Chris Chelios is one of the best defensemen of all time, but he also practiced harder than many. It’s a legendary fact that Chelios used to ride a training bike in the sauna (!) between practices—and one time, it led to a hilarious moment between him and Brett Hull.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Chris Chelios is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history. As one of the longest-tenured players ever, he was the former record-holder for most games played by a defenseman, with 1,651 games, which is the eighth-most in league history. He also holds the record for most playoff games played with 266, and his 26 seasons are tied for the most in the NHL with Gordie Howe.
But it wasn’t a coincidence that Chelios played for so long. He practiced harder than many and was always professional in everything he did.
Brett Hull’s hilarious move
There’s a legendary story about how Chelios was always on the training bike between practices—and sometimes, to get in even more sweat, he’d bring it into the sauna for maximum effect. And once, it led to a hilarious moment between him and the legendary Brett Hull.
“Here’s a good one,” Luc Robitaille said on the Cam & Strick Podcast when asked about some Brett Hull stories.
“I’m sure you’ve heard that Chris Chelios always rode the bike really hard in the sauna. Chelios—I’ve never seen anybody ride that hard. Even if he wasn’t in the sauna, you’d be like, ‘I can’t keep up with this guy.’ But he would do it in the sauna—he’d bring the stationary bike in there.
“So Hully would meet him every single morning in the sauna, bringing a newspaper and just sitting there. And we’d all laugh because they were both working out—they were both sweating.”
READ MORE: How Chris Chelios ended up in jail the night before huge trade to the Chicago Blackhawks
