Chris Chelios is doing what most sports fans are doing Sunday nights — watching ESPN’s “The Last Dance” 10-part miniseries on the Bulls and Michael Jordan.
The former Blackhawks defenseman said Wednesday on ESPN 1000’s “Carmen and Jurko” show that the miniseries has been “amazing,” but the fifth episode brought up some bad memories of not winning the Stanley Cup with his hometown team.
“The only disappointing thing for me is it just brings up memories of how I wish we could’ve… the Hawks could’ve done the same that one year we were both in the finals [in 1992],” the Hockey Hall of Famer said with a nervous chuckle. “It’s a little… it hits a nerve sometimes, but it’s been awesome.”
The sixth episode focused on the Bulls’ 1992 NBA Finals victory against Clyde Drexler and the Trail Blazers. The Bulls won the series in six games to repeat as NBA champions. Two weeks earlier, Chelios — who was in his second season with Chicago since being traded from the Canadiens for Denis Savard — and the Blackhawks were swept in four games by the reigning champion Penguins.
Chelios and the Blackhawks made the playoffs the next five seasons, but did not make it back to the Cup Final in that span. The Bulls and Jordan, meanwhile, won four more NBA titles (1993 and 96-98).
The Blackhawks and Bulls were looking to become the first NHL and NBA teams to share the same arena to win the championship in their respective leagues in the same season. Two cities with shared arenas have tried and failed to complete the double since then with the NBA’s Knicks and NHL’s Rangers in 1994, and the NBA’s Nets and NHL’s Devils in 2003. Host cities are 0-for-8 when trying to win both NBA-NHL final series.
NBA-NHL teams with same arena in finals
2003: Nets (lost), Devils (win)
1994: Knicks (lost), Rangers (win)
1992: Bulls (win), Blackhawks (lost)
1980: 76ers (lost), Flyers (lost)
1974: Celtics (win), Bruins (lost)
1972: Knicks (lost), Rangers (lost)
1958: Celtics (lost), Bruins (lost)
1957: Celtics (win), Bruins (lost)