Injury Report: Chara: PCL in Left Knee Permanently Torn

[BNHL]

And the average age for retirement from the NHL is 27 or 28. So what is your point?

That finesse players phase out at the same rate of physical players,age doesn't discriminate,so extending any player at 33 is a bad gamble.

 

[Shoebottom]

Give the big guy a break. He played with a torn ligament for crying out loud. Next year he'll be back in top form. All this premature talk about him being a 2nd pairing Dman is silly.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Give the big guy a break. He played with a torn ligament for crying out loud. Next year he'll be back in top form. All this premature talk about him being a 2nd pairing Dman is silly.

A permanently torn ligament won't magically heal by itself.

 

[Shoebottom]

A permanently torn ligament won't magically heal by itself.

It's not a big problem if you take care of it. I'm missing an acl, and it's not a problem. I'm sure chara's leg muscles will compensate for it. Cycling, his fave hobby, builds up the necessary muscles for this.

 

[wuf]

He has looked so slow, this explains why.

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

It's true. When Chara signed, you didn't like the deal:



But then when this poster said:



You replied:



In fact, the Bruins won the cup at the end of that season. It has all been worth it. Or would you have it otherwise? Would you not extend Chara and trade him away? Or do you think he would just sign a contract that you would like better? I don't think the GM has much leverage on a player like Chara - if he wanted a long contract, he was going to get it, from the Bruins or elsewhere.

Thanks for researching those quotes.

Look, I've been a fan for nearly 5 decades so yes, I am very satisfied, grateful and respectful of the job the organization did to win a Cup in my adult lifetime. I even made a road trip with some buddies to the parade in Boston even though I live in the DC area; it was a fantastic achievement for the club and even though I am bitterly disappointed at many things the club has done since, they will have my undying respect for that achievement. (I'm pretty sure I'm on record here as expressing that sentiment, too, in prior posts).

When it comes to Z, I will say "Yes", it was worth the contract in exchange for the Cup. I won't recant that. It was worth it. I didn't like the contract then, but yes, it was worth it. If we could turn back time, and look through a crystal ball and the choice was "Chara-big contract-Cup" or "no Chara-no Cup", I still take the former.

That said, in my gut, I feel that he will not be able to return to the form the club likely thought he would remain at, given his injuries and advancing age. We are likely stuck with him, but if we could trade him, I would try to if I were GM. I wouldn't mistreat him in the process, of course. His contract clauses give him first right of refusal in any case, so that ensures fairness to him, but at this point, if I were him, he might consider that, it could very well end up that he could become, as Messrs. Gill, most recently, and others before him, "the defenseman that many fans come to increasingly dislike due to their faltering ability". Not fun for most players to be in that category.

 

[BNHL]

A permanently torn ligament won't magically heal by itself.

PRP injections say they can.

 

[HockeyMomx2]

http://www.thescore.com/news/744758

Weird, 'permanently torn' sounds pretty dire, but the article mentions he should be back to top form. Fantasy notes from sites don't paint as rosy as a picture for Chara.



This would explain much of why Chara looked so slow and awful this year. Is this an injury that can be overcome?

I have a kid with this same "permanent injury". It can be played through, it's not fun, it is painful, swelling occurs pretty much after every game, practice and workout. Trainer treats it daily. For a 20 year old kid, it's probably a lot easier to live with than for a 38 year old.