Sitting at the podium after the Bruins’ 3-2 double overtime loss to Tampa Bay in Game 5 that ended their season, Zdeno Chara wasn’t ready to think about what lay ahead.
The Bruins’ captain is 43. He’s a free agent coming off a year where his minutes and play continued to diminish. Much of the television broadcast conversation during Monday’s game surrounded whether he planned to retire. He didn’t know yet.
“I haven’t made a decision. I just finished the game. I’m going to be open-minded,” Chara said.
That’s the closest he’s come to even admitting he’d consider something other than playing in 2020-21. He’s been adamant in the past that he still loves the game, the competition and the camaraderie that comes from being part of a team.
If it was his last game, he had an assist on the tying goal in the third period and was a plus-1 in 26:23 of ice time.
He played 22 seasons in the NHL, the last 14 of those in Boston. The 6-foot-9 native of Slovakia was an all-star seven times and won the Norris Trophy for the NHL’s best defenseman in 2008-09. He was the captain of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup winning team. He’s certain to be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is just down the road from Scotiaank Arena.
Chara said this team was special.
“I‘m obviously very proud of this group. Everybody made some huge sacrifices and we were a committed group to get back to where we left off at some point in March. I think that everybody showed up in great shape, ready to play, committed to come into the hub city and do whatever it took to play the best hockey that we could,” he said. “I’m very proud of the group. Guys were playing very hard and doing whatever they could to win games. It’s a learning experience for many players and hopefully this will make this group stronger and more resilient for the future playoff runs. Definitely, it’s still very raw and disappointing. I know personally and speaking for all the guys, they left it out there and played with their heart.”
His teammates were all careful not to speculate about Chara’s future, but wanted to salute him.
“He’s an icon in Boston,”Brad Marchand said. “Who knows what’s going to happen, but it’s a pleasure to go to the rink with him everyday and see the dedication he has to the game. It’s difficult to do what he’s done, day in and day out. The way he prepares and still cares so much. He’s one of, if not the most driven person I’ve ever met. He’s a Hall of Famer. He’s one of the best players to ever play the game. It’s been a real honor to play with him. .. He’s an incredible, teammate, captain and leader. He’s unbelievable.”
Charlie McAvoy agreed.
“(Playing in a defensive pairing with Chara) is something I absolutely have not taken for granted,” McAvoy said last week. “I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to learn under this guy. He’s as good as anyone in the entire league to learn under. I’ve learned so many lessons on the ice, off the ice. I’ve been blessed and fortunate to learn under this guy and have him as a friend and teammate.”
Bruce Cassidy was asked about Chara and Torey Krug, who is also a free agent.
“Well I don’t want to speculate if those are their last games, so those are decisions that will be made by the player and management going forward. I’ve said all along, grateful to have an opportunity to coach Zee,” Cassidy said. “It was early in my NHL career so to speak, later in his playing career, so he helped me a lot. Torey is a little different, I got him more well into my American League career and he was just basically starting out, so it’s a much different situation, where you almost feel like Zee probably helped me more than I’ve helped him and with Krug it was a little more of watching him grow and being a bigger part in his development. Both great Boston Bruins and we’ll see what happens down the line because like I said, those are decisions that will be made and as I said, I love both those guys and what they mean to the Boston Bruins and hopefully what they’ll continue to mean for the Boston Bruins.”
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