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Chris Chelios (born Christos Kostas Tselios January 25, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Greek American defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. He has earned many awards during his long career, and is considered one of the best Americans to ever play in the NHL. Chelios is currently the oldest active player in the NHL, and has played the most games by an active player in the NHL. With the recent retirement of Tie Domi, he is also the active leader for penalty minutes.

Chelios was raised in Southern California and was a standout youth hockey player. After moving to Chicago and attending Mount Carmel High School (Chicago), Chelios was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to being drafted, he played for the Moose Jaw Canucks of the SJHL. He played for two years at the University of Wisconsin after being drafted. In 1983, he was named to the All-Tournament Team and the Second WCHA All-Star Team. He made his debut for the Canadiens during the following season, playing twelve games in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs.

After playing only 53 games in the next season, on June 29, 1990, Chelios was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 2nd-round draft pick for Denis Savard, who is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 2004, due to the cancellation of the NHL season, Chelios, along with fellow Red Wing teammates Derian Hatcher and Kris Draper, decided to play hockey for the Motor City Mechanics, a UHL team based out of Fraser. He was heavily criticized for this decision as the UHL has a maximum salary in place, but at the same time he was strongly against a salary cap in the NHL. In October 2004 he trained with the U.S. bobsled federation in a bid to compete for the Greek bobsled team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Chelios (after he retires), will surely be elected to the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible. His 22-year career has shown that he can both score and play defense. He also plays with an edge to his game, as demonstrated by his 2803 penalty minutes. In his prime he combined his offensive skills with his physical edge to win 3 Norris Trophies. Over his career, he played in 11 All-Star games and was named to 7 NHL First or Second All-Star Teams. Even with his career tapering off, he has proved that he can play an important role for a Stanley Cup-winning team. All in all, Chelios has secured a legacy as one of the most decorated Americans to ever play in the NHL, and is considered by some to be the greatest American ever to play hockey.

On May 24, 2006, Chelios signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He will be 45 years old in January 2007, which makes him one of the oldest players in the history of NHL. On July 3, 2006, Chelios became the active leader for most games played upon the retirement of teammate Steve Yzerman. On September 19, he also became the active leader for penalty minutes, when Tie Domi retired.