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United States Chris Chelios is a decorated ice hockey defenseman, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, and a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, whose extensive career spans multiple NHL teams and international competitions.
BetMGM partnered with Chris Chelios as a celebrity brand ambassador for fan engagements, marketing campaigns, and public appearances.
Chris Chelios co-founded El Bandido Yankee Tequila with former NFL player Jim Bob Morris. The brand has launched exclusive partnerships, including with The Chicago Hotel Collection, for various events and promotions.
Christos Konstantinos Chelios was born on January 25, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois. His early hockey career began with the Moose Jaw Canucks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before he played for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Chelios made his NHL debut in the 1983–84 season, becoming a full-time player in 1984. He quickly established himself as a prominent offensive defenseman, earning a spot on the 1985 NHL All-Rookie Team and finishing as a runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy. In the 1985–86 season, he won his first Stanley Cup with the Canadiens.
Chelios continued to achieve significant milestones with the Canadiens, winning his first James Norris Memorial Trophy in the 1988–89 season and serving as co-captain. In 1990, he was traded to his hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks, where he captained the team from 1995 to 1999 and won two more James Norris Memorial Trophies (1993, 1996). In 1996, he was a key member of the United States team that won the World Cup of Hockey, earning a place on the All-Tournament Team. His career extended into the new millennium with the Detroit Red Wings, where he won two additional Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008. During his time with the Red Wings, Chelios led the league in plus/minus with +40 in 2002 and was named to the first All-Star team. He also captained the U.S. Olympic hockey team in 2006, becoming one of the few players to participate in an Olympic ice hockey tournament more than two decades after his debut.
After retiring in 2010 at age 48, Chelios transitioned into a front office role with the Red Wings as an Adviser to Hockey Operations. He later served as an ambassador for the Chicago Blackhawks and worked as an NHL analyst for various sports networks including FS1, ESPN, and TNT. His remarkable 26-season NHL career saw him play 1,651 regular season games and set records for most career playoff games played (266) and most NHL seasons played (26, tied with Gordie Howe). Chelios was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013 and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018. His No. 7 jersey was retired by the Blackhawks in 2024, honoring his lasting impact on the sport.
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