Chris Chelios

Chris Chelios was born on January 25, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He played his collegiate hockey with the University of Wisconsin of the WCHA. He was Montreal's 5th choice, drafted 40th overall in the 1981 NHL amateur entry draft. He got his first taste of NHL play in the 1983-84 season and was a regular on the Canadiens blue line by the next season. He was a member of the Canadiens Stanley Cup winning team from 1986 and Chelios became the first American born player to win the Norris trophy as the league's best defenseman in the 1989-90 season. Chelios though would soon be moving back home as he was traded by Montreal in the summer of 1990 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Denis Savard.

His stint with the Chicago Blackhawks solidified Chris Chelios' standing as the most menacing skilled defenseman in the league. He was known as a player who would do anything to win, regarded by most as a player other NHL players hated playing against. Even as Chris amassed over 2,000 penalty minutes, his offensive numbers were never too far behind his gritty play. Chelios would win two more Norris trophies during while in Chicago and led the team in points during the 1995-96 season. His time in Chicago came to an end at the 1999 NHL trade deadline when he was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings for defenceman Anders Ericksson and two first-round draft picks (1999 and 2001). The move to Detroit did not yield a Red Wing three-peat, but Chelios helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 2002 and and again in 2008.

Here is a summary of Chris Chelios' NHL accomplishments;

Year    Team                GP   G   A   Pts   Pim
1983-84 Montreal Canadiens  12   0   2     2    12  
1984-85 Montreal Canadiens  74   9  55    64    87 
1985-86 Montreal Canadiens  41   8  26    34    67 
1986-87 Montreal Canadiens  71  11  33    44   124 
1987-88 Montreal Canadiens  71  20  41    61   172 
1988-89 Montreal Canadiens  80  15  58    73   185 
1989-90 Montreal Canadiens  53   9  22    31   136 
1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks  77  12  52    64   192 
1991-92 Chicago Blackhawks  80   9  47    56   245 
1992-93 Chicago Blackhawks  84  15  58    73   282 
1993-94 Chicago Blackhawks  76  16  44    60   212 
1994-95 Chicago Blackhawks  48   5  33    38    72 
1995-96 Chicago Blackhawks  81  14  58    72   140 
1996-97 Chicago Blackhawks  72  10  38    48   112 
1997-98 Chicago Blackhawks  81   3  39    42   151 
1998-99 Chicago Blackhawks  65   8  26    34    89 
1998-99 Detroit Red Wings   10   1   1     2     4 
1999-00 Detroit Red Wings   81   3  31    34   103 
2000-01 Detroit Red Wings   24   0   3     3    45 
2001-02 Detroit Red Wings   79   6  33    39   126 
2002-03 Detroit Red Wings   66   2  17    19    78 
2003-04 Detroit Red Wings   69   2  19    21    61 
2005-06 Detroit Red Wings   81   4   7    11   108 
NHL Totals                1476 182 743   925  2803   



Trophies
James Norris Trophy - 3 (1989, 1993, 1996)


Championships
Stanley Cup - 2 (1986, 2002)