who spent 25 years in the NHL, signed Tuesday with the Chicago Wolves of the
American Hockey League.
Chelios, who played last season with the Detroit Red
Wings, will make his debut with the Wolves on Friday during a home game against
Manitoba. Terms were not disclosed.
Chelios was limited to 28 games during the 2008-09
regular season because of a broken leg suffered during an exhibition game. He
played in six games for the Red Wings during the playoffs, where Detroit lost to
the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Chelios, a Chicago native, has played in 1,644 NHL games
with 185 goals and 763 assists during a career with Montreal, the Blackhawks and
the Red Wings. He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman three times,
played in 11 NHL All-Star games and was on three Stanley Cup winners, one with
Montreal and two with Detroit. He also played in three Olympics.
The Wolves signed Chelios one day after firing coach Don
Granato following the team's 1-5 start.
The Wolves' roster includes some 20-year-old players who
are the same age as Chelios' oldest son.
"I've got no goal, just keep playing," Chelios said last
week after skating with the Wolves for the first time. "I'm not going to come
out and jeopardize this team's success. It's a challenge. I want to see if I can
play.
"My son's as old as some of these kids, but it's going to
be fun. They're very respectful kids and I intend to have a good time with these
guys."
Chelios came up with Montreal in 1984 and was traded to
Chicago in 1990. He captained the Blackhawks from 1995 to 1999 and was traded to
Detroit in March 1999.