Zdeno Chara Suffered Broken Fibula But Won't Need Offseason Surgery
BOSTON (CBS) -- If you thought that Zdeno Chara didn't quite look like himself at the end of the regular season, it wasn't your imagination.
The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that the captain suffered a non-displaced fracture of his lower left fibula. The team added that he is expected to be fully recovered in four weeks and that surgery won't be necessary.
Chara blocked a shot against Toronto on April 4, which might have been when the injury occurred. The 38-year-old did play in the Bruins' remaining three games after that night, averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time per game.
Earlier in the season, Chara missed significant time from late October until early December with a knee injury. His 63 games played was his lowest total in a non-lockout-shortened season since 1998-99. Largely due to the injuries, Chara posted his lowest point total (20) since the 2000-01 season.
News of Chara's injury broke hours prior to the team's announcement, when Slovakian outlet Sport.sme.sk reported that Chara would not be participating in the IIHF World Championships.