Zdeno Chara's former Bruins teammates reflect on his incredible dedication and leadership

BOSTON -- Zdeno Chara retired from the NHL after a 24-year career on Tuesday. He walks away a true folk hero in the game of hockey.

The lore of Chara's greatness will be passed down by hockey fans for a years to come. It is, after all, kind of hard to forget a Paul Bunyan-like figure like Chara, the tallest player to ever don skates in the NHL at 6-foot-9. 

But under that monumental stature was an unselfish nature that is rare in sports. Chara was never about just himself. It was always about the "we," and what he could do to make his teams better. That is what teammates remember the most about Chara, the basis of the future Hall-of-Famer's incredible leadership over two decades in the game.

Asked which was his favorite moment that he shared with Chara, Bruins winger Brad Marchand reminisced of the moments immediately following the team's 2011 Stanley Cup championship. As captain, Chara was given the honor of being the first player to hoist Lord Stanley's beautiful chalice over his head. But as he made his way to the trophy, Chara looked back and pointed to all of his teammates.

"It was just a little thing," said Marchand. "But when he was skating away to pick up the Cup, he looked back and pointed at us all. It was a special moment, a 'we did it' kind of thing. I thought that was cool, that was awesome."

That was who Zdeno Chara was throughout his career. It didn't matter if a player was a veteran or a rookie; as their captain, he was going to push them toward the greatness that he demanded from himself every day.

"It was privilege to be his teammate and to learn from him," said Patrice Bergeron, who took over as Bruins captain after Chara left Boston in 2020. "He was the perfect person and player. I was 21 when he came in, and the way he went about his business, the way he came into work every day, his competitiveness and leadership. He was a great mentor, a great person and a great friend."

"He really brought me in and instilled so much confidence and trust in me," fellow blue-liner Charlie McAvoy recalled on Tuesday. "I learned shortly after that that's just who he is. He brings everyone in and treats everyone like that.   

"For me, it meant the world to me and it really did allow me to play better than I thought I could coming in," McAvoy continued. "Knowing he had my back and believed in me, it really helped me internally to believe in myself. Those are gifts he gave me that I'll always be so thankful for."

The legend of Chara is much more than just his Stanley Cup victory in Boston, though that run -- in which he shut down some of the best scorers in the NHL --  was truly incredible. He played more regular-season games than any other defenseman in NHL history. The 14 Game 7s that he took the ice for is also an NHL record.

He played injured in a lot of those contests, and it was more than just the obvious ones, like when Chara played in the 2019 Stanley Cup after breaking his jaw in Game 5 against the St. Louis Blues.

"He's one of the toughest to ever play the game. I think that is something he took pride in," said Marchand. "Part of what he wanted to prove being a captain is that he was willing to do anything to win.

"[The broken jaw is] just one example. He played through numerous broken bones and legs and ankles and everything that people don't know about," added Marchand. 

Reflecting back on the decade they spent together in Boston, Marchand feels like he took sharing the ice with Chara for granted. But Chara's impact on his game will never be forgotten.

"You don't really realize that when you're with him every day. You get comfortable with him," Marchand explained. "But I got to play with one of the best players who ever put the jersey on, and that's pretty special."

Chara was not just a master of his craft on the ice. He was a master of anything he wanted to be. It left his former teammates in awe.

"He's always trying to improve himself and get better," said Marchand. "He took a real estate course while he was out for a month with an injury. He would learn how to speak multiple languages on flights. He reads like a book a day. He's an incredible human. It's not just hockey -- he tries to get better in every aspect of his life.

"He has that ability to push himself everywhere in life and there is a reason why he played for as long as he did," added Marchand. "He's so driven and it really is incredible."

Chara threw on his No. 33 Bruins sweater one final time on Tuesday after signing a one-day contract with the team. Now all that's left is for that number to take its spot in the TD Garden rafters.

"We're talking about a sure shot Hall of Famer here," said Bergeron. "To me, it's an easy decision."  

"It will be up there, no question about that," said Marchand. "It's just a matter of when."