Chris Chelios is known as a pretty tough customer on the ice, but his first experiences with toughness and hockey weren't on the ice, they were as a young fan in the stands at Chicago Stadium.

"As a kid, I just remember it was a real rough crowd," says Chelios, who would attend games with his father and watch the likes of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull. "The smoke up in the third balcony where we were sitting...it was just a real tough atmosphere that was representative of Chicago. It was a tough place."

Chicago Stadium was something that was very special says Chelios, who was born and raised in the Windy City. "It had a great tradition," says the two-time Norris trophy winner. "People that came to that building, whether they came from Canada or anywhere else, once they watched a game there, they loved it and they loved hockey. It was a great place to watch a game."

So can he make a comparison to the Hawks' new ultra-modern home at the United Center Air Arena?

"There is no comparison - no comparison at all," states Chelios. "There's no building like the old stadium. There is no building like it in any sport. The atmosphere it created...it was a great old building whether it was basketball being played or hockey."