The Blackhawks’ new wave of jersey retirements will continue this season when former defenseman Chris Chelios watches his No. 7 raised to the United Center rafters, the team announced Thursday.

The ceremony — to be held before the Feb. 25 game against the Red Wings, the other team with which Chelios spent the bulk of his career — will make Chelios the second player in as many years to have his number retired, joining Marian Hossa (No. 81) from last season.

New Hawks chairman Danny Wirtz said in a statement that late chairman Rocky Wirtz had wanted Chelios, a Chicago native, to be the next player to have his number retired.

“We are entering a new era of Blackhawks hockey on the ice, but the importance of honoring past members of this organization is, and always will be, a priority,” Danny Wirtz said. “Chelios represents not only the Blackhawks but, given his roots here, the city of Chicago. Rocky…would have loved to see this moment.”

The news announced in dramatic fashion Thursday by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder during a concert at the UC.

Meanwhile, with a horde of players from the Hawks’ recent Stanley Cup teams winding down their careers and entering the jersey-retirement conversation, the team has established new, hard standards for a player to be eligible for jersey retirement, per sources.

Those standards, per sources, include that a player must be retired from hockey for at least three years (not including long-term injured reserve); must have spent at least eight years with the Hawks; must have played more games for the Hawks than any other team, with a minimum of 500 Hawks games (400 for goaltenders); and must either have played at least 1,000 games in his overall career (700 for goaltenders) or have been enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, among other standards.

But those standards just set minimums, meaning that on-ice excellence, awards, All-Star selections and Cup rings will remain the biggest factors. Players’ off-ice contributions (such as broadcasting for the team), influence on the sport of hockey and personal character will also be considered, per sources.

Those standards mean Brent Seabrook, who wore No. 7 in more recent years, will be eligible for jersey retirement — as he played 1,114 games over 15 seasons with the Hawks — but not until 2027, since his contract won’t officially expire until 2024. The Hawks do have a precedent of retiring multiple players with the same number — No. 3 is retired for both Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson — and that isn’t expected to be an issue.

Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith will each meet the requirements once three years into their retirements, as well. But players such as Corey Crawford, Patrick Sharp and Niklas Hjalmarsson who didn’t reach the 1,000-games threshold will need Hall of Fame induction to become eligible. Among popular older-generation players, Doug Wilson, Steve Larmer and Jeremy Roenick (among others) each qualify.

The team’s centennial season of 2025-26 is expected to be a particularly momentous period for celebrations of former players in general, per sources.

Chelios, now 61, becomes the ninth player in team history to have his jersey retired, tying the Hawks with the Bruins for the fourth-most retired numbers among NHL franchises. Both franchises are still well below the Canadiens with 15 and Maple Leafs with 13, though.

Chelios logged 664 games for the Hawks from 1990 to 1999, part of an ironman career in which he ultimately totaled 1,651 appearances over 26 years in the NHL with the Hawks, Wings, Canadiens and Thrashers. He ranks fourth in Hawks history and 10th in NHL history in terms of points by a defenseman.

He retired in 2010, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013 and became a Hawks ambassador in 2018.

This story will be updated.