Ageless defenceman Chris Chelios is back in the NHL after the Atlanta Thrashers signed the unrestricted free agent on Tuesday.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Chelios, 48, played 25 seasons in the NHL before the Detroit Red Wings let him go after last season. He caught on with the Chicago Wolves — the Thrashers' affiliate in the American Hockey League — and recorded 21 points (five goals) in 44 games this season with the minor-league club. His plus-35 rating was the second best in the AHL.

Chelios, who has appeared in an NHL-record 266 playoff games, won the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2002 and 2008, and with Montreal in 1986.

An 11-time all-star and three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenceman, Chelios has 948 points and 2,891 penalty minutes in 1,644 career games.

The Thrashers, who traded star forward Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey on Feb. 4, are two points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they return from the Olympic break to host Florida on Tuesday night.

Atlanta has a pair of good young defenceman on its roster in Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom, who could potentially benefit from Chelios's tutelage.

Bogosian, 19, was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft. Enstrom, 25, leads all Thrashers blue-liners with 42 points.