But while fans in Boston may occasionally get on the big guy, his peers in the NHL have no doubts about Chara's abilities.
"I think he's a very solid all-around defenseman," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "He has the size to his advantage, but he's very good with the puck. He's tough to play against. He's got the good shot and the good reach, but overall he's very solid both offensively and defensively."
Lidstrom know a bit about playing the position. The preeminent defenseman of his generation, the 40-year-old Lidstrom has won the Norris six times himself, while helping lead the Red Wings to four Stanley Cups. And Lidstrom had no hesitation in putting Chara among the elite players at the position and believes that opinion is shared throughout the league.
"I think he's looked upon as one of the top defensemen in the league," Lidstrom said. "On the Western side, we don't see him a whole lot, but from what I hear talking to other players, he's one of the top defensemen in the league. He's hard to play against. He's got that hard shot and he knows where to be on the ice. And with his size, it's all to his advantage."
Detroit coach Mike Babcock also talked about the difficulty of playing against a defenseman like the 6-foot-9 Chara.
"He's the only guy in the league that can stand on the red line and gap up to your blue line," Babcock said. "What I mean by that is he stands on the red line with his feet and his stick's on your blue line. You have to get it behind him. You've got to work him down low. He's a big man. There's no sense going body to body on him. For most of our guys, you've got to check his stick and his hands and get the puck off him that way."
With four Cups since 1997, the Red Wings have set the standard for other clubs to measure themselves against for well over a decade. But Lidstrom is impressed by the entire Bruins team this season and actually sees the home-and-home series with Boston that starts Friday at the Garden as a test to see how Detroit stacks up.
"It's kind of a measuring stick for us playing a top team in the Eastern Conference," Lidstrom said. "Teams we don't see a whole lot, you kind of want to get a measuring stick when you play against them. So this game for sure will be one of those games."
