Let me first start off by saying I respect Boston Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara both as a hockey player and as an individual. The guy has been in the game almost as long as I’ve been alive (to put it into perspective I’m nearly 22-years-old), and if that doesn’t warrant my respect, I don’t know what does. Back in 1996 Chara was drafted in the third round, 56th overall by the New York Islanders at the NHL Entry Draft. He skated with the Islanders from 1997 to 2001 then traded to the Ottawa Senators where he stayed until 2006. The six-foot-nine powerhouse has been playing with the Boston Bruins from 2006 to present day. As a Bruins fan, seeing Chara in any other uniform looks foreign, as he’s been rocking the black and yellow for a decade now.
Throughout his hockey career, Chara has reached some impressive goals worth noting. Big Zee is perhaps most notorious for his slapshot, which clocks in at a deadly 105.9 miles per hour. Despite his size, Chara had big shoes to fill when coming into the Bruins organization. He was named the team’s captain upon the departure of Bruins legend Joe Thornton. Throughout his career, Chara has been named to multiple All-Star games where he set and broke his own records for hardest slapshot. He also won the James Norris Memorial Trophy during his 2008-2009 season with the Bruins.
Jeff Haynes / Associated Press
The Slovakian defensemen has proven himself off the ice as well. He was one of the first NHL players to endorse You Can Play, which is a project that works to take a stand against homophobia in sports. He is also a polyglot, speaking a whopping total of seven languages. In addition, he also has a financial planning diploma from Ottawa’s Algonquin College and received a license to sell real estate in Massachusetts in 2015.
Now that I’ve highlighted his accomplishments both on and off the ice, I can say that it’s time for the Bruins to move on and trade Chara. The B’s disappointed many fans this season with their failure to make playoffs. All money and trade deadlines aside, the Bruins desperately need to revamp their roster. It’s important to be concerned with the now. The almost 40-year-old may need to realize the importance to build younger players. The Bruins need a consistent two-way defensemen. Although players like Jaromir Jagr and Teemu Selanne seemed to defy this scary thing we call ‘aging’ and played well past their expected ages, that lifestyle is not for everyone.
I’m not saying it’s time for Chara to hang up the skates just yet, but I am saying the Bruins need something new, fresh and exciting. While Chara has certainly been a good thing for the Bruins over the past ten years, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
Sabrina Lapointe can be contacted at slapointe@kscequinox.com
