This Is Where It All Started, Chris Chelios
It all started with a conversation on a beach in California and the rest as they say is history.
Chris Chelios was going to school and playing rec hockey in the southern state when a chance meeting with Bobby Parker led to him joining the Moose Jaw Canucks. “This is basically where it all started, I was out of hockey in San Diego when I met Bobby Parker on a beach and he gave me the number (of Canucks head coach Larry Billows),” explained the 26-year NHL vet, who played two seasons with the Canucks from 1979 to 1981.
Chelios was back in Moose Jaw for the first time in over 30 years on Saturday. He was being honoured, along with over 45 Canucks alumni in recognition of the team’s 90th anniversary, prior to the Warriors game against the Vancouver Giants at Mosaic Place.
“It’s been a long time, got to have lunch with a couple of ex-teammates, but it doesn’t look like Main Street has changed too much,” said Chelios about coming back to the Friendly City. “I had great memories and it’s actually where it all started for me, so it’s good to come back.”
When you look back at the career that Chelios had in the NHL, it’s pretty hard to imagine that he would have been out of hockey, but that was the case after he was cut from the United States International University in San Diego, which is the camp where he first met Parker.
Chelios called Billows on Parker’s request and it didn’t go smoothly right off the bat. “I called and they said they wouldn’t fly me up because I had to pay and I didn’t have the money and then five-six days later, Larry called and flew me up and the rest is history,” said Chelios. “Thank god Larry Billows gave me a shot, I think I was the only American in the league at the time, just a couple bad breaks from some players and I got the opportunity.
“I was lucky, I had the chance to develop, (Billows) was patient with me and I made my fair share of mistakes, but he kept throwing me out there and eventually the good outweighed the bad,” he added.
At that point in his career, playing in the NHL was the furthest thing from Chelios’ mind. It started to become more of a reality over the next few years as he starred with the Canucks, putting up 35 goals and 131 points in 108 games over two seasons.
“Moose Jaw was just because I loved playing and to me Moose Jaw was pro, it was my first time away from home and playing front of big crowds, so it was a great experience, the two years I had here,” he stated.
Those two years led to him getting a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin, which Chelios said was always the goal.
“You grow up in the states and you’ve got to realistic, I played baseball and that was probably my favourite sport, but even getting to Moose Jaw, NHL and pro were the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “Going to college was the goal, once I accomplished that and then after the way things went my first year in Wisconsin, and then it became a reality that I had a shot.”
Chelios put up over a point per game in his two years with the University of Wisconsin, racking up 97 points in 88 games. That led to him getting drafted in the second round, 40th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.
“I had no reason in the world to make it and now I’m a month from now getting inducted (into the Hockey Hall of Fame),” said Chelios of his rise from California rec hockey to Hall of Famer. “It’s a tribute to everybody, especially Moose Jaw, who had a hand in me making it and having the success I did.”
The list of accomplishments is long for Chelios. He said his favourite moments weren’t the individual awards — he won three Norris Trophies — but the team success, mainly the three Stanley Cups (1986 in Montreal and 2002 and 2008 with Detroit).
“The individual awards don’t even come close to when you win a Stanley Cup, or any championship,” he stated.
“When we won in 1996 with the US team (at the World Cup of Hockey), it was a big deal for us and I think it started a big rivalry because we weren’t really on the map. From a U.S. standpoint that was a big step winning it here.”
Chelios played in four Olympic Games (1984, 1998, 2002 and 2006), winning silver with the United States in Salt Lake City in 2002 and captaining the 2006 team.
In total he played in 1651 NHL games — which puts him fifth all-time — over 26 seasons, registering 185 goals and 948 points, and he said there were four good reasons why he kept going out there every year.
“Eddie Belfour, Patrick Roy, Chris Osgood and Dominic Hasek, that helped, but for sure it was just great coaches, I had (Jacques) Lemaire to start with, Scotty Bowman, Mike Keane, and then great players, I don’t know how many Hall of Fame guys I played with, but it was quite a few,” he said.
With his own date approaching, Chelios said it’s a little overwhelming still that he will be joining that illustrious group.
“The word that (Scott) Niedermayer was surreal, but mine’s comical because I still look back and can’t really believe it’s going to happen in three weeks,” Chelios said. “I’m dreading the speech, a little nervous, but I’m going to go there and make tribute to everybody that had a hand in it, I had a lot of help.”
The Warriors honoured Chelios’ induction by wearing Hockey Hall of Fame “Chelios” jerseys during warm-ups. Those jerseys, along with the Canucks jerseys worn during the game, are being auctioned off at mjwarriors.com starting Tuesday at 12:00pm. The Chelios warm-up jerseys will be available until Friday, October 18th at 4pm. The Canuck game worn jersey auction ends Thursday, October 31st at 4pm.
