HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Zdeno Chara turns 40

Ivo

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Dec 29, 2008
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The Bruins captain turns 40 today! What a career he's had.

Rejected by his junior team in Slovakia (they told him to try basketball), he didn't give up and got a chance in the Czech Republic to play for Sparta Prague. Drafted by the Islanders, he crossed the Atlantic and played for Prince George Cougars for a season in the WHL.

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He made the Islanders roster not long after, and steadily made a place for himself in the NHL.

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In 2001, he was traded with a pick that became Jason Spezza for Alexei Yashin to the Ottawa Senators. In Ottawa he became a star defenseman.

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On July 1st 2006, Chara signed with the Bruins and thus began his illustrious career in Boston.

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He is serving as captain for his 11th season, was awarded the Norris Trophy in 2009, lead the team to the ultimate prize in 2011 and remains a key player to the team at age 40.

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Chara proudly represented his country at 4 Olympic games and helped Slovakia win 2 silver medals at the IIHF World Championships.

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Happy birthday Big Z!
 

caz16

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Happy 40th Birthday to Zdeno! He has a fascinating life story and I'm so glad he ended up being the Bruins captain. We are very lucky to have him.

:bday:
 

LouJersey

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Jun 29, 2002
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Had the pleasure of seeing Charas Islander days up close and personal and I would never have thought he would turn into a hall of famer. Through his hard work though he became the best at what he does for a period of time.

Happy birthday to the captain. It's easy sometimes as players age to forget their sheer dominance so I'm hoping as fans we think about that a little more. He was the best shut down defender this league has seen since Rod Langway and maybe the best one the league has ever seen. It's been an honor to have him lead my favorite team. Funny to think he almost became a Bruin much earlier in the failed Allison trade.
 

BruinLVGA

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Great player and guy. He will never be forgotten by Bruins fans. Hope he plays more years, he still got a lot in the tank.
 

DominicT

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Sep 6, 2009
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Great player and guy. He will never be forgotten by Bruins fans. Hope he plays more years, he still got a lot in the tank.

Don't think you have to worry about that. In a conversation with Denis Potvin, who let the cat out of the bag, Chara told him he wants to play after his current deal expires and that he looks to Jagr as inspiration to make it a reality.
 

4ORRBRUIN

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Sep 27, 2005
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Happy Birthday big man! Thank you for restoring the BIG and Bad into the Boston Bruins.

Great athlete and more importantly human being. One of the greatest Bruins of all time in my book. Never takes a night off.:handclap:
 

Rubber Biscuit

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Sep 9, 2010
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I snapped this low quality picture quickly in 2014 the night Z picked up his 500th point, fittingly against the Islanders.

Much love to the big guy. He's the #1 reason this team turned into a perennial powerhouse and returned to being the Big, Bad, Bruins. Historically, he'd be a part of this team's all time Top 6 D, which is impressive considering the defensemen who have put that jersey on before him. He's got a spot on my team as long as he wants.
 

JRull86

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Jan 28, 2009
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Great player, great Bruin. I've never been someone who likes when teams are liberal on retiring numbers (Celtics lol) but I genuinely hope they retire his number (and Bergeron's) after his playing days are over, he deserves it.

Class act, tough as nails player, who just shows up and does his job, and was in his prime, one of the best all-around defensemen I've ever seen. That Chara/Seids pairing in 2011 was borderline cheating.

I'd absolutely re-sign him. I think he could be a great middle/bottom pairing guy, as well as a mentor, well into his 40's.
 

roll4lines

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Apr 24, 2014
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i was at keesler AFB back in 2011 and watched a team play with the exact same jersey as he has on at the top.wish i remembered the league down there in biloxi, ms. fun times
 

Bruinaura

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Mar 29, 2014
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my favorite memory is post dave lewis era vs the hawks i think. It may have even been preseason? CJ took the shackles off the tough guys including chara and he literally bloodied a guy to the point where it looked like he got hit by a truck.

edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9TemTZlweo

:amazed: :amazed:

Wowzers. No wonder Zee rarely fights like that. He really could kill a guy. And they said the guy he fought had just broken his nose two days before that. Ouch ouch ouch.
 

Bruinaura

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I will admit to not being a Chara fan early in his career, but that has definitely changed. You can't help but respect him. Happy birthday Z! :)
 

Ladyfan

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Happy Birthday big Z. ! You are having a very good year.

Thanks for the stick after the Detroit game !
 

Fenway

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my favorite memory is post dave lewis era vs the hawks i think. It may have even been preseason? CJ took the shackles off the tough guys including chara and he literally bloodied a guy to the point where it looked like he got hit by a truck.

edit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9TemTZlweo

I believe that game had the smallest crowd in the history of the new Garden that wasn't weather related. The Bruins refused to move the start time and while the crowd was announced at 10,000 it was far less.

Last night at Boston Garden, the Bruins were hosting Chicago, an Original Six franchise, but it was clear from the paltry turnout - an official 10,290 - and the Red Sox-adorned fans who did show up that the Black and Gold had taken a back seat to Red.

With the Red Sox playing Game 2 of the World Series against the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park, the region's pro hockey franchise proved a tough draw.

For many of the faithful who did make the trek, there was definitely a strategy involved. In a nutshell, because of the 7 p.m. start of the Bruins, the 8:30 start of the Series, and the number of commercial breaks during the baseball broadcast, most believed they could see the hockey game without really missing much of the baseball game.

"I bought a 10-game package," said Chris Nearhos of Hyannis. "It's the Original Six package. So I'll see most of the Sox game because this one will be over at 9:30. And since they have so many commercials during the World Series, it will probably be only the second inning, so I'll probably see plenty of it."

Last year, Nearhos was so disgusted with the state of the Bruins that he put black hockey tape over the "B" on his hat to express his dismay. Because he's optimistic this year, he took it off.

"They're looking good this year," he said. "When they came back about .500 from the road trip, I was pleasantly surprised. I looked at the roster and they made some good acquisitions and I thought they were going to be hitting more and there would be more hitting going on [league-wide]. That's why the league stunk last year. It is a contact sport."

Tricia Scolly from Everett came to the game because she won tickets through the realty company where she works.

"Otherwise, I'd be at home watching the Sox," she said with a laugh. When asked if she tried to sell them or even give them away, she said no.

"I didn't have the heart to do that," she said. "I felt bad, but we'll probably be catching the game. [The World Series] is so late, I'm having a hard time staying up for the darned thing."

While the Bruins' Jumbotron showed updates on the Sox game, others came prepared with cellphones to access the Internet.

"We're hoping the Bruins will be kind enough to post the score," said Dave Gravelle of Plymouth. "But also my cellphone, I can get all the scores on the Internet. But the second period will be over before the Red Sox really get going, so you're only missing maybe the first two innings. The bottom line is you don't miss much."

He said it was hard not to notice the absence of fans in the arena.

"It's empty in here," he said. "There aren't many people here. The last time I remember it like this was during a major blizzard about three years ago."
 

BruinLVGA

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Don't think you have to worry about that. In a conversation with Denis Potvin, who let the cat out of the bag, Chara told him he wants to play after his current deal expires and that he looks to Jagr as inspiration to make it a reality.

Good stuff. I have heard Chara is a fanatic about staying fit, so I have zero doubt that he will be playing at high level for some more years. The way he came back from the knee ligament injury, is even more of a confirmation. Love big Zee.
 

Fenway

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Sep 26, 2007
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I remember Zee as a Lowell Lock Monster :laugh:

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Fred Cusick did play by play for Lowell then and he could not believe a man of Zee's size could play hockey. :laugh:
 

PatriceBergeronFan

Registered User
Jul 15, 2011
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USA
Lots of good memories like his hattrick but three I will remember most:

Chara vs Downie
Chara vs Valabik
Chara vs Pacquette
 

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