The Red Wings will be without four of the club's veteran defensemen tonight as Chris Chelios (leg contusion) has been ruled out of tonight's game in Vancouver against the Canucks. Garrett Stafford will make his NHL debut after getting called up by Detroit this morning.

Chelios injured the back of his right leg Friday night when the unprotected area around the back of his right knee was struck by a puck off the stick of Adrian Aucoin in the first period. Chelios tried to remaining in the game -- even taking a shift or two after the injury -- but was unable to continue.

Stafford joins a Detroit blueline that suddenly has a very AHL look: Gone are Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski and Niklas Kronwall and in are Stafford Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey and Jonathon Ericsson. Ericsson just earned his first NHL minutes in Friday's game.

Stafford, a free agent signee of the Wings over the summer, is a five-year AHL veteran and leads all Grand Rapids defensemen in scoring (also fourth overall on the team).

The 6'0" 195-lb. 28-year old Los Angeles native may be previously better known in NHL circles for being the victim of a stick-swining slash to the face from then-Canadiens prospect Alexander Perezhogin in April of 2004. Stafford was knocked unconscious in the incident and went into convulsions on the ice. The end result was a concussion and 20 stitches to repair the damage to his face.

Perezhogin was charged with assault causing bodily harm and was given one year of probation, was ordered to cover Stafford's medical expenses and had to donate $5000 to charity. Perezhogin was also suspended for the rest of the 2004 AHL playoffs and all of the 2004-05 AHL season -- the longest in the league's history.

Stafford was a member of the San Jose Sharks organization at the time of the incident.