At 44, Detroit's Chris Chelios is the first hockey player in Olympic history to participate in an Olympics 22 years after making his Olympic debut.

Ageless Chelios rarin' to go
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Feb. 14, 2006

TORINO, Italy -- When scanning Team USA's roster, you might think defenseman Chris Chelios would be the most at-ease guy on the team. After all, the 2006 Olympics are his fourth, making him the American's resident grey beard.

But you would be wrong. At the tender age of 44, Chelios is the first hockey player in Olympic history to participate in an Olympics 22 years after making his Olympic debut. And he is as excited now as he was in 1984.

"Never in my wildest imagination could I imagine being a four-time Olympian.

"To represent my country and to be named captain is a great honor," Chelios said. "After the last Olympics, I didn't think this was possible."

Chelios also seemed to close the door on his international career after a disappointing loss to Finland in the 2004 World Cup semifinals. In that especially gloomy dressing room, many of the stars that led the U.S. to the 2002 silver medal and the 1996 World Cup title seems to rein down the curtains on their international careers. And USA Hockey seemed to second the notion, stating publicly that the American Olympic program had to move in a younger direction.

"That was disappointing," Chelios said of the 2004 World Cup. "We came up a goal short and USA Hockey was talking about a changing of the guard."

But a funny thing happened on the way to watching the television of these Games in Torino, Chelios' game in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings proved to everyone he could still play and play well.

In 57 games with the Detroit Red Wings this season, Chelios has two goals and four assists, and is a plus-12. He also is averaging nearly 18 minutes a game, a total that is higher now that Jiri Fischer is out of the lineup with complications from an irregular heartbeat. For the Wings, Chelios thrives as a penalty killer and situational player. For Team USA, he figures to be back as a prime-timer.

"In Detroit and in the new NHL, we (the Red Wings) have a certain chemistry," said Chelios, who admits his love for the game has never been stronger. "I continued to play at that level. The way things went this year, I knew I was on the bubble. But Jiri Fischer and Niklas Kronwall got hurt and I got to play a lot of minutes."

And that helped get Chelios off the bubble according to Team USA coach Peter Laviolette, who used the NHL season as a tryout for the members of his team, regularly checking their progress.

"Chelios has been playing a lot of minutes in Detroit," Laviolette said. "He brings that experience that we rely on in the locker room."

But even Chelios knows his on-ice career is going to end at some point, but he is going to take it as far as he can.

Chris Chelios has thrived as a penalty killer and situational player for the Red Wings, but for Team USA, he figures to be back as a prime-timer.

"I still take it season by season, but it's going to take something physical that will stop me. I'm fortunate to be on a great team that's on top of the League. It's been a great year for us."

He wants to keep the good feelings flowing here in Torino, where the American are rarely mentioned as a medal threat.

"We have seven or eight guys here to provide the leadership," Chelios said of himself, Mike Modano, Doug Weight, Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Mathieu Schneider and Derian Hatcher. "It's important for us to get off to a good start like we had in Salt Lake City. We did back then and that gave us a lot of momentum we took the rest of the way. We need creative energy and passion right from the start."

So Chelios knows this tournament, which opens against Kazakhstan Wednesday night, isn't going to be an easy process, but nor does he think Team USA is here as cannon fodder for the rest of the world.

"There are no easy teams," Chelios said, emphasizing that Team USA isn't in that category. "We've got to be ready, and we know that. We had a good meeting the other night and our system is in place.

"But, hey, hockey is hockey, it all gets back to hard work and the commitment to do what you have to do.

"By no means are we an underdog here," Chelios said. "But there are a lot of strong teams."