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Chris Chelios, 48, is expected to be on the ice for the Atlanta Thrashers Thursday night after being called up from the minors. It’s not his first trip to the dance, of course. He holds the record for most NHL games played by a US player and the most  playoff games.

I don’t entirely get it. I’ve always said that when I grow up I want to be retired, and I stopped playing contact sports when I was 22 because it hurt. Still, I have to respect a guy who has enthusiasm for a game when he has enough money to have kissed the agony goodbye years ago. He is not without things to do. He has a family, including sons playing hockey on the college and pro levels, restaurants, and a crowd of Hollywood friends to hang with. He chose to live with his parents in Chicago during his latest minor league stint rather than uproot his family. He chose long bus rides with the Wolves over the beach in Malibu. If that’s not love of the game, I don’t know what is.

Though the comparison has been made, this doesn’t feel anything like Favre to me. He hasn’t been indecisive, created drama, or, to my knowledge, hawked ugly jeans. I understand the team wanting to bring in a veteran leader at this stage of the season, letting their other prospects continue to mature in the minors. And when he hits the ice in the playoffs he will be adding to his record of 266 playoff games.

Chelios is still a few years behind the oldest player ever to retire, Gordie Howe, who played his final season with the Hartford Whalers at 51. Chelios has claimed that he is not chasing Howe’s record.

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~clumberkim

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