Chris Chelios Still Wants to Play
Veteran Defenseman to Return for 2009-10 NHL Season?
Aug 25, 2009 Michael Spagnuolo
Don’t tell Chris Chelios he’s too old to play hockey, even though he was born in the same year that the Rolling Stones debuted.
Chelios, 47, was let go by the Red Wings after this past season. But even though he is older than his last head coach, Mike Babcock, Chelios has publicly indicated that he would like to play another season in the NHL.
Gordie Howe Played in the NHL At Age 51
While there aren’t many 47 year-olds in the NHL now or ever, Chelios, currently a special assistant coach for USA Hockey, wouldn’t be the first 45+ player to take shifts in the league. Gordie Howe, at 51, came back to the NHL to play for the Hartford Whalers for the 1979-80 season. And he didn’t have a bad year for a pentagenarian, playing in all 80 games and scoring 15 goals. Chelios, however, has a long way to go before topping Howe’s 1997 return to pro hockey, when he skated in one shift for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL … at 69 years old!
Chelios One of the NHL’s Best Defensemen Ever
Of course, no one would expect Chelios to put up numbers like he once did, but he could still be productive. Even though he had only dressed for 28 regular season games and six playoff games last season, and was held scoreless in all of them, what hurts him in age is more than made up for in experience. Adding Chelios as a seventh defenseman or a part-time player is almost like having a player-coach on the ice. A team with a young up-and-coming stud on defense could only benefit with having him pair up on the ice or room on the road with Chelios, arguably one of the greatest defenseman ever to play in the NHL.
Great Conditioning A Key to Long NHL Career
Chelios has a reputation for being one of the top conditioned players in the NHL, and is regarded in being in better physical shape than players young enough to be his son. One story that has made the rounds recently is that Chelios often trains on an exercise bike … while in a sauna.
Today’s NHL player is MUCH different than one from 20 or even 15 or ten years ago. Whereas then only some players were fitness enthusiasts, now pretty much everyone trains both on and off the ice. And whereas most players then took the summer off and used training camp to get in shape, now most players train almost year-round and are in playing shape by the time they report to camp. So with such an emphasis on fitness, and the use of training techniques as diverse as weight training, plyometrics and even yoga, look for more players like Chelios to play and be productive well into their 40’s.
Chelios a Future Hall-of-Famer
When he does decide to hang up his skates, there is no question that Chelios is a future NHL Hall of Famer. He has as impressive of a resume of anyone who ever played on the blue line in the league, with, among other accomplishments, three Stanley Cups and three Norris Trophies, on it. But that was then, and this is now.
Being realistic, with much younger unrestricted free agent defensemen such as Martin Skoula, Dennis Seidenberg and Christian Backman still available (as of press time), Chelios will have a difficult time getting himself signed somewhere by someone in the NHL. But for a team outside of the league willing to take a chance on such an experienced, well-conditioned defenseman, inking Chelios for one more season, even at 47, could be money well spent.
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