Zdeno Chara elected into Hockey Hall of Fame in first year of eligibility
The Hockey Hall of Fame got a lot bigger Tuesday, as former Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was elected in his first year of eligibility. Chara will take his place among hockey's all-time greats in Toronto, Ontario next fall.
Chara had an incredible 24-year career in the NHL and at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds -- the tallest player in NHL history -- he was one of the most feared blueliners of his time. He retired with a plus-301 rating from his 1,680 career games, and was a plus-49 in his 200 career playoff games. He is the NHL's all-time leader in games played by a defenseman, and was a big reason why the Bruins won a Stanley Cup title in 2011.
Chara played 14 of his 24 seasons in Boston, and should soon have his No. 33 hanging from the TD Garden rafters. He returned to the Bruins after he retired, and is currently serving as front office consultant and a mentor to Boston's younger players.
Zdeno Chara's Boston Bruins career
Chara completely changed the DNA of the Bruins after he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with Boston in 2006. He was immediately given the "C" for his sweater and was the team's captain for his entire 14-year run with the Bruins. "Big Z" helped reset the Bruins culture upon his arrival, and the team made the playoffs in 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston.
The Bruins made it to three Stanley Cup Finals during Chara's tenure, and won it all in 2011 when the team won three separate Game 7s. Chara led the NHL with a plus-16 during Boston's Cup run, when he had a pair of goals and seven assists to help end a 39-year title drought for the Bruins. Chara letting out a triumphant roar as he lifted the Cup above his head in Vancouver will remain a signature moment in Bruins history forever.
Chara was as tough as he was big, and had another signature moment for the Bruins during the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at the age of 41. He broke his jaw early in Game 4 of the Final against the St. Louis Blues, but underwent surgery the next day and was back on the ice for Game 5 a few nights later with wires, plates, and screws holding his jaw together.
Chara was an imposing force on the blue line for Boston and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman in 2009. He made five of his six NHL All-Star teams while with the Bruins, and finished his Boston career with 148 goals and 333 assists over 1,023 games. He was a plus-240 while with Boston.
Chara has his named etched all over the Boston record books, as he ranks in the Top 10 in games played (eighth with 1,023), plus-minus (tenth at plus-240), defensive point shares (second with 70.6), and penalty minutes (seventh with 1,055).
"Zee is a superb human being in so many ways. Not only in size and skill, but also in his thoughtfulness and the respect he commands," Bruins owner and governor Jeremy Jacobs said in a release. "It's no surprise that he was selected in his first year of eligibility, because he's truly special. The Bruins were fortunate to get him and raise the Cup with him."
"Across his exceptional 24-year career, Zdeno put forth an unparalleled combination of size, strength, and ability each time he took the ice," said Bruins president Cam Neely. "He kept opponents on notice with his commanding physicality and set the tone for his teammates with a stout defensive acumen, all while having the power at any given time to unleash one of the hardest shots ever recorded. His legendary leadership qualities were also continually on display, particularly when it came to his renowned off-ice conditioning which set a standard for all our players to follow.
"To put it simply, Zdeno's skill set stands among the most unique in the century-plus history of the National Hockey League, making him enormously worthy of enshrinement into the Hockey Hall of Fame where he will be remembered forever as one of the very best to play our sport," added Neely.
Zdeno Chara's NHL career
Chara was originally a third-round pick (58th overall) by the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL Draft. He played four seasons with New York before he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators, and he played four seasons for them before signing with the Bruins.
He last played for Boston in the 2020 postseason when the Bruins lost in the second round, before Chara closed out his career with one-year stints for the Washington Capitals and Islanders. Chara retired following the 2021-22 season, with his 1,680 regular-season games currently the seventh-most by an NHL player.
