Chelios thanks family and abundance of friends in HHOF speech
By Michael Caples –
During the part of his speech in which he thanked all the people surrounding his latest hockey accomplishment, Chris Chelios wouldn’t thank the Hockey Hall of Fame employees.
“I’m not going to thank the Hockey Hall of Fame; I’m going to apologize for being the biggest pain in the rump they’ve ever had in the history of the hall of fame,” Chelios said early in his hall induction speech.
Chelios, one of five members of the Class of 2013, and he gave the HHOF a taste of what it must be like for A-list celebrities.
Along with bringing his family to Toronto, Chelios made sure his supporting cast was there, too. That meant Bobby Parker, the guy who kept him in the game when his career seemed to be over before it began. But it also meant some people you don’t normally see at a hockey ceremony.
Chelios’ entourage list included (but may not be limited to) Kid Rock, John McEnroe, Cindy Crawford, John Cusack, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tony Danza and John C. McGinley (yes, the guy who wore the Chelios jersey in episodes of “Scrubs”).
“My parents will tell you, I was a pain,” Chelios said. “My family, wife and kids, my coaches, so I’m not going to stop now. I had a lot of people come up to Toronto, wanted to have everybody here to share this because it’s so special. It’s not the same as watching on TV. Like I said, it’s really incredible to see the support I’ve had throughout my life with my friends and family to make this all possible.“
That was one of the main themes in Chelios’ induction speech; family and friends, not being ‘a pain’.
“What an incredible feeling. It is a crazy story,” Chelios said. “You look at some of the other inductees, where they came from; for me, it was a different path. The words they used…incredible or surreal, mine, the word that keeps popping back in my head is comical. Mostly because, the path I took, and not so much what happened when I did make it.”
The Chicago native reflected on a unique hockey journey – one that started on an outdoor rink in a blue-collar town and ended with three Stanley Cup rings.
“Americans played baseball, football, I just happened to get lucky that we had an ice rink,” Chelios said. “It was a basketball court, they froze it every winter, and fortunately it was convenient enough for me to do something in the winter. My hero was Dick Butkus, I didn’t have a hockey hero until I actually started playing.”
And after talking through his journey – Olympics, Norris Trophies and records galore – Chelios thanked the players before him that paved the way for today’s NHL athlete and the players’ association. But he made sure to return to family.
“Now, after talking about the ugly part of the game, I wanted to talk about something so beautiful,” Chelios said. “My mother and my father, what they have done for me my whole life, providing me with everything. Whatever it took, I watched them work so hard, so thank you Mom and Dad. They gave me everything they could afford to.”
“When I first walked into the Montreal dressing room, I saw all these kids up there, and I said man, I can’t wait to have kids and bring them to the rink and skate with them. Well, I never thought it was going to be this good, it’s been unbelievable being a parent, and thank you guys, I’m proud of every one of you.”
“In closing, the most important thing to me was what my friends and family thought of me, and how they perceived me as a person and a teammate and a player. I owe everything in my life to my family and my friends and this great game of hockey.”
“I always said that somehow I’d remain in hockey in some capacity. But if this is the last time that I’m ever standing front and center in this type of setting, I just want to say what a great ending. Thank you very much, everybody.”