Chicago Blackhawks Greatest 100- #12 Chris Chelios

If there ever was a hometown player that we all loved as Chicagoans it was Chris Chelios, and he almost helped win the Stanley Cup in 1992.  

Chris Chelios was born in Evergreen Park in 1962 so he will always be one of us, but he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2nd round of 1981.

He made the team as a 22 year old in 1983, and he was part of a Canadiens Stanley Cup winner in 1986.  He would win his first Norris Trophy with the Canadiens in 1989.

Chelios would become a Chicago Blackhawk in 1990 when he was traded for Denis Savard in a huge trade for both teams. In the end it would help Savard our fan favorite to win his first Cup with the Canadiens in 1993.

Chelios was tough as nails, was a great defender, and knew how to score when needed. He was great on any unit, and for a lot of fans of the Blackhawks that are in their 30’s and 40’s is one of their all-time favorite players.

Of course, his greatest his season with the Chicago Blackhawks was in 1992, when the Hawks would win 11 straight games as they marched all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Unfortunately, Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux where too much for the Jeremy Roenick, Chelios team, and the Hawks were swept out of the Final which was a tough pill to swallow for all fans then.

Chelios won two Norris trophies with the Blackhawks in 1993 and 1996, but the longer he was with the franchise the worse they were if you throw out their 1995 Conference Championship series run that would also end in a loss to the Detroit Red Wings.  This Chelios OT goal was the clincher that got the Hawks to the Final that season.

The Hawks were in full decline when the Hawks traded Chelios to the Red Wings in 1999 for a couple of first round draft picks that never really worked out, and just like that the dark ages were upon the Hawks.

Chelios would win two more Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and play until he was 47, but his prime was spent with the Blackhawks were he 487 points and 1495 penalty minutes and will always be a Chicagoan even if he burned Jay Cutler jerseys.

Next: DeBrincat- Want vs Need

Only 12 days left until the season starts on October 5th!