Boston Bandit
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- Aug 2, 2005
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Player Discussion Zdeno Chara Retires a Boston Bruin
- Thread starter Alicat
- Start date
Bruinaura
Resident Cookie Monster
- Mar 29, 2014
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Baddkarma
El Guapo to most...
One of the absolute greats of the game.
Proud he was a Bruin!
Proud he was a Bruin!
Welll, quite a day. We woke up not knowing any of this would happen today.
bruinmann77
Registered User
One day contracts don't count to me as "him retiring a Bruin". That aside, Chara's time here in Boston was monumental to heading in the right direction after struggling for so long and being in the muck following Mike O'Connell and co moving on from the Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov era. I never got to see Orr and I truly never got to see Bourque as I only saw him when he left here and play for Colorado. So the only defenseman I knew as being good for the Bruins was Kyle McLaren before he got traded for Jeff Jillson *shudders* and my favorite defenseman overall was Scott Stevens. However, Chara was the first truly great Bruins defenseman I ever watched and he was a game changer for this team from the word go. No one had the leadership ability, presence, and overall attitude to lead this team better than him other than say Bergeron. Patrice and Zdeno are/were the heart and soul of this team for me and it was a pleasure to see Big Z represent the Bruins during his time here, through the good and bad. It's just a shame they had two more cups for him and the boys slip through their fingers.
Just a random thought as I saw him put his Bruins jersey on today at the presser with a “C” on the front… Could that be the first time in Bruins history that they’ve had two captains under contract at the same time? Lol
Good to see the bruins org do the right thing with that situation though.
Good to see the bruins org do the right thing with that situation though.
I’m glad they signed him to a one day contract to have him retire as Bruin. Class act right there. This article was written before he had officially announced his retirement and covers his entire career.
Chara went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. However, he was put on the New York Islanders‘ radar by a scout who gave general manager at the time, Mike Milbury, a tape of the big defenceman performing drills one on one with a coach. Before the 1996 entry draft, Milbury conducted a pre-draft interview with Chara. During the interview, Milbury asked Chara, “Can you Fight?” the hulking defenceman replied, “Better not to (expletive) with me,” as stated in an article by Kevin Kurz of the Athletic.
Chara went undrafted in his first year of eligibility. However, he was put on the New York Islanders‘ radar by a scout who gave general manager at the time, Mike Milbury, a tape of the big defenceman performing drills one on one with a coach. Before the 1996 entry draft, Milbury conducted a pre-draft interview with Chara. During the interview, Milbury asked Chara, “Can you Fight?” the hulking defenceman replied, “Better not to (expletive) with me,” as stated in an article by Kevin Kurz of the Athletic.
Zdeno Chara’s Career Reflection
Big Z: Glancing Back at Zdeno Chara's Career- Born in Trencin, Slovakia on March 18, 1977 take a look back at how Big Z's career
lastwordonsports.com
BiteThisBurrows
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- Feb 11, 2022
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The guy was a physical beast and all class. Age catches up with all of us. Amazing he lasted as long as he did. I wish he could have retired winning a cup against St. Louis but alas no storybook ending. All the best to him.
Terrier
Registered User
An imposing figure on and off the ice, former Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was ‘one in a million’ - The Boston Globe
Chara was the largest player in NHL history — 6 feet 9 inches and at his Stanley Cup-hoisting peak, a chiseled 260 pounds — and certainly one of the strongest, with piercing green eyes and a voice of a subterranean register.
www.bostonglobe.com
Boy, was I intimidated the first time I encountered Zdeno Chara.
It was 2006 and I was a college intern at the Globe, dying to write about hockey. Veteran defenseman Jason York, seeing a mop of dirty blond hair saunter into the Ristuccia Arena dressing room after practice, nicknamed me “Kessel’s brother.”
I didn’t dare make a peep in the media scrum at the new captain’s locker. I caught myself staring at his elbow, which remains the largest that’s ever accidentally brushed my shoulder.
Chara has had that effect on thousands of people since arriving from Slovakia 25 years ago. He is the largest player in NHL history — 6 feet 9 inches and at his Stanley Cup-hoisting peak, a chiseled 260 pounds — and certainly one of the strongest, with piercing green eyes and a voice of a subterranean register.
“Early on I was scared of him,” said Brad Marchand, who iced a few bruises from Chara cross-checks as an 18-year-old know-nothing in 2006 training camp. “I almost looked at him as a coach — ‘yes sir, no sir, thank you sir’ — and avoided him at all costs.”
Marchand, like hundreds of Chara’s teammates over the years, was soon welcomed, shown the way of Big Z.
He was the most physically dominating defenseman the game has ever seen, and a sensitive, perceptive leader who demanded rookies be treated fairly. He spoke seven languages and demanded everyone use common English in the room. He had a 108.8-mile-per-hour slap shot and donned an Easter Bunny costume to visit children in the hospital. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and was as down-to-earth as they came.
Dealing with him on the beat the last few years of his Bruins tenure, I found him (at arm’s length) to be gracious, honest, and polite — even when his duties as captain forced him to clam up. He was immersed in his sport but at ease discussing the environment, world politics, sports science, human nature. We chatted about bikes when we crossed paths Tuesday morning, before he made his announcement.
Marchand mused that the frugal Chara would be a good team owner. Patrice Bergeron all but shuddered at the thought of the perfectionist Chara coaching (his players, Bergeron cracked, would be in deep). Cam Neely stated the obvious: No one will ever don No. 33 for this franchise again.
A dad’s ballcap and sneakers is the uniform Chara wants to wear now. The proud son of Trencin has put down roots in the Metrowest area with his family. After carrying on the legacy of Eddie Shore, Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, he is focused on his wife, Tatiana, 13-year-old daughter Elliz, and twin 6-year-old boys Ben and Zack.
Even Chara cannot endure forever.
“The biological age of your body . . . you can’t deny it,” said Chara, one of four NHLers to skate beyond age 45. The others are Gordie Howe, Chris Chelios, and Jaromir Jagr.
“But that was not the main reason. My decision was based on my family. You tell me I cannot do something, I’ll make sure I do it. It doesn’t matter the age. It’s not that.
When I think of his intensity, I flash back to Oct. 3, 2018. The Bruins opened the season on the road against the Capitals, who were raising their Stanley Cup banner.
Home teams at NHL arenas have dedicated gyms in which to sprint, stretch, juggle, and jangle themselves into game-readiness. The road teams often make do with limited space: a barren hallway, an unused bay near the Zamboni.
Chara emerged. I blended further into the background. He wouldn’t have seen me if I was wearing a bunny suit.
He stared a hole through the walls of the rink, across town, and all the way to Kilimanjaro. This sinewy sculpture twisted and arched and rolled and flexed, flowing like a yogi and popping like a piston. He seemed to be reaching to access every fiber of his frame, reasserting control over every neuron. The man who drew laughs as a teenager, a gangly, awkward project, is now a brief wait from the Hall of Fame because he mastered that unique body, ever determined to make sure the world’s fastest game wouldn’t pass him by.
“I miss competing against him,” Marchand said. “It’s not the same without him. There’s not the same intensity in the room and on the ice every day. There’s a reason why our culture is the way it is now. It’s because of what he brought every single day.
“Teams try to copy it. But he’s one in a million.”
The Bruins got smoked that opening night in D.C., but were back on track in Buffalo 24 hours later. The following June, in the heat of the Cup Final against St. Louis, Brayden Schenn’s shot rocketed off Chara’s stick and shattered his jaw.
“I went to go visit him,” Neely recalled, and through wires, screws, and plates “he’s telling me he’s playing in Game 5. To me, that just showed everything about Zdeno. Not only the toughness, but the commitment, and understanding there’s only so many kicks at the can and he wanted to be a part of it.
“I give him all the credit in the world. I don’t know how many athletes could do that.”
The jet-engine Garden ovation when Chara was introduced before Game 5 carried the answer.
Only Zdeno Chara.
I feel blessed to have been able witness the greatness of Orr, Park, Bourque and Chara during my Bruin journey, the Mount Rushmore of memories. Thank You all.
Looks like Charlie made a trip to Marshalls for his outfit.
Xs two. People don't mention Brad Park nearly enough around here. Those 4 were pillars and kept the Bruins at the top of the NHL for decades. Four of the Best capped off by Chara. He's a gem, the type of which we may never see again in a Bruins uniform. Watching him leave for good is bittersweet.
Congrats Big Z and thanks for everything! Only downer is that now both Bergy and Big Z won't be going into the Hall together in the same year. Regardless, looking forward to both, and to both being with the Bruins in some capacity in the future!
Over the volcano
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Don't know if you can access it, as this article appeared in the athletic, but good stuff from Claude and Peter -- neither of whom, btw, received the credit in this town they richly deserved.
RustyBruins72
Registered User
- Jul 29, 2005
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What to say about Z that hasn't been said in 7 pages?
Everything that's being said about him has been earned through hard work and perseverance. He changed the culture of this franchise and represented the Bruins as captain as well as any captain in their history.
In 2014 I was having pizza with my family and the Bruins were playing the habs in the second (?) round. It was the Matt Frazer goal night. I was wearing my Chara shirt. Supper was great and we were asking for a box and the waitress took the pizza away and brought us a box with it in it. She then says "You're lucky I didn't spit on your pizza. I hate the bruins and especially hate Chara and here you are wearing his shirt." She said this with a smile on her face and I just laughed.
Every time I hear someone say how much they hate a bruin, it just makes me love them that much more because they're doing their jobs.
Congrats Big Z. Thanks for the cup, thanks for changing the culture and of course, thanks for not seeing the stanchion.
Everything that's being said about him has been earned through hard work and perseverance. He changed the culture of this franchise and represented the Bruins as captain as well as any captain in their history.
In 2014 I was having pizza with my family and the Bruins were playing the habs in the second (?) round. It was the Matt Frazer goal night. I was wearing my Chara shirt. Supper was great and we were asking for a box and the waitress took the pizza away and brought us a box with it in it. She then says "You're lucky I didn't spit on your pizza. I hate the bruins and especially hate Chara and here you are wearing his shirt." She said this with a smile on her face and I just laughed.
Every time I hear someone say how much they hate a bruin, it just makes me love them that much more because they're doing their jobs.
Congrats Big Z. Thanks for the cup, thanks for changing the culture and of course, thanks for not seeing the stanchion.
He definitely would be the all time physically fittest Bruins Alumni.
The Hockey Tonk Man
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