News Article: Chara charts course for a healthy return

[Gee Wally]

“I don’t understand why all of a sudden my age is an issue just because I got hurt and I missed a lot of games, a big chunk of the season,†said Chara, 38. “I don’t like it. I don’t like when people start to judge you based on age or the amount of games you played.

“I still feel very motivated, very confident that I’m going to be healthy and strong next season. I don’t know. Obviously I am planning to play beyond what maybe people are guessing or expecting. My plans have always been to play in this league at a high level for a long time.

“Age is obviously a number, but some players or some people are meant to play for way beyond that.â€

The defenseman remains under contract for three more seasons, with the final one coming at a reduced cap hit of $4 million. First up, though, is 2015-16, with Chara coming back from the fibula fracture that was only revealed a week after the season ended.

Chara, who shed his walking boot Thursday, took slap shots off concrete Saturday — hitting just 51 miles per hour on the radar gun — and rode along on the yacht, filling one afternoon of an offseason that began far earlier than the Bruins had imagined.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2...oking-ahead/W7fJ7u3tgJUHA2DCi8zdeM/story.html

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[Man Rocket]

i feel like he's been reading this forum

 

[Numbah4]

My money is on the best-conditioned athlete in professional sports. Not a bunch of keyboard GM's who want to deal him to get cap space.

 

[ORR2Sanderson2ORR]

My money is on the best-conditioned athlete in professional sports. Not a bunch of keyboard GM's who want to deal him to get cap space.

I'd like to see it on the ice first. Chara is no doubt a freak of nature but injures and yes age does eventually catch up with everyone. Big Z has played a ton of minutes over his career and those have been hard demanding minutes. He's a true warrior but his body not his mind, needs to prove it to me first after watching his decline last yr.

If someone came calling and offered a fair deal for Z and he was willing to except the deal and it benefited the Bruins now and in the future, you'd have to make the deal.

 

[BB88]

Hopefully he has a great summer and is a beast next year.
Still hope we could limit his minutes a bit and get the max out of him in the playoffs.

I think the age/injury question with him has something to do with his size, to me atleast, he is the biggest player in the league and it makes it harder.

 

[ReggieMoto]

Amalie Benjamin reported:
The defenseman remains under contract for three more seasons, with the final one coming at a reduced cap hit of $4 million.

I thought the cap hit remained constant for the life of the contract, that it was the total payout across the length of term divided by the length of term. Despite his salary going to $4M during the last year of his contract, does the cap hit actually reduce, perhaps due to his age?

 

[Gee Wally]

I thought the cap hit remained constant for the life of the contract, that it was the total payout across the length of term divided by the length of term. Despite his salary going to $4M during the last year of his contract, does the cap hit actually reduce, perhaps due to his age?

It actually does go down to that figure, due to some CBA clause.
Its legit.

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

I hope you can prove everybody wrong Z. If anyone can it is you.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Take that haters. He is still a #1. And more worth his salary than some would care to admit!

And Smith really needs to go. Breaking Chara foot as well.

 

[ReggieMoto]

Take that haters. He is still a #1. And more worth his salary than some would care to admit!

Of course! Because he says so! I'm totally convinced...and I'm not even a hater.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

This thread will make it's comeback 5.5 months from now when Z has his first bad game.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

We judge you on your ****** play since the 2013 playoffs, not on your age.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Of course! Because he says so! I'm totally convinced...and I'm not even a hater.

Nice to see the athlete put down the fans always putting him down. Even when he was still by far our best defenseman at defense even last season when he was borderline crippled.

Points are nice, but we can expect the offense to go away. As he gets older we can and should rely on him for defense, leadership, and goals. He is simplifying his game by the season as he slows down, but it doesn't mean he is actually playing much worse.

We were spoiled with prime Chara years. He is still one of the best at defending in the game.

Case in point, the post above. Apparently Chara is **** now, not just aging.

 

[Oates2Neely]

Just taking him off the PP will help reduce his minutes. They have Krug & Dougie to run the PP from the point, and Loui is a great net front presence. No need to have Chara on PP. I hope he returns healthy & hungry. He is still an elite shutdown defenseman imo.

 

[ReggieMoto]

Nice to see the athlete put down the fans always putting him down. Even when he was still by far our best defenseman at defense even last season when he was borderline crippled.

Points are nice, but we can expect the offense to go away. As he gets older we can and should rely on him for defense, leadership, and goals. He is simplifying his game by the season as he slows down, but it doesn't mean he is actually playing much worse.

We were spoiled with prime Chara years. He is still one of the best at defending in the game.

Case in point, the post above. Apparently Chara is **** now, not just aging.

Show me where I said Chara is "starred" now and not just aging? I am simply responding to the ridiculous point being made that because Chara says he is "motivated, confident, healthy and strong" one should conclude that this is in fact so.

Case in point: I am young, handsome, wealthy and intelligent. There! It's true...because I say so. Even though there's plenty of room to dispute any or all of those comments. Doesn't mean I'm "starred". Just that there's room for disagreement, that simply because I say so doesn't make it so. Same with Chara's statements. I'd much rather wait to see whether he is in fact healthy and strong before I accept it as truth. And truth be told, I think I'd rather he also be skilled and capable, which was lacking last season.

As far as your observation that Chara was by far our best defensemen last season: you do realize how low that bar is, right? Hamilton, Seidenberg, Krug, McQuaid, and a host of rooks filling out the roster.

 

[whatsbruin]

“Chara, who shed his walking boot Thursday, took slap shots off concrete Saturday — hitting just 51 miles per hour on the radar gun — and rode along on the yacht, filling one afternoon of an offseason that began far earlier than the Bruins had imagined.

Omg, he only hit 51 mph. This guy is toast. Trade him or ship him to Prov
for the rest of his contract.
Whats this bs about "rode along on the yacht" ? He is suppose to be rehabbing
not sipping booze on a yacht, probably surrounded by beach babes.



In all seriousness, I think he'll come back. Not to the player he once was, but 90 %
which is still #1 worthy.

What is this yacht they speak of ?

 

[ORR2Sanderson2ORR]

Nice to see the athlete put down the fans always putting him down. Even when he was still by far our best defenseman at defense even last season when he was borderline crippled.

Points are nice, but we can expect the offense to go away. As he gets older we can and should rely on him for defense, leadership, and goals. He is simplifying his game by the season as he slows down, but it doesn't mean he is actually playing much worse.

We were spoiled with prime Chara years. He is still one of the best at defending in the game.

Case in point, the post above. Apparently Chara is **** now, not just aging.

You can't say that based on last season. Big Z looked lost in his own end on numerous occasions seemed to fall down with little effort and was continuously left in the dust my opposing attackers.

I'd love to see Chara rebound and come back and I agree if anyone could do it, its him but............. The NHL is now more than any other time is a game of speed and agility and Big Z at this point in his career is over-matched despite his heart and determination. I agree we were spoiled by Z in his prime yrs but those unfortunately are in the past. A good Gm/organization who puts the team first and not what a player has done for you in the past but what he's going to do for you in the future, can see its time to move on from the Chara era.

The problem is the Bruins aren't the only one seeing the decline in big Z.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Show me where I said Chara is "starred" now and not just aging? I am simply responding to the ridiculous point being made that because Chara says he is "motivated, confident, healthy and strong" one should conclude that this is in fact so.

Case in point: I am young, handsome, wealthy and intelligent. There! It's true...because I say so. Even though there's plenty of room to dispute any or all of those comments. Doesn't mean I'm "starred". Just that there's room for disagreement, that simply because I say so doesn't make it so. Same with Chara's statements. I'd much rather wait to see whether he is in fact healthy and strong before I accept it as truth. And truth be told, I think I'd rather he also be skilled and capable, which was lacking last season.

As far as your observation that Chara was by far our best defensemen last season: you do realize how low that bar is, right? Hamilton, Seidenberg, Krug, McQuaid, and a host of rooks filling out the roster.

Fire Julien was the post above, not yours!
Also, yes, our D is not what it once was (even last year!) But Chara would also have been the #1 on more than a few other teams, even in his current knee-brace, broken foot state.

He is still far more elite than just a Hal Gill. Even if he is slowing down, an even worse skater, and does look fatigued. His stick alone will keep him relevant defensively for a few more seasons.

Also Chara is a warrior, if he says he is motivated, he is. Whether it translates to the results of the team we will have to wait and see.

 

[ReggieMoto]

Fire Julien was the post above, not yours!
Also, yes, our D is not what it once was (even last year!) But Chara would also have been the #1 on more than a few other teams, even in his current knee-brace, broken foot state.

He is still far more elite than just a Hal Gill.

You quoted me!

 

[KnightofBoston]

As far as the Bruins are concerned, nothing would make me happier than for Chara to play even 80% of his best next season.

I hope he's right

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

You quoted me!

Via mobile it's difficult to edit posts and add quotes. So I edited my post with a response to Fire Julien and didn't quote him. Sorry about that.

 

[BNHL]

He'd be a nice building block for some young team.

 

[Man Rocket]

Nice to see the athlete put down the fans always putting him down. Even when he was still by far our best defenseman at defense even last season when he was borderline crippled.

Points are nice, but we can expect the offense to go away. As he gets older we can and should rely on him for defense, leadership, and goals. He is simplifying his game by the season as he slows down, but it doesn't mean he is actually playing much worse.

We were spoiled with prime Chara years. He is still one of the best at defending in the game.

Case in point, the post above. Apparently Chara is **** now, not just aging.

i have a hard time taking your posts seriously now that I saw you post Rask was a small goalie the other day

 

[What The Puck]

“I don’t understand why all of a sudden my age is an issue just because I got hurt and I missed a lot of games, a big chunk of the season,†said Chara, 38. “I don’t like it. I don’t like when people start to judge you based on age or the amount of games you played."

It looks to me like he understands perfectly why people are looking at his age. And hey, it's nothing personal. I think the guy's great, we will forever be grateful for the cup, but let's be real here. Was this year just the product of injuries?

I don't think so.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

...

The year before this one, I didn't have any issues. This one however, he looked like a player who the game moved too fast for much of the time.

If its primarily injury and not age, not just Chara, but the Bruins themselves will look a hell of a lot better next season (if healed). That's how important Z is to this club.

Trading him is something I've never been interested in.