The 6’9 legend has finally called it a career on the ice. Boston Bruins and New York Islanders legend Zdeno Chara has finally retired from the NHL after 24 years, undoubtably earning himself a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame in the near future.
What a career it has been for Zdeno Chara.
From playing the most ever games by a defenseman in NHL history (1,680), earning 6 All-Star selections, winning the 2008/09 Norris Trophy and the 2011 Mark Messier Leadership Award, captaining an Original 6 team for 14 years, wining the Eastern Conference (aka: The Prince of Wales Trophy) 3 times, and finally achieving every professional hockey player’s dream with his 2010/11 Stanely Cup win with the Boston Bruins, it truly has been a whirlwind career for the Slovakian.
There have been very few players in NHL history, let alone defenseman, who can boast of such impressive stats and achievements while being able to do it for such a long time. I can only think of Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Chelios as the other two elite caliber defensemen in the modern era who were on a similar talent level to Chara.
Plus, Zdeno Chara wasn’t just a defensive defenseman in his heyday as he ended up scoring 680 points from the blue-line, even though he was always a top penalty killer and shutdown defenseman during his career.
It’s going to be really weird to not see Zdeno Chara on the ice for the Bruins or the Islanders anymore as he’s been a mainstay in the NHL for so many years. I mean, most people don’t even work at the same office job for 24 years, let alone dedicate that time to playing a physical, aggressive sport like hockey.
For being 6’9 and lasting nearly a quarter century on skates in the NHL is truly a testament to the character, fortitude, and determination Chara has had for the game of hockey and he should be rewarded for his determination with an entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible.
He’s more than earned it.
However, in the meantime, I’m glad that Big Z decided to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins to retire with the team that he’s won so much with. He was such a staple on that Bruins backline for so many seasons that it was strange and uncanny to see a Bruins team without him for those first few games after he unceremoniously left.
Thankfully, it seems that Chara and the Bruins organization have put their differences behind them at last.
Congratulations on retirement, Zdeno, you have more than earned it.
Images Source: Featured Image: Wikimedia Creative Commons License/Author: Amanda) (Amanda, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
