Former Blackhawks defenseman Chris Chelios, seen here at opening night in October, will have his jersey retired Sunday.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
On Sunday afternoon, former Blackhawks and Red Wings star Chris Chelios’ jersey will rise to the United Center rafters, and former Blackhawks great Patrick Kane will step back onto United Center ice for the first time as a member of the Wings.
And the two momentous events will happen only a half-hour apart.
In a season laden with inconsequential games culminating in ho-hum losses, Sunday represents a massive deviation from the norm. Excitement has been building for weeks, and the atmosphere should be electric.
“That’s the one of the games I looked at before the year like, ‘When is this game coming?'” forward Philipp Kurashev said Friday. “I know it’s going to be a great atmosphere, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Several different generations of fans have a lot to anticipate, and there will be more than enough emotion and nostalgia to sweep up everyone in attendance and watching on TV. After all, Chelios played his last of 1,651 NHL games — ending his legendary 26-year playing career — just two months before Kane won his first Stanley Cup in 2010.
Hawks coach Luke Richardson falls squarely in the Chelios generation. The two defensemen faced each other 55 times in regular-season games, with Chelios winning 39 of those matchups.
“I didn’t like playing against him, that’s for sure,” Richardson said.
In 1992, the Chelios-led Hawks swept Richardson’s Oilers in the Conference Finals. When they shook hands after Game 4, Richardson recalls grumbling while Chelios wore a bright smile — a “poor memory,” he admitted. But Richardson also maintained immense respect for Chelios — respect which has only grown since uniting in the same organization during the last two years.
“He was one of the first guys you heard about doing the off-ice training in the summer,” Richardson added. “So he was able to play lots of minutes under stress and in the playoffs and World Cups and Olympics and all of that. [He] doesn’t make mistakes because he’s used to being tired or playing through tiredness — because he’s not tired compared to everybody else.
“That was a unique drive he had internally. No one ever dragged him to the gym. He was [always] there, and he found those people to work with to make him even more special with the talent that he had.”
Chelios will be honored in a ceremony starting at 3:10 p.m., well ahead of the game’s announced 5 p.m. start time.
As soon as his No. 7 banner reaches its final resting spot, however, attention will largely shift to Kane, whom Hawks fans never got to give a proper sendoff after he was traded to the Rangers last February during a West Coast road trip. There will be a roar — and probably some tears — within the sellout crowd when he gives his salute.
“I’m just pumped for the video tribute,” rookie Connor Bedard said. “I think it’s going to be pretty nasty. He had some sick highlights here. I’ve watched every one of his mixtapes probably 100 times.”
It might not seem as weird seeing Kane in the Red Wings’ shade of red as it would have been seeing him in Rangers blue, but it’s hard to know just how weird it’ll feel until the moment arrives.
If Kane scores, the reaction will be even more interesting, and there’s a good chance he will. He has exceeded all expectations this season coming off his summer hip surgery, tallying 26 points in 26 games — with some help, particularly on the power play, from former Hawks linemate Alex DeBrincat.
The seemingly playoff-bound Wings are coming off a 6-1 rout of the Blues on Saturday; Kane buried the opening goal 33 seconds in.
“He’s probably going to say something [to me], but I’m probably not going to chirp him,” Kurashev said. “How can I chirp? This guy, you can’t chirp.”