With his family seated in front of him, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios announced his retirement after 26 seasons in the NHL on Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
Defenseman Chris Chelios, here with the Red Wings in 2006, finishes his NHL career with 948 points in 1,651 games.
The Wings announced that Chelios will return to the organization, where he played from 1999 to 2009, as adviser to hockey operations.
"I'm 100% sure this is it," Chelios said. "I know that I'll never play in the NHL again. It's not a hard decision. I think the hardest thing is you get a little emotional talking about your family.
"I couldn't have played any longer than I did and I accomplished what I wanted to."
Chelios, 48, conceded he would still be thanking people if he tried to mention everyone who played a part in his career, which stretched from 1984 to 2010. His lengthy goodbye speech covered his time with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Wings and Atlanta Thrashers and representing the U.S. in international competitions.
He thanked various teammates, coaches, trainers, team owners, doctors, hockey media and staff for helping him.
It wasn't until the end of his speech that Chelios got choked up, talking about his wife, Tracee, and four children: Dean, Jake, Caley and Tara.
"I've always said I'm a good judge of character and she's living proof," Chelios said of his wife. "It's been a lot tougher what she's done than what I've done as a player."
Chris Chelios paused several times to keep from breaking down.
"I've always said I knew being a father and parent was going to be great, but I never imagined it would be this great," he said. "They give me more joy than hockey."
Chelios plans to spend a lot of time watching his daughters play high school sports at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood and sons play hockey at Michigan State this fall.
Dean Chelios said he was surprised that his father got choked up at the end.
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SOURCE: Detroit Free Press
George Sipple
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