CHELI'S CAMEO

Actor John C. McGinley cleared up exactly why a Red Wings jersey -- specifically, a Chris Chelios model -- has been part of his wardrobe this season on "Scrubs," when he's not doing doctor stuff on the NBC sitcom.

"Cheli . . . you know, first-ballot hall-of-famer, greatest American-born defenseman in the history of hockey . . . Cheli's my guy," McGinley said.

McGinley said he and Chelios -- who summers in California -- have been friends for several years, members of the "Malibu Mafia" with actor John Cusack and John McEnroe (they must have waived the "John" rule for Cheli).

"First McEnroe got one, and he wore his during the U.S. Open coverage," McGinley said. "And that just made me very competitive."

Plus, Johnny C. said he wanted to mothball his N.Y. Giants jersey, after Jeremy Shockey showed his insensitive side in comments about Bill Parcells.

"I wore Shockey's jersey last year," McGinley said, "but then he had disparaging things to say about different minorities, so he fell out of favor with me. I asked Cheli if I could wear his.

"We had the wardrobe department call NHL Properties and got clearance on it, so now whenever I'm lounging on the show I've got '24' on. It's a game sweater that Cheli gave me. It's just a way of personalizing things and kind of having some fun."

So look for the Winged Wheel on "Scrubs," which airs at 9:30 p.m. Thursdays (Channel 4 in Detroit) -- but not tonight. The show's being bumped this week by the premiere of "The Apprentice," starring Donald Trump.

Back to McGinley -- a native New Yorker also known for roles in films like "Any Given Sunday," "Seven," "Wall Street" and "Platoon" -- does all this mean he's a Wings fan? He's like Cusack, who switched his allegiances from the Blackhawks when Chelios (right),a fellow Chicagoan, moved to Detroit.

"I'm a fan of wherever Cheli goes," McGinley said.