Zdeno Chára

Zdeno Chára

Chara in March 2016
Born (1977-03-18) March 18, 1977
Trenčín, Czechoslovakia
Height 6 ft 9 in (206 cm)
Weight 250 lb (110 kg; 17 st 12 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Boston Bruins
Dukla Trenčín
Sparta Prague
New York Islanders
Ottawa Senators
Färjestad BK
HC Lev Praha
National team  Slovakia
NHL Draft 56th overall, 1996
New York Islanders
Playing career 1995–present

Zdeno Chára (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈzdeno ˈxaːra]; born March 18, 1977) is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenseman, currently serving as captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy while playing for the Bruins in the 2008–09 season.

Chára is the tallest player ever to play in the National Hockey League.[1] He is also the second European-born and raised captain to win the Stanley Cup in 2011, and the first born and trained in a country within the Iron Curtain.[notes 1]

Playing career

New York Islanders (1997–2001)

Chara in 2007

Chára was drafted in the third round, 56th overall, by the New York Islanders at the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.[2] He would spend his first season in North America with the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Prince George Cougars, who subsequently selected Chára in that year's CHL Import Draft. Chára spent four seasons with the Islanders organization, becoming a reliable, stay-at-home defender in a primarily defensive role. He earned a reputation as a tough player to play against – intimidating, physically strong and a punishing hitter who could, on occasion, fight. His physical strength also gave him a very hard slap shot, which seemed to improve each season, although Chára was never deployed in an offensive role as an Islander.

Chára was traded to the Ottawa Senators during the 2001 NHL Entry Draft as part of a deal to acquire forward Alexei Yashin. At the time, it was believed that the deal would vastly improve the Islanders, who were never a contending team when Chára played there. Chára was part of a package deal that included Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick from that year's draft, which the Senators used to select Jason Spezza.

Ottawa Senators (2001–2006)

Zdeno Chára during his tenure with the Senators

The Senators knew from observation that Chára would be a reliable defender, and were also aware that he was growing into his body and improving his skills each year. However, Chára grew in ways that exceeded all expectations. In 2001–02, during his first year in Ottawa, he recorded new career highs in goals (10) and points (23) as he turned into a bona fide two-way defenseman. His powerful slapshot continued to improve, and Ottawa began to deploy him on the power play to use it, something the Islanders had rarely done. It resulted in four of Chára's goals being scored with the man advantage that season. The following year, in 2002–03, Chára began to blossom into an elite NHL defenseman. He posted new career highs with 30 assists and 39 points and became one of Ottawa's top two defenders, along with Wade Redden. He also earned his first All-Star Game appearance, where he recorded the second-hardest shot behind Al MacInnis in the Skills Competition.[3]

In 2003–04, Chára posted career bests with 16 goals and 41 points, and recorded the NHL's third highest plus-minus rating, behind Martin St. Louis and Marek Malík, culminating in his first James Norris Memorial Trophy nomination. Although he lost to Scott Niedermayer as the League's top defenseman, he joined Niedermayer on the NHL First All-Star Team.

After the 2004–05 NHL lockout, in which Chára played in the Swedish Elitserien for Färjestad BK, he matched his previous NHL season's 16-goal total and tallied a career best 43 points, good enough for NHL Second All-Star Team honors. Following the season, Ottawa was faced with the possible loss of its two top defensemen — Chára and Redden — and finances dictated they could only sign one; the Senators opted for Redden. As Chára did not come to terms on a new contract with Ottawa, he became an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2005–06.

Boston Bruins (2006–present)

Chara in 2012
Zdeno Chára (left), former Head Coach Dave Lewis (center) and (former Bruin) Phil Kessel (right) on Columbus Day with the crew of the USS Doyle.

On July 1, 2006, the first day of the free agency period, Chára signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Boston Bruins[4] and was named the team's captain, a role left vacant since Joe Thornton's departure during the 2005–06 season to San Jose. Chára became only the third Slovak-born NHL player to become a team captain, after Peter Šťastný of the Quebec Nordiques and Stan Mikita (co-captain) of the Chicago Blackhawks.[5] Chára was named to the 2007 All-Star Game, his second appearance, in Dallas and scored two goals in a 12–9 Eastern Conference loss. Chára also won the hardest shot segment of the preceding Skills Competition, clocking a shot at 100.4 mph.[6] While his season was a personal success for many of these reasons, the Bruins were in a rebuilding mode at the time, and the signing was questioned throughout the League, as Chára posted an uncharacteristic −21 plus-minus rating that season due to the Bruins' struggles. His 32 assists, however, were a new career high.

In 2007–08, Chára was voted a starter in the 2008 All-Star Game, the first time in his career he received such All-Star Game honours. He repeated as the winner of the hardest shot competition, recording an even-faster 103.1 mph (166 km/h) on the radar gun.[7] On March 8, 2008, during a game against the Washington Capitals, Chára suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. However, after missing five games, he played the remainder of the season, including the 2008 playoffs. Upon a first-round elimination at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, he underwent a shoulder operation on April 29.[8] At the end of the season, Chára received his second nomination for the Norris Trophy after tallying a career-high 17 goals, 34 assists and 51 points, marking the fifth-straight season he had either matched or bested his previous season's points total. The Bruins improved tremendously this season, and the critics who had questioned the Bruins' signing of Chára the previous season were largely silenced by his, and the team's, improved play.

In 2008–09, Chára was named to his fourth All-Star Game.[9] As back-to-back champion of the hardest shot competition, Chára initiated a charity drive among the participants ($1,000 per player) to go to the charity of choice of the competition's winner. The 2009 installation of the event featured additional intrigue, as three players widely considered to possess the hardest shots in the NHL (Chára, Sheldon Souray and Shea Weber) had all been chosen as All-Stars, and therefore would participate in the event. Having raised $24,000 from the six competitors and their respective teams, the NHL and the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), Chára set a new Skills Competition record with a 105.4 mph (169.7 km/h) slapshot. He donated the winnings to Right to Play,[10] and due to Chára's leading role in fundraising for charity, the hardest shot competition that year was punningly dubbed a "Chara"ty event.[11] The shot passed Al Iafrate's previous record 105.2 mph (169.3 km/h) slapper from the 1993 competition. During the season, Chára posted a career best 19 goals, and eclipsed his career best points total, reaching the 50-point plateau for the second consecutive year with a goal and an assist in his final game of the season. For his efforts, he won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman, beating out Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings. Chára would post another standout season in 2009–10, scoring 44 points. His goal total fell to seven from the year before, but his play was as strong as ever, leading the Bruins to lock him up long-term with a contract extension; on October 9, 2010, he re-signed with the Bruins on a seven-year deal.[12]

In 2010–11, his 14 goals and 44 points were another strong campaign, leading to yet another All-Star selection and new heights as his slapshot continued to break records at the 2011 All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. He eclipsed his own previous record with a shot clocked at 105.9 mph (170.43 km/h). He also achieved a personal milestone that is exceptionally rare for a defenseman; on January 17, 2011, Chára recorded his first career hat-trick against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 7–0 victory. He celebrated the feat by performing retired Slovak NHL star Peter Bondra's celebration, where he mocked throwing a hat into the air.[13] The 2010–11 season culminated in the ultimate glory for Chára, as he captained the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup against the Vancouver Canucks for the first time since 1972.[14] In doing so, Chára became the first Slovak to captain a Stanley Cup champion, and only the second European to do so after Nicklas Lidström of Sweden for the Detroit Red Wings. He also became the first player born in a country behind the Iron Curtain to captain a Stanley Cup winner.

At the 2012 All-Star Game's Hardest Shot skill competition, Chára yet again raised his measured hardest slap shot velocity to another record, attaining 108.8 mph (175.1 km/h). Runner-up Shea Weber surpassed Chara's 2011 event record by recording a 106.0 mph blast in the same contest, but Chára's performance ensured that he kept his crown.[15]

Chára is widely considered to have the hardest slapshot in the NHL, and quite possibly the world – the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) claims the world record belongs to Alex Riazantsev at 114.1 mph, but due to differences in the mechanics of the KHL competition, the NHL does not recognize this figure.[16] Chára has won the hardest shot competition at the All-Star Game Skills Competition five times in a row, in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 (Note: there was no NHL All-Star Game in 2010, due to NHL player participation in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and also in 2013 as a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout).

Chara played his 1,000th career NHL game on March 24, 2012, against the Los Angeles Kings, a 4–2 victory for the Bruins.

Bruins captain Chára shakes hand of Penguins captain Sidney Crosby following Boston's sweep of Pittsburgh in the 2013 playoffs.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Chara agreed to play for HC Lev Praha of the KHL until NHL play resumed.[17] He returned from the lockout to post another solid season, with seven goals and 12 assists in the 48-game season. His point totals were down due to some of Boston's struggles down the stretch, particularly on the power play, where Chára only posted one assist all season despite plenty of ice time in man advantage situations. However, he remained solid on defense and a key contributor for the Bruins. In the 2013 playoffs, he was physically dominant and played a key role in leading his team to the Finals.[18][19]

Following the 2013–14 season, Chára was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, awarded yearly to the defenseman judged to be the best at his position. He was nominated along with Duncan Keith, the eventual winner, and Shea Weber. Chara finished runner-up in the voting.[20]

By the time the 2016-17 season had started, Chára was skating as part of the Bruins' top defensive pairing beside six-foot-5-inch height, rookie defenseman Brandon Carlo, nearly 20 years younger than him.[21]

Pacioretty incident

Prior to the March 8th incident, Max Pacioretty had shoved Chara lightly, but tauntingly from behind, after a Montreal Canadiens game-winning goal; Chara was incensed. A few weeks later, Chara tried to get even with Pacioretty in a scrum. On March 8, 2011, Chara hit and drove Canadiens forward Pacioretty's head directly into an off-ice stanchion at the end of the bench, knocking him unconscious. The injured player was taken off the ice on a stretcher.[22] The extent of the injury was revealed the next day to be a non-displaced fracture to the 4th vertebra and a severe concussion.[23] For delivering the hit, Chára received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct, and videotape of the play was sent to NHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy for review. However, Murphy decided no further punishment was warranted, calling it a "hockey play."[24] Although a criminal investigation was announced by the Montreal Police Service immediately after the incident,[25] the Crown Prosecutor Office announced on November 17, 2011, that Chára would not be criminally charged.[26] Pacioretty eventually made a full recovery, returning to Montreal the following season.


International

Chara at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Medal record
Representing  Slovakia
Ice hockey
2012 Finland
2000 Russia

Chára has competed in the Winter Olympics for Slovakia in 2006, 2010 and 2014. Chára has also competed for Slovakia in the 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, as well as in the 2004, 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2012 IIHF World Championship.

During the 2014 Winter Olympics' opening ceremony, Chára served as the flag bearer for Slovakia.[27]

Personal life

Before he was drafted in the NHL,[28] Chára's coaches in his native Slovakia attempted to persuade him to play basketball, due to his height.[29] Also as a result of his height, Chára uses sticks two inches longer than NHL regulations; he receives a waiver from the NHL to do so.[30]

Chára married his long-time girlfriend Tatiana Biskupicová on July 14, 2007, in a Catholic church in Nemšová, Slovakia.[31] Tatiana gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Elliz Victoria Chára (Chárová), on April 27, 2009.[32] On March 7, 2016, Chara became father to twin boys, Zack and Ben. His father, Zdeněk Chára, was a prominent Greco-Roman wrestler.[33]

Chara is an Athletic Ambassador for Right to Play. In July 2008, he spent two weeks in Africa, visiting Mozambique in support of the charity, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with former NHL player Robyn Regehr.[34][35]

Chara was one of the first NHL players to endorse You Can Play and acceptance of gay players in professional hockey.[36]

Chára is a polyglot, speaking seven languages: Slovak, Czech, Polish, Swedish, Russian, German and English.[37] He also has a financial planning diploma from Ottawa's Algonquin College.[38][39] In early 2015, Chára received a license to sell real estate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.[38]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1994–95 Dukla Trenčín SVK 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1995–96 Sparta Prague CZE 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1995–96 ŠHK 37 Piešťany SVK.1 10 1 3 4 10 — — — — —
1996–97 Prince George Cougars WHL 49 3 19 22 120 15 1 7 8 45
1997–98 Kentucky Thoroughblades AHL 48 4 9 13 125 1 0 0 0 4
1997–98 New York Islanders NHL 25 0 1 1 50 — — — — —
1998–99 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 23 2 2 4 47 — — — — —
1998–99 New York Islanders NHL 59 2 6 8 83 — — — — —
1999–00 New York Islanders NHL 65 2 9 11 57 — — — — —
2000–01 New York Islanders NHL 82 2 7 9 157 — — — — —
2001–02 Dukla Trenčín SVK 8 2 2 4 32 — — — — —
2001–02 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 10 13 23 156 10 0 1 1 12
2002–03 Ottawa Senators NHL 74 9 30 39 116 18 1 6 7 14
2003–04 Ottawa Senators NHL 79 16 25 41 147 7 1 1 2 8
2004–05 Färjestad BK SEL 33 10 15 25 132 13 3 5 8 82
2005–06 Ottawa Senators NHL 71 16 27 43 135 10 1 3 4 23
2006–07 Boston Bruins NHL 80 11 32 43 100 — — — — —
2007–08 Boston Bruins NHL 77 17 34 51 114 7 1 1 2 12
2008–09 Boston Bruins NHL 80 19 31 50 95 11 1 3 4 12
2009–10 Boston Bruins NHL 80 7 37 44 87 13 2 5 7 29
2010–11 Boston Bruins NHL 81 14 30 44 88 24 2 7 9 34
2011–12 Boston Bruins NHL 79 12 40 52 86 7 1 2 3 8
2012–13 HC Lev Praha KHL 25 4 6 10 24 — — — — —
2012–13 Boston Bruins NHL 48 7 12 19 70 22 3 12 15 20
2013–14 Boston Bruins NHL 77 17 23 40 66 12 2 2 4 14
2014–15 Boston Bruins NHL 63 8 12 20 42 — — — — —
2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 79 9 28 37 71 — — — — —
NHL totals 1274 178 397 575 1720 141 15 43 58 186

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
1999 Slovakia WC 7th 6 1 0 1 6
2000 Slovakia WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 9 0 0 0 12
2001 Slovakia WC 7th 7 0 1 1 10
2004 Slovakia WC 4th 9 2 0 2 2
2004 Slovakia WCup 7th 4 0 2 2 8
2005 Slovakia WC 5th 7 0 2 2 2
2006 Slovakia Oly 5th 6 1 1 2 2
2007 Slovakia WC 6th 7 3 1 4 4
2010 Slovakia Oly 4th 7 0 3 3 6
2012 Slovakia WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 10 2 2 4 4
2014 Slovakia Oly 11th 4 0 1 1 4
Senior totals 76 9 13 22 60

Awards

Records

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Nicklas Lidström of the Detroit Red Wings, a native of Sweden, was the first European captain to win the Stanley Cup.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-5000/tallest-player-in-nhl-ice-hockey/
  2. ↑ "Zdeno Chara #33". National Hockey League. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "MacInnis has still got NHL's hardest shot". CNN Sports Illustrated. February 1, 2003. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Bruins sign Chara to five-year deal". ESPN. July 1, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Chara named Bruins captain". Globe and Mail. Toronto. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Crosby, East win SuperSkills competition". ESPN. January 25, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  7. ↑ Allen, Kevin (January 26, 2008). "Ovechkin, Chara dazzle in NHL All-Star prelude". USA Today. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Bruins D Chara has shoulder surgery". Yahoo!. April 30, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  9. ↑ Shinzawa, Fluto (January 9, 2009). "Chara, Thomas and Savard added to all-star team". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Charitable Chara wins NHL's hardest-shot competition". CBC. January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
  11. ↑ van Steendelaar, Kevin (January 24, 2009). "2009 NHL All-Star Game: Hardest Shot Contest: Now a "Chara"ty Event!". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  12. ↑ NHL.com, October 9, 2010
  13. ↑ Wyshynski, Greg (January 18, 2011). "Peter Bondra on Zdeno Chára borrowing his hat-trick celebration". Yahoo. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Bruins capture Stanley Cup". Globe and Mail. Toronto. August 24, 2012.
  15. ↑ Erin Nicks, NHL.com Correspondent (January 28, 2012). "Chara sets record while keeping Hardest Shot title". NHL. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  16. ↑ Greg Wyshynski (January 21, 2012). "KHL's Alexander Ryazantsev sets new 'world record' for hardest shot at 114 mph". Yahoo. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  17. ↑ Kevin Allen (October 2, 2012). "Bruins' Zdeno Chara leads day's exodus to Europe". USA Today. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  18. ↑ Cox, Damien (June 15, 2013). "Stanley Cup: Being a Bruin has brought out best in Zdeno Chara". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  19. ↑ Scibetta, Nicholas (June 17, 2013). "Zdeno Chara punishes Bryan Bickell". SBNation.com. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  20. ↑ Roarke, Shawn (2014-06-24). "Keith wins Norris Trophy for second time". NHL.com. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  21. ↑ Switaj, Karen (November 13, 2016). "Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo Make a Unique Pair". nhl.bruins.com. Boston Bruins. Retrieved November 13, 2016. Brandon Carlo used to be the tallest player on his team. When the 6-foot-5 defenseman would head out to the ice, the process was as simple as taking the tallest stick from the stick rack. Now, it requires a bit more notice. Carlo's defense partner these days, standing at 6-foot-9, happens to have a few inches on him. "Now, I come and I look at all the stick racks, and my sticks, I can rarely find them because they look the same size as everybody else's compared next to his," Carlo laughed. "It's pretty crazy." Everything these days is pretty crazy for the young blueliner, who has spent his first days in the NHL being paired with Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara.
  22. ↑ "Max Pacioretty taken off ice on stretcher / Video". National Hockey League. March 8, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Fractured Vertebra for Pacioretty". Montreal Gazette. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Zdeno Chara won't be suspended or fined by NHL for hit on Pacioretty". NESN. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Pacioretty on-ice hit to be investigated by police". CBC News. Mar 10, 2011. Retrieved Mar 10, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Zdeno Chara of Bruins won't be charged". ESPN. November 17, 2011. Retrieved Nov 17, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Bruins' Chara to carry Slovakia flag at Olympics". www.nhl.com. National Hockey League. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  28. ↑ "Zdeno Chara Slapshot".
  29. ↑ Robinson, Joshua (2009). 30 Seconds with Zdeno Chara – Standing Up Tall for Himself. The New York Times, March 7, 2009
  30. ↑ "The long and the short of it". The Province. December 30, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  31. ↑ Shinzawa, Fluto (July 8, 2007). "Hamill a true surprise pick". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara Welcomes Daughter Elliz Victoria". People. April 28, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  33. ↑ Dupont, Kevin Paul (August 25, 2006). "Perfect fit". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  34. ↑ Simpson, Rob. "Chara's Challenge: Zee vs. The Mountain". Bruins.com. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  35. ↑ Simpson, Rob. "Bruins, Boots and Blisters". Bruins.com. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  36. ↑ "Zdeno Chara, Jason Pominville, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres". The You Can Play Project. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  37. ↑ Bishop, John (2010). "Bruins by the Numbers: 33". BostonBruins.Com. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  38. 1 2 Chesto, Jon; Benjamin, Amalie (February 7, 2015). "Zdeno Chara scores a new goal in getting real estate license". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Zdeno Chara Net Worth". TheRichest. 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.

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