Kelly Chase is one of the most feared players ever to skate in the NHL. He was an absolute menace to opponents, but he never signed the biggest contracts during his 11 years in the league. On one occasion, however, his coach Joel Quenneville made sure Chase earned a $50,000 bonus with just five words.
When people think about NHL tough guys from the 1990s, there are quite a few names that come to mind—Joey Kocur, Bob Probert, and Tony Twist, to name a few. But Kelly Chase may have been the most feared of them all.
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Kelly Chase penalty minutes
During his 458 games with the St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, Chase racked up 2,017 penalty minutes. He never backed down from anyone, and he was invaluable to his teammates.
But he was never a big goal scorer, which meant he didn’t cash in on the really large paychecks. That’s why, on one occasion, his St. Louis Blues coach Joel Quenneville made sure he got a $50,000 bonus. Appearing on the Cam & Strick podcast, Chase shared the story.
Big bonus story
“He’s the best coach I ever had. He would send a note around if anybody was close to hitting their bonuses, just to let the team know. He put me in the last game of the year. He didn’t know I needed one more plus to get a $50,000 bonus. They were gonna bring some guys in, and I had a separated shoulder,” Chase said on the podcast.
But once Quenneville heard Chase needed one more plus, he made a move.
“He comes in and asks if I wanna play, and I say yes. So he goes, ‘Call Pascal Rhéaume, tell him he’s not playing.’ He pulls Pascal out of the lineup, I play in the game, get a plus, and I get 50,000 bucks,” Chase said.
You can watch the video below.
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