At 45 years of age, Chris Chelios is by far the NHL’s oldest player. Improbably, he has remained effective, playing critical minutes for the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings and registering a team-leading plus-5 rating. But perhaps the most impressive feat of all is Chelios’s ability to thrive on the ice while being at the epicenter of a near-constant maelstrom of controversy off it.

Chelios has remained in the forefront of the NHLPA’s ongoing saga/scandal, taking an aggressive stance that ultimately led to former union chief Ted Saskin’s dismissal. Yesterday, the NHLPA named Paul Kelly to be its new director, and during his introduction to the press, he made a special point to praise Chelios’s efforts on behalf of his union brethren.

“For the players of the NHL, I hope that you appreciate how much effort and thought and truly dedicated commitment — on the part of Eric Lindros and Chris Chelios in particular — went into this process,” Kelly said. “And you, certainly, as players owe them a deep debt of gratitude.”

Of course, where Chelios is concerned, there’s always negative controversy as well, with player agent Don Meehan the latest target of his ire. Last week, Chelios reportedly said, “In my opinion, Donny Meehan played a role in undermining our union (during the lockout). It’s my opinion he took a role with (Bill) Daly and (Gary) Bettman and (Ted) Saskin. The players union was the least interest in (Meehan’s) mind.”

Chelios backed off from those controversial accusations on Monday, but by then the damage had already been done. Lawyers representing agent Don Meehan have issued “notices of libel” against Wings defenseman Chris Chelios and an unspecified number of press outlets.

“We have sent out notices alleging libel to Mr. Chelios and various media,” Meehan’s lawyer, Graham Smith, told Canadian Web site tsa. ca. “This is the first step to seek remedy for defamatory remarks made against Don Meehan.”

When asked about the latest Chelios controversy, Kelly stood by the outspoken defenseman. “If I were ever in a fight or in a foxhole, I can’t think of anybody that I’d rather have next to me than Chris Chelios. He is tough, he is principled, he is smart, and I have a world of respect for him. If Chris Chelios decides to pursue the fight (with Meehan), I will be right there beside him.”

Here’s how the teams line up this week. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by W–L–OTL, goals scored, and goals allowed. Please note that the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1. OTTAWA SENATORS (1): Captain Daniel Alfredsson has gotten off to a sensational start this season, tallying 13 points in nine games, and he is among the league’s leaders in virtually every offensive category.
8–1–0 30 18

2 MINNESOTA WILD (4): The off-season signing of Eric Belanger has paid immediate dividends; the talented center has tallied seven points in his first eight games with the Wild, and his solid two-way game will endear him to head coach Jacques Lemaire.
7–0–1 20 10

3 DETROIT RED WINGS (2): Former Devil Brian Rafalski is acclimating nicely to Hockeytown. The Michigan native is scoring at a near point-per-game pace and has quickly become an essential ingredient in the Wings’ dangerous power play.
6-2-1 31 23

4 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (7): Gritty center Mike Richards is putting his atrocious sophomore season behind him; with nine points in seven games, he is rapidly evolving into an ornery two-way scoring threat in the mold of Flyers legend Bobby Clarke.
6–1–0 28 12

5 CAROLINA HURRICANES (9): A return to Raleigh was just what the doctor ordered for center Matt Cullen. His stay on Broadway may have been a huge disappointment, but with the ‘Canes, Cullen’s versatile game is once again proving to be an invaluable asset.
5–1–3 29 18

6 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (12): Marc-Andre Fleury got off to a very slow start, but he’s been stellar in his last two games (66 saves on 67 shots), including a very impressive 1–0 shutout of the Rangers on Tuesday night.
5–3–0 24 24

7 DALLAS STARS (13): Perennial Selke Trophy candidate Jere Lehtinen has a team-worst minus-4 rating, an aberration that will definitely correct itself as the season progresses; Lehtinen is possibly the league’s finest defensive forward. 4–2–2 21 19

8 SAN JOSE SHARKS (3): With six goals in his first nine games, talented Czech winger Milan Michalek is blossoming into a star. Like a young Jaromir Jagr, he boasts a very rare combination of size (6 foot 2 inches, 225 pounds) and blazing speed.
5–3–1 23 19

9 ST. LOUIS BLUES (22): The off-season signing of Paul Kariya has significantly accelerated the Blues’ rebuilding effort. On Tuesday night, his four-point performance helped St. Louis to victory over the defending Stanley Cupchampion Ducks.
5-2-0 23 14

10 MONTREAL CANADIENS (16): Smithtown, N.Y., native Christopher Higgins (seven points in eight games) has developed into one of the Habs’ most consistent scoring threats, and is en route to shattering his career high of 38 points (set in 2005–06 and 2006–07).
4–2–2 24 19

11 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (17): Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St. Louis may get the lion’s share of the attention, but it’s unheralded veteran Vaclav Prospal who’s leading the Lightning in scoring (seven goals in six games).
4–2–0 21 16

12 CALGARY FLAMES (9): They boast a strong lineup from top to bottom, but unless Miikka Kiprusoff (3.18 GAA, .884 SV%) regains his Vezina Trophy-caliber form, reaching the postseason will be an enormous struggle for Mike Keenan’s squad.
4–3–2 30 29

13 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (19): The Isles’ top line (Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, and Ruslan Fedotenko) has been better than expected, and with Miroslav Satan showing signs of life, the Isles may start to get some more balanced offensive production.
5–3–0 23 25

14 COLORADO AVALANCHE (10): Winger Ryan Smyth made a triumphant — and teary-eyed — return to Edmonton on Tuesday night, launching four shots on goal and helping the Avs to a 4–2 victory over the Oilers.
5–4–0 29 28

15 NEW YORK RANGERS (5): Lack of team chemistry is a growing concern at the Garden, where the Rangers are looking like anything but a Cup contender and head coach Tom Renney is running out of time to find a winning formula.
2–5–1 13 16

16 BOSTON BRUINS (23): Their off-season mantra was to become a tougher team to play against, and the Bruins are accomplishing just that, with rookie forward Milan Lucic helping to provide a gritty physical presence that was lacking last year.
5–3–0 20 21

17 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (6): Free agent signee Tom Poti hasn’t gotten off to a particularly good start, tallying only two points (both power play assists) through the first seven games. He’ll need to step up his game considerably if the Caps are to gain ground on Carolina and Tampa.
3–4–0 14 19

18 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (26): Emerging stars Rick Nash (12 points in eight games) and Pascal Leclaire (1.61 GAA, .936 SV%) are starting to deliver on their enormous potential, a huge reason why the Blue Jackets are finally playing competitive hockey.
4–3–1 23 18

19 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (21): Derailed by injuries for much of his still-young NHL career, Tuomo Ruutu is now healthy and leading the upstart ‘Hawks with a gaudy plus-8 rating.
5–4–0 25 26

20 ANAHEIM DUCKS (11): The situation in Anaheim is not unlike what went down in Carolina last year; the combination of a Cup hangover, critical free agent departures, and injuries is extremely difficult to counteract.
4–6–1 25 30

21 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (25): Captain Mats Sundin has been rejuvenated playing alongside Jason Blake and Nik Antropov; the 36-year-old Swede was leading the NHL in scoring entering last night’s games.
3–4–3 37 41

22 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (15): Captain Markus Naslund isn’t the same player he was when Todd Bertuzzi was riding shotgun alongside him, largely because he doesn’t get nearly as much time and space as he did when the burly Bertuzzi was attracting multiple defenders.
4–5–0 25 29

23 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (24): Young Zach Parise’s game keeps improving by leaps and bounds. The dynamic young playmaker is leading New Jersey with 10 points in eight games, and he has become the catalyst for the Devils’ power play.
3–4–1 21 28

24 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (20): Chris Mason had been stellar in relief of Tomas Vokoun over the past two seasons; but with Vokoun now in Florida, Mason (3.73 GAA, .873 SV%) is struggling in his first year as the de facto starter.
2–6–0 18 30

25 BUFFALO SABRES (14): All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell tallied 48 points last season, but only nine of them came with the man advantage; this year, six of his team-leading ten points have come on the power play, making his plus-four rating even more impressive.
3–4–0 26 23

26 . LOS ANGELES KINGS (29): Jason LaBarbera was one of the AHL’s top goalies last year, but the NHL’s waiver wire rules prevented the Kings from recalling him. This year, he started slowly, but three consecutive strong performances are a sign that the Kings’ fortunes in goal may have finally turned for the better.
4–6–0 32 36

27 FLORIDA PANTHERS (18): With only one assist and a minus-5 rating through his first eight games, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has been an enormous disappointment for the Panthers, who were expecting him to emerge as an elite-level rearguard by this point.
3–5–0 17 23

28 EDMONTON OILERS (28): Injuries to two key offseason — Joni Pitkanen and Sheldon Souray — have the Oilers in a heap of trouble, but the good news is that they’re providing an opportunity for prospect Ladislav Smid to earn a spot in the lineup.
3–6–0 19 30

29 PHOENIX COYOTES (27): The hapless Coyotes have seven players tied for the team scoring lead; unfortunately, each of them has tallied only four points. And in goal, David Aebischer’s team-leading .909 save percentage improbably earned him a demotion to the AHL yesterday.
2–5–0 16 23

30 ATLANTA THRASHERS (30): After losing their first seven games and getting head coach Bob Hartley fired, the Thrashers have rebounded nicely under GM/coach Don Waddell, winning two straight games and demonstrating some heretofore missing character.
2–7–0 20 40

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.