Former Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios led a class of five inductees into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night.
The three-time Norris Trophy winner, three-time Stanley Cup champion and four-time Olympian, Chelios was joined by Gary Suter, Keith Tkachuk, Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider and broadcaster Mike Emrick.
“In my generation of players, there weren’t a lot of kids who played organized hockey,” Chelios said. “Maybe a handful of us continued on to a college career. It wasn’t as easy as today. American kids were playing baseball and football, and developed a little later. So those two years you need to grow, physically, there wasn’t anywhere to play.”
Chelios had an NHL career that spanned 26 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and briefly with the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Wings acquired Chelios from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 23rd, 1999 for Anders Eriksson and two first-round draft picks.
Ref: TSN.ca, Associated Press, Zimbio (image)
