Last Sunday, the Chicago Blackhawks raised Chris Chelios’ number 7 jersey into the rafters of the United Center. It was the 9th jersey retired by the Blackhawks and the first from a player from the 1990’s era. Chelios played 26 seasons in the NHL, and he was a three time cup winner with two franchises. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013. He was a 7X all-star. He was a 3X Norris Trophy winner, which is for the top defensemen in the league, and he won it with the Blackhawks twice. He’s probably the best, or one of the best, American born players to play the game. He is a home town guy. He played a big part in USA hockey. Why the mixed feelings over his jersey retirement? Can the entire Blackhawks fan base forgive and forget about the Chelios Red Wings years? It seemed on Sunday the fan base had two celebrations going on during the return of Patrick Kane in the enemy uniform of the those hated Red Wings. Then the ceremony of Chelios’ number 7 being hoisted up to the rafters as we remember those pretty good 1990’s teams. All those guys that we loved, were on hand in support of their teammate.

In sports, we as fans have to get over things. We intend to hang on to the dreaded heartbreaking games over the biggest victories. We see childhood heroes get traded away and some return. We never want to know how a hot dog is made. We eat them. The business side of the sports is the same way. The Blackhawks traded away one of their best players at the time, their captain Denis Savard, to the Montreal Canadians for the hometown kid, Chris Chelios. It’s funny how things work out as Chelios won a cup with the Canadians playing there for seven seasons. Savard would win a cup, his only one with Montreal. Chelios played with the Blackhawks from 1990-99 for a total of 9 seasons. In a Blackhawks uniform, he was your Charlie Hustle. That Pete Rose style of player only on the ice. He was a defenseman with high octane motor who scored 92 goals and dished out 395 assists wearing the Indian head. He was an enforcer as well on the ice as he took no shenanigans from opposing teams. He is still number 1 all time in Blackhawks history with 1,495 penalty minutes. Chelios played on that 1990-91 team that made it all the way to the Stanley Cup and eliminated the Red Wings to get there. It was the first time the Blackhawks played in the Cup finals since the 1960-61 season. It was not meant to be as the Penguins shredded the Blackhawks by sweeping them and killing the dream at the same time. During the 1990’s, fans will remember Chelios speaking words about never playing for the Red Wings or that franchise from the rivalry these original six teams had back then.

Then the trade. Chris Chelios was dealt to the archrival Detroit Red Wings. Here’s where things get interesting about this debate. First red flag is why would any ownership of a sports franchise help their arch enemy in anything. We have to remember Bill Wirtz was an ASS. One of the worst owners in sports. Maybe Chelios wanted to play for a franchise with greener pastures. After this trade, the Blackhawks would head to the dark ages. Crickets would be heard chirping at games. As fans, we put our blinders up. We see Chelios winning two cups with the Red Wings. The fans were mad when Chelios returned to Chicago the first time as they booed him. Every time he handled the puck, boos from the crowd. The family owned restaurant, Cheli’s Chili, seemed like the Cleveland Browns franchise moving their operations in the middle of night. The family chili restaurant opened up in Detroit. Chelios would actually play in Detroit longer than he did in Chicago for ten seasons. Fans remember Chelios wearing the Red Wings sweater at the Wrigley Field Classic winter game in 2009 outside. Then to rub salt on the fans, Chelios brought the cup back to Chicago a couple times and showed it off at the Cubs games. Inside the mind set of Blackhawks fans back then, he was a traitor and a turn coat.

The ceremony on Sunday had all kinds of people from celebrities to old teammates watching Chris Chelios’ big day unfold. Chelios is a guy anybody would love. He showed up to work and played hard. He went out, painted the town red, and loved the Chicago bars. His partner in crime most of the time in Chicago on defense, Gary Suter, said that Chelios would tell him, “If you drink beer at night you’ve got to sweat it out the next day.”

Everyone has a guy in their group that can light the lantern at night and the next day, no sweat no problem and perform like he had 8 hours night of sleep. We know those guys that can’t handle it and are messed up the next business day. Chelios was like Dennis Rodman. Rodman would work out after the game for hours & then go get a steak after he was done. I’m sure he got his drink on and found some female companionship as well. Chelios did those intense workouts. He was riding a stationary bike in the sauna. In the off-season, he prepare himself with intense training over the summer to get even better for the full tilt NHL schedule. In 26 seasons in the NHL, he scored 185 goals with 763 assists for a grand total of 948 points. He racked up 2,891 penalty minutes. He was playing hockey at 48 years of age. After Detroit he went and played for the Atlanta Thrashers for one season. Their affiliate was the Chicago Wolves. He would return home and play his remainder of his career in the AHL, American Hockey League, in front of his hometown wearing the Wolves jersey.

On Sunday, at 62 years old, Chris Chelios was welcomed back with open arms by the Blackhawks faithful with chants of “Cheli, Cheli” in the air. His family was on hand and the Blackhawks did a fantastic job with the entire celebration. Chelios was a guy that lived in my home town of Evergreen Park, growing up in a south Chicago ‘burb. He grew up watching Chicago sports. He followed all of them and was a fan. He met guys when he played from other sports local teams like Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Paul Konerko, and the baseball brain of the operations that constructed the Cubs World Series team, Theo Epstein. He had all his celebrity friends at the jersey retirement ceremony from living on the west coast, like the beautiful Cindy Crawford.

You can either like a guy or hate a guy who rubs elbows with the rich and famous. He seems like he does not forget about the guys that helped bring him to this level of stardom. He still is a family man. His daughter does pre and post games for the Blackhawks television broadcasts. Then I read in a book called The Grim Reaper about Chris Chelios being a dick head. The book was written by Chelios’ former teammate Stu Grimson who was an enforcer and teammate of those early 1990’s teams. This happened after Grimsom hung up the skates. How Chelios got Grimson fired from his job in the NHL union. I think the ESPN series, The Last Dance, tainted Michael Jordan’s perfect storybook career. I really think the group with Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa, and Jonathan Toews winning those three cups helps forget the dark days of Blackhawks hockey. Time seems to take the sting out of all the wounds. Patrick Kane scored the winning goal for the Red Wings on that Sunday affair. The United Center cheered on Kane like he is the next messiah legend in Chicago sports when he hangs up the skates. In life, we do some stupid things we regret and would want to change that about ourselves. Why are we seeing Kane and another X Blackhawks guy we loved, Alex DeBrincat, skating for the Red Wings? Sid the Kid Crosby still playing in Pittsburgh his entire career. Sometimes it is the player. Most of times, especially with the history we have in Chicago, it’s the ownership. The Blackhawks ownership that caused us to have to forgive and forget. They caused the problems. They try to push the blame on the players. Chelios did bring us a ton of great memories with those 1990 Blackhawks teams. He is a Hall of Famer. He may still be a guy you may hate but accept. It’s nice having him and the beloved Dick Butkus of the Bears being two guys from the home town having their jersey being retired. I would like a few other guys from the 1990’s Blackhawks teams to get their day. I can now say I can end my grudge on Chelios and move on. He still will not be my favorite player of all time. His work ethic is what you want for all the guys on the teams you follow. It is just a plain fact.