Chris Chelios is one of the all-time greats, and he became a cult hero in Chicago, spending nine seasons with the Blackhawks, being the team captain in four of them.
But in the late 90s, things changed forever, and it was something that nobody saw coming.
Chelios had gotten older, but he was still a great player. And the Detroit Red Wings were looking for yet another star in their already great roster.
Nobody thought they could pull it off, but on March 23rd, 1999, they acquired Chris Chelios from the Blackhawks in exchange for Anders Eriksson and two first-round picks.
When Detroit signed Chelios, they were hesitant even to extend it to a two-year contract. But Chelios ended up spending nine years with the Red Wings, winning one Stanley Cup.
While the Red Wings fans were excited, there was a totally different story in Chicago.
Chicago is known to have a really tough sporting crowd, and they’re not the one to forget. That’s exactly what Chelios got to experience just months later.
On the last night of the 1998-99 regular season, Chelios returned to Chicago, to the United Center, playing against the Blackhawks for the first time in a Detroit jersey.
And he didn’t get a very warm welcome.
”I got booed every time I touched the puck when I came back,” Chelios said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.
”Scotty Bowman, after the second period, said, ’Look here, you know, Michael Jordan came to the game to watch.’ Scotty came up to me and he goes, ’Hey, go take your stuff off, and go drink with your buddy MJ up in the suite.’ So I got to miss the third period and sit in the suite with MJ; that’s how bad the crowd was. You know, Scotty said, ’You’re keeping the crowd in this one.’”
That was the first time Chelios returned. And it didn’t get better as the years went by.
”It went on for years. Until the Blackhawks finally won, when they went on that run with the cup.”
