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Although I used to be a huge fan of hockey, I have to admit that I don't get around to watching very many games these days. When I was younger, my family used to have season tickets to the Blackhawks, and I basically lived and died with that team. But as I grew older, my interest in both the team and the game waned, despite the Hawks having several successful seasons when I was a ticket holder (including their 1992 trip to the Stanley Cup Finals).

Nevertheless, there are still several players that I check in on from time to time. By this, I mean that I check the box scores in the morning paper to see how well they're doing on their respective teams now. As it so happens, many of the players I'm still interested in were my favorites back when I was attending games first at the Stadium and then across the street at the United Center.  Guys like Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, and of course, Chris Chelios. These players are getting up there in age, with both Belfour and Chelios in their 40's and Roenick approaching that milestone, yet they still remain important parts of their respective teams' lineups (when not injured). That just goes to show how skilled they were to begin with. You can't have that much longevity in professional sports without being the absolute best of the best.

Out of that trio, my favorite player is definitely Chris Chelios. He really embodied all the characteristics that I thought a hockey player should. He was tough and wouldn't back down from any opponent, no matter what kind of size disadvantage he had. He was smart and could see plays developing well in advance, which enabled him to react quickly. And he was extremely skilled. He could skate well, performed textbook checks and takeouts, and was also a scoring threat -- particularly on special teams.

Chelios now plays for the Detroit Red Wings after leaving Chicago following the 1998-1999 NHL season. His career spans an incredible 22 years, and he has accomplished a lot in that time. He won Stanley Cups twice, once with the 1986 Montreal Canadiens, and again with the 2002 Detroit Red Wings. He has also been a consistent All-Star throughout his career, making appearances in 10 different seasons. Chelios has also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman on three separate occasions: 1988-1989, 1992-1993, and 1995-1996.  And finally, he has been a part of three Olympic teams and has already been picked as the captain of his fourth Olympic effort as the American team takes on the rest of the world in the 2006 winter games in Torino, Italy.  

But there's another reason that I rank Chelios as one of my favorite players of all time. Back when he was with the Blackhawks, he opened a bar down the street from the United Center.  It was called Cheli's Chili Bar, and was the place to be for hockey fans after Blackhawk home games. That's because Chelios would show up after each home game with a lot of other popular Hawks' players in tow. They would come into the bar and mingle with the fans just like regular people.  They would sign autographs, take photos, and chat about the game. It was a lot of fun to be able to go to that bar knowing that  I would see all my favorite players in person.  And of course Chelios was right in the middle of it all.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons that Chris Chelios is my one of my favorite hockey players. Not only does he do a lot of impressive things on the ice, he also seems like a very decent and upstanding human being off the ice.  He hosts an annual charity golf tournament that benefits children, and he has always made it a point to remember his old neighborhood in Chicago.

It was tough when Chelios moved on to play in Detroit, since the Red Wings and the Blackhawks have a pretty intense rivalry. But I never stopped liking him as a player and I still eagerly check the Detroit box scores every morning during hockey season. Chelios might not score many goals these days, but he is still one of the best hockey players America has to offer.