Admittedly, I am not a professional hockey fan. Don't get wrong. I don't have any disrespect for hockey. In fact, I've been to several Pittsburgh Penguins games in my life, and I totally understand how some people actually consider the NHL to be the BEST sport to watch live in person. But I am just not really aware of the NHL. I couldn't name a single NHL championship team from the last… ever. I would probably struggle to name more than 4-5 total teams and I couldn't even tell you if it is currently hockey season.
Like many casual non-observers of hockey, my knowledge of the best players of all time is limited to one answer: Wayne Gretzky. So you'll pardon me when I admit that I had never heard the name "Chris Chelios" prior to a few hours ago.
The name Chris Chelios popped up on my radar when I heard that he – a retired NHL player – was selling a home in Malibu for…
$75 million
FYI, Chris and his wife Tracee bought this home 20 years ago for "just" $6 million. So this would be quite a score.
After spending just a few minutes reading about Chris Chelios, I quickly realized that this guy is a big deal. Not only is he considered one of the 100 greatest hockey players of all time, he played in the NHL for a mind-altering (perhaps literally) 26 seasons. That's tied for the all-time record with Gordie Howe.
I had to double check what I was reading. He played 26 seasons in the NHL??!!
Sure enough, it's true. Chelios was drafted in 1981. He made his professional debut in 1983 and retired in August 2010. That run is kind of hard to fathom. Chris was drafted a year before I was born and retired a few months before my 28th birthday. Ronald Reagan was President when Chris was drafted. Barack Obama was President when he retired.
(Photo by Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Over the course of his 26 NHL seasons Chris won the Stanley Cup three times (once with the Montreal Canadiens and twice with the Detroit Red Wings). He played in 1,651 games and even won a Silver Medal as a member of the US Men's team at the 2002 Salt Lake City games.
Chris earned a little over $60 million in salary during his NHL career.
In 2003, Chris and his wife Tracee (they've been married since 1987) used some of those NHL earnings to pay $6 million for an oceanfront mansion in Malibu.
The 3,700 square foot gated home is situated on 90 feet of Malibu's coveted Paradise Cove beach. The main home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. From the main house, a stairway connects to a private one-bedroom guesthouse that's practically built on the sand.
Here is a video tour:
After watching the video, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to learn that Chris and Tracee get their asking price… or maybe even more.
Nearby homes have recently sold for $90 million. In October 2022, media mogul Byron Allen paid $100 million for a mansion in the area. A year prior, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen paid $177 million for a home in the area. That currently is the record for a Malibu home sale.
Just a few doors down from the Chelios, Steve Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs is building an estate that will likely end up being the most valuable home in America. I drive by her construction site once a month. Construction has been going on for years. The construction site looks to be about the size of a football stadium.
I wouldn't be surprised if Laurene buys the Chelios property and uses it as a guest house for friends.
