Report: Zdeno Chara Has A Broken Jaw
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara has a broken jaw, according to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic. The Bruins have not provided an update on Chara's health, or if he will be available for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Thursday night in Boston.
A source familiar with the situation confirms to @TheAthleticNHL that Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara has a broken jaw. #stlblues @FlutoShinzawa @JoeyMacHockey
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 4, 2019
The injury happened in Game 4 in St. Louis on Monday night. The 42-year-old blocked a shot off the stick of Brayden Schenn early in the second period, but the puck redirected right up into Chara's face, leaving the defenseman bloodied as he hit the ice.
Chara sat out the rest of Boston's 4-2 loss, watching the final period on the Bruins bench with a full face shield on his helmet. His teammates said he couldn't talk after the injury, though Bruins forward Brad Marchand said that Chara wanted to keep playing -- but doctors wouldn't allow it.
"He's an absolute warrior. I think if it wasn't for a doctor, he would have played that game," Marchand told reporters on Tuesday. "He's that kind of guy that you're going to have to kill him to keep him off. He's an absolute leader and those things, you gain respect for him every single day with what he's willing to go through to be part of the group and lead this team. He's an incredible person."
Though no longer the impact player he once was, Chara was still playing some great hockey for the Bruins this postseason. He was averaging 21:56 of ice time during the playoffs, checking in at a plus-12 with a goal and four assists.
The injury is another hit for Boston's defensive corps, which already lost Matt Grzelcyk after he took a big hit in Game 2. If both Grzelcyk and Chara are out of Game 5, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said he may go with seven defensemen on Thursday night.