Reading a Detroit News story on how weird it was for Red Wing fans when the team traded for Chris Chelios in 1999, and how equally it initially felt for Chelios, really brought back the same memories to me.Chelios was a Chicago guy. Not because of where he played, but he was from there. And he was the team captain. But at the time of the trade, he was 37. How much gas did he have left? Turns out, a lot. He played a record number of seasons, won two more Stanley Cups as a Red Wing, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

“As a Chicago guy who was playing for the Blackhawks at the time, we despised those Detroit teams of the 1990’s. After the trade, however, things changed quickly and I began to feel right at home.” - Chris Chelios, in the Detroit News.

All told, Chelios spent 19 years in the Detroit organization, most recently as an advisor. But with the passing of the father earlier this year, family considerations changed things.

“For me, this is an opportunity to move back to Chicago to be closer to family, and in particular my mother,” Chelios said in statement released by the Wings on Thursday. “I began to seriously consider moving home last February after the passing of my father. Now that my children have all graduated, it seems like the ideal time for my wife, Tracee, and I to make the move.” -statement release by Detroit Red Wings.

2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic - Alumni Games
Steve Yzerman #19, Chris Chelios #24 and Paul Coffey #77 of the Detroit Red Wings stand on the ice for the national anthem before the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2013 Hockeytown Winter Festival Alumni Showdown on December 31, 2013 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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Chelios will continue to have a connection to the Red Wings, as his son Jake plays in the Detroit organization.

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