The 6ft 9, 250lb defenseman known as “Big Z” was drafted in the third round (56th) by the New York Islanders in 1996 and spent four seasons in New York before being traded to the Ottawa Senators in June Am On July 1, 2006, he signed a five-year contract with the Boston Bruins and was named team captain at the start of the season.
READ : Chara announces her retirement at the age of 45 | Chara leaves a successful legacy
Chara helped the Bruins qualify for the playoffs in 11 of his 14 seasons with them. He is sixth in Boston history in games played (1,023) and third in points by a defenseman (481), behind Raymond Bourque (1,506) and Bobby Orr (888) of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the oldest active player in any of North America’s five major professional sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, and MLS). He ended his career with the Islanders, Senators, Bruins and Washington Capitals with 680 points (209 goals, 471 assists) and a 301-point gain.
Here are Chara’s NHL highlights in chronological order:
June 22, 1996 – Chara was playing for Dukla Trencin in Slovakia when he was selected by the Islanders in the third round (56th) of the 1996 NHL Draft in St. Louis. At the age of 19 he moved to North America and played the 1996-97 season with Prince George of the Western Hockey League.
Nov 19, 1997 – After starting the 1997-98 season with Kentucky of the American Hockey League, Chara was recalled by the Islanders and made his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. He played 25 games in three stints for the Islanders and got his first NHL point when he scored an assist on April 15, 1998 against the New York Rangers.
January 29, 1999 – Chara started the 1998-99 season with Lowell in the AHL but was recalled by the Islanders in late November, this time permanently. He scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in his first multi-point game on January 29 against the Phoenix Coyotes. Chara averaged 18:54 per game in 59 games and finished the year with two goals and eight points.
June 23, 2001 – After being used in a defensive role for three full seasons in New York, Chara was traded to the Ottawa Senators in a trade that brought Alexei Yashin back to center. He hatched in Ottawa and the following season was his best yet with 10 goals, 13 assists and 23 points. He also made the playoffs for the first time as the Senators advanced to the second round.
February 2, 2003 – Chara attended the All-Star Game for the first time since the event was held in Sunrise, Florida. He finished second behind Al MacInnis in the Skills competition’s Hardest Shot contest, but was knocked out in the match, which the Western Conference won 6–5 in a shootout.
June 10, 2004 – Chara finished second to Scott Niedermayer in voting for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman, and was named a first-time NHL First Team All-Star with his 16 goals and 41 points, personal bests.
July 1, 2006 – Chara became an unrestricted free agent despite his 43-point season the previous year as the Senators preferred to keep defenseman Wade Redden. He signed a five-year contract with the Bruins and was quickly named captain, becoming the third player from Slovakia to hold that position in the NHL, after Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks and Peter Stastny of the Quebec Nordiques.
January 24, 2007 – In his second All-Star Game appearance, Chara scored twice for the Eastern Conference in a 12-9 loss to the West in a hard-fought game in Dallas. He won the hardest shot contest with a throw of 100.4 miles per hour.
June 18, 2009 – Chara had 19 goals and 50 points as the Bruins finished first in the Eastern Conference, and he won the Norris Trophy for the first time and was also named to the Stars first team.
October 9, 2010 – The Bruins have offered Chara a seven-year contract.
January 17, 2011 – Chara pulled off a rare feat for a defenseman, scoring three goals for his first NHL hat-trick in a 7-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Two weeks later, he defeated the Nashville Predators’ Shea Weber in the All-Star Game competition with the hardest shot, eclipsing his own record with a throw of 105.9 mph.
June 15, 2011 – The Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1972 by defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Final Series at Rogers Arena. Chara became the second European-born player and the first from Slovakia to win the cup as captain.
Video: Bruins beat Canucks in final
January 29, 2012 – Chara was one of two captains during the 2012 All-Star Game, held in Ottawa. His team defeated Daniel Alfredsson 12-9. For the fifth year in a row, Chara won the competition with the hardest shot, throwing 108.8 mph.
March 24, 2012 – The Bruins defeated the Los Angeles Kings in Charas 1,000. NHL game 4-2. The defender also secured victory for his team in the final two minutes, blocking a shot that went into an empty cage to prevent a Kings draw. “I wanted to win and I knew I wanted to remember this game as a win,” he said.
June 24, 2014 – Chara finished second to the Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith for the Norris Trophy and made a First Team All-Star for the third time. He scored 17 goals that season, a high since 2008–09, and accumulated 40 points in 77 games.
March 28, 2018 – The Bruins agree to a one-year, $5 million deal with Chara. Two months earlier, he had become the 39th player in history to reach the 1,400 game milestone.
March 23, 2019 – Chara started his day by signing a one-year contract ($2 million) for the 2019-20 season and ended his night by becoming the 22nd fullback in the NHL to score his 200th goal. He managed the feat with a shot from the top of the slot to help the Bruins not only beat the Panthers 7-3 at home but also qualify for the playoffs.
June 9, 2019 – Chara became the oldest defender to score the last goal in the Stanley Cup Finals when he struck in an empty net in game six of the finals to secure the Bruins’ 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues at the corporate center. The 42-year-old guard finished the playoffs with six points (two goals, four assists) in 23 games, but the Blues beat the Bruins in seven games.
December 30, 2020 – Chara leaves Boston after spending 14 seasons there and signs a one-year ($795,000) contract with the Capitals.
09/18/2021 – Chara returns to New York and accepts a one-year contract.
February 24, 2022 – Chara broke Chris Chelios’ record for most games by a defenseman in the NHL with 1,652.
April 29, 2022 – Chara scored the final goal of his NHL career, 19-16 in the third period in a 6-4 home win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fans chanted the defender’s name and Lightning players stayed on the ice to shake his hand.
Video: TBL@NYI: Chara is celebrated by Lightning and judges
May 16, 2022 – Chara is one of three finalists for the Masterton Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best embodies the qualities of endurance, team spirit and dedication to hockey. Carey Prizefrom the Montreal Canadiens, eventually won the honor.
09/20/2022 – Chara announces his retirement from the NHL.
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