Hall of Famer Chris Chelios was 48 years old when he officially hung up his skates back in August 2010.

That was after playing 1,651 games over 26 NHL seasons between Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, winning three Stanley Cups, and earning three Norris Trophies along the way as the league's top defenseman.

Fifteen years later, Chelios still craves the thrill of head-to-head battles - albeit with a pickleball paddle instead of a hockey stick in hand.

"You’re always looking for challenges to compete, right? Pickleball has been perfect. I haven’t been in enough tournaments yet to actually compete. It’s mostly been with friends and for fun, but every once in a while, a thing clicks in my head and you want to win," said Chelios, during a recently published YouTube interview with paddle company CPX Pickleball. "No question that pickleball’s been that biggest thing that’s filled that void for me post-career."

While most former NHL players typically gravitate towards golf once their playing days are over, that simply wasn't the case for Chelios.

It just didn't resonate with him, and he was interested in something more fast-paced and demanding.

"[I love] the action, especially when you’re playing singles. What a workout it is. Unfortunately, it’s tougher on the body. At my age, I’m 63, so you’ve got to take that into consideration. But, doubles all day long," mentioned Chelios. "The fact that you can play with your wife, your girlfriend, it’s co-ed, your buddies, it makes it that much better."

With that in mind, the four-time Olympian plans on hitting the court more often in the future and trying to collect some hardware in the process via tournament play.

He just needs to hone his skills on a consistent basis.

"I hate to fail and I hate to let my partner down, so it’s one of those deals where I’d have to put in the time," explained Chelios. "Hockey was my life and that was my job, and now to prepare for a tournament, I think two-to-three weeks of playing every day, I think would be more than enough to at least be at that level where I can compete and be happy with my performance and not let my teammate down."

That's especially true if his partner was someone like legendary Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who just happens to be a friend.

Vedder is reportedly a real pickleball enthusiast. 

"He’s fallen in love with it," confirmed Chelios. "Every chance he gets when he’s on the road, he tries to make it a point to at least be somewhere convenient for him to get to a court."

Add Chelios (and surely Vedder) to the ever-growing list of notable figures eager for America's fastest-growing sport to continue to thrive and garner more and more attention across the globe.

Chelios is adamant that pickleball will be featured in the Olympics someday.

"There’s no question. Tennis became one. I’m not going to rip on it, but breakdancing became one. This is 10 times better than breakdancing. It’s growing. The fact that celebrities, athletes, tennis players are transitioning into pickleball, there’s no stopping it. It’s got to be the next Olympic sport," he insisted. "It’s too fast and just too exciting not to be. World tournaments. There’s no boundaries for pickleball the way it exploded over the past few years. Everybody’s playing. Anybody you talk to, once they play it, they love it. You get hooked. It’s a sport for everyone."

It certainly is.

And Chelios is a wonderful ambassador.

"I love watching the tournaments," he said. "Again, I wish I had the legs to play one-on-one. These kids are amazing. Other sports come and go, but this is here to stay."