Veteran Chelios has built a long career one game at a time

Chris Chelios always considered time his enemy. He vigorously combats its attacks on his body, maintaining a grueling workout routine that allows him to remain a vital part of the Red Wings’ defense after his 45th birthday.

Only recently has he learned that the passage of time can be good, an agent for healing.

On Jan. 2, two employees of Chelios’ downtown Detroit restaurant, Cheli’s Chili Bar, were murdered on the premises by a former busboy. Megan Soroka was the manager, entrusted to run things when Chelios was on the road. Mark Barnard was a cook. Justin Blackshere, 17, was charged with first-degree murder and faces mandatory life in prison without parole if he is convicted.

Chelios missed four games while he tried to comfort the victims’ loved ones and his shaken employees. He can’t bring back Soroka or Barnard, but he hasn’t forgotten them.

“Time passes and life goes on, but this has been a long year in the sense that I never had anything like this happen to me except my sister’s death,” said Chelios, whose sister, Gigi, died of cancer in 2001.

“I try to spend time with the families, but the fact that we’re in the playoffs now makes it tough. The staff, everybody, we all felt terrible. It was just hard to believe.”

This season, Chelios’ 23rd in the NHL, was trying in other ways too.

For the first time in a full season, he scored no goals and recorded only 11 points in 71 games. He averaged 18 minutes 7 seconds’ ice time and didn’t play much on the power play, though he denied having lobbied Coach Mike Babcock to increase his role.

“It wasn’t so much asking as talking about it when we were discussing my role,” he said. “I’m content, no matter what you hear. I don’t want to uproot anybody. If it’s penalty killing or teaching young guys, I’ll do it.

“Now, unfortunately, with the injuries we’ve had, I’ve had an opportunity to play more. But I’d never second-guess the coach or disrespect the guys.”

With Mathieu Schneider and Niklas Kronwall done for the season because of a broken wrist and fractured lower-back bone, respectively, Chelios figures to assume a more prominent role when the Red Wings open the Western Conference finals against the Ducks tonight at Joe Louis Arena.

Chelios is averaging 18:52 of ice time in the playoffs after playing more than 25 minutes in each of the last two games of Detroit’s second-round victory over San Jose. This round will be a tougher test, but the Chicago native is accustomed to challenging himself.

This is no Roger Clemens joining a team in midseason, pitching every fifth day and skipping road trips. Chelios, who spends his summers in Southern California working out with a personal trainer, is out there every game using his experience and savvy to compensate for the step he has lost.

“He’s a freak of nature,” said Ed Olczyk, a former NHL player and coach and a teammate of Chelios’ on the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

“He’s a freak. In a good way.”

To put Chelios’ age in perspective:

He’s 15 months older than his coach.

He was voted onto the 1984-85 all-rookie team around the time Ducks forwards Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were born.

He is more than 23 years older than his sometime defense partner, Kyle Quincey.

When the Red Wings faced Calgary in the first playoff round, Chelios set an NHL record with his 22nd postseason appearance. He has played 240 playoff games, seven short of Patrick Roy’s record.

His teammates think that his birth date is irrelevant.

“I don’t even want to talk age, because I don’t see him as 45,” right wing Mikael Samuelsson said. “He’s a leader for us and he shows probably the best heart in the dressing room.”

Olczyk, now a TV commentator, praised Chelios’ ability to adapt to changing times and his changing abilities.

“He was a mean, tough, nasty player that could do everything. Now, with the way the game has changed, he’s just more in control,” Olczyk said.

“Obviously, his offensive skills have come down a little bit. That happens when you get older. But he can still make the plays. He has such poise with the puck.

“I look at what he does for young players, and to me, that kind of stuff is invaluable. You could break down salary and everything else. His worth is invaluable to this team.”

Chelios’ value extends beyond his own team.

He was among a group of players that questioned the hiring of Ted Saskin to succeed Bob Goodenow as head of the NHL Players’ Assn., saying the hiring bypassed the union’s constitution and that Saskin misrepresented the salaries of other sports union bosses in negotiating a five-year, $10-million contract.

The union’s executive board voted Thursday to fire Saskin.

“The biggest issue was that all the players decided unanimously,” Chelios said. “This has been going on for 19 months and now we’re on the same page and prepared to rebuild the union.”

Chelios said he’d rather talk about the playoffs than union issues or his age. But his age is a story, and a remarkable one.

“I’d be lying if I said I’d never heard of some of these records,” he said, “but it’s just great to be in the mix again at 45. I feel fortunate that I’m a part of this team eight years now and able to continue to play.”

Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.