games.
Chelios, who skated for Mt. Carmel High School on Chicago's South Side, played nine seasons with the Blackhawks. Although he didn't win any of his three Cups in Chicago, he had 92 goals and 487 points with the Blackhawks from 1990 through 1999. During most of that span, Chelios was the team's No. 1 defenseman, winning the Norris Trophy in 1992-93 and 1995-96.
Chelios led the Blackhawks in playing minutes in 1991-92, when an aggressive Chicago team coached by Mike Keenan advanced to the Stanley Cup Final before being swept by Pittsburgh and Mario Lemieux.
Chelios also is Chicago's all-time penalty minutes leader with 1,495. He ran up a career-high 282 in 1992-93 when he also had 15 goals and 58 assists — and won his second Norris Trophy.
Chelios played at the University of Wisconsin, then was drafted by the Montréal Canadiens in the second round (40th) in 1981. After seven seasons with the Canadiens, Chelios came to the Blackhawks in a blockbuster trade for Hall of Fame center Denis Savard in June 1990. The deal sent both stars back to the their hometowns.
Chelios was on stage at the United Center on Aug. 9, speaking at a memorial service for former Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz, who died on July 25. In a statement, Danny Wirtz, Rocky's son and the team's chairman and CEO, said his father wanted Chelios' No. 7 to be the next number the club retired.
"Chris Chelios represents not only the Blackhawks, but given his roots here, the city of Chicago," Wirtz said.
Other Blackhawks players to have numbers retired are: Glenn Hall (No. 1), Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson (No. 3), Bobby Hull (No. 9) Savard (No. 18), Stan Mikita (No. 21), Tony Esposito (No. 35) and Marian Hossa (No. 81).
