BOSTON — After the ceremonial puck was dropped, Zdeno Chara shared a round of handshakes with the two captains in front of him, Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon and Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron. From the handshake, Bergeron and Chara embraced and, as Bergeron skated away, he pointed back at Chara, signaling to the crowd the immense impact of the man in front of him.
The Bruins honored Chara before their game against the Wild at TD Garden on Saturday, one month after he retired from the NHL to end his 24-season career. The 45-year-old dropped the puck next to his twin 6-year-old sons, Ben and Zack.
“It’s amazing,” Bruins forward David Pastrnak said. “Unbelievable career. We all know what he did here. So the recognition he got, it’s well deserved.”
The likely Hockey Hall of Famer played 14 of his best seasons in Boston, captaining the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship and winning the 2009 Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL. He arrived in Boston in 2006-07 as a free agent after stints with the New York Islanders, including his debut in 1997-98, and the Ottawa Senators.
Before Chara walked out to drop the puck, the TD Garden scoreboard read “Thank you Zdeno Chara” and a video played, beginning with his appearance in Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, when he took the ice with a broken jaw suffered in Game 4 of the series. It ended with Chara raising the Cup in 2011, two of the most iconic moments for the defenseman in a career full of them and generating a sustained ovation.
In the locker room before the game and during media interviews after it, the Bruins wore T-shirts with the words “Thanks Big Zee” and an image of Chara in his No. 33 Jersey.
Although Bruins coach Jim Montgomery never coached Chara, he said he was blown away by his retirement press conference Sept. 20, when Chara talked about the importance of family and his values.
“I had heard so much about the character, about the man, and the values, the integrity, I guess,” Montgomery said. “I’m very thankful to him because I know what the culture is like in that dressing room, and I think he’s the one that changed it.”
Under Chara’s leadership, the Bruins made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 11 of 14 seasons and three trips to the Stanley Cup Final (2011, 2013 and 2019), winning an epic seven-game series against the Vancouver Canucks. Chara played 14 Game 7s, the most in NHL history.
“He’s a guy that I have so much respect for,” said the Bruins forward Nick Foligno, who played against Chara for years in the NHL. “Because he did, he came here and changed the culture completely. The way he played for how big he was and the way he dominated and the way he worked at his craft, I think that was something I always admired about him as a professional And playing against him, just so much respect for the leader that he is and the family man that he is.
“You appreciate getting to play against legends like that in the game and I think, knowing what he meant to this organization and now being here, it was an honor to be part of that tonight. I hope he gets a lot more recognition for what he’s done for this city and this team.”
Foligno recalled some net-front battles with Chara, especially on the power play.
“I had to put an extra pad on just because of him,” Foligno said, with a smile. “He liked his cross-checks. It was fun, though. I think we respected the way he played the game, how hard he would play, how hard I would go at him. It made some nights kind of tough, especially how dominant he was, but you get up for playing against players like that. I always enjoyed the challenge.”
Chara ranks sixth in Bruins history in games played (1,023) and third in points by a defenseman (481) behind Ray Bourque (1,506) and Bobby Orr (888), each Hall of Famers. He is seventh in games played in NHL history (1,680) and first among defensemen.
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