Bedard, teammates dress in Chelios gear for number retirement ceremony

The future of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise honored a legend from the past on Sunday.

To help celebrate Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios’ number retirement ceremony at United Center, current Blackhawks rookie and No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft Connor Bedard dressed the part, wearing a black throwback sweater complete with the captain's "C" during walk-ins.

But Bedard wasn’t the only Chicago star to don the jersey. Kind of.

The statue of Chicago Bulls legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, which sits outside the arena, was also dressed up with a Chelios jersey during the special day.

Later in the day, the real-life version of the NBA great sent a congratulatory video to his longtime friend.

Blackhawks forward MacKenzie Entwistle and defenseman Alex Vlasic showed off special Chelios T-shirts before the ceremony.

The grandiose ceremony included Chelios arriving on the ice in a 1962 Cadillac convertible and appearances from a contingent of former teammates, Hockey Hall of Fame forwards Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull, and basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, who won three NBA championships with the Bulls.