New Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios to Attend Panini VIP Party in Chicago

As Panini America officials rush to put the final fantastic touches on what promises to be a staggeringly good showing at this week’s 34th National Sports Collectors Convention, the one thing commanding much of our internal attention in these final hours is the exclusive Panini VIP Party that will take place Saturday night.

After all, we have most of our other initiatives — and they are many — buttoned up and ready to go. But when you’re putting on an event like no other that is the Panini VIP Party, you don’t stop until the party’s over.

You already know that Los Angeles rookie baseball sensation Yasiel Puig will be one of our special guests on Saturday night. And you may have heard that the music will be provided by DJ Kool, Mr. “Let Me Clear My Throat” himself. Today, we have another exciting guest to announce.

The legendary Chris Chelios, an 11-time All-Star and three-time Stanley Cup champion, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November. But on Saturday night in Chicago, he’ll be working the room at the Panini VIP Party alongside Puig and several other guests who will be announced in the coming days.

Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance and follow Panini America on Twitter using the hash tag #PaniniNSCC to make sure you don’t miss a thing this week.

And while we’re on the topic of the Panini VIP Party, we thought we’d take a look back at last year’s inaugural event, a night that’s still being talked about one year later. The following images illustrate why.