Most NHL players don’t play into their 40s, but Zdeno Chara isn’t most NHL players.
Not only is Chara still lacing up his skates at 41 years old, he still is the top defenseman for the Boston Bruins, who are poised for a deep run in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Chara has been an anomaly ever since he entered the NHL 21 years ago. At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, the veteran blueliner doesn’t have the conventional build of a hockey player. Now, with over two decades in the league under his belt, Chara continues to make his case as one of the rarest talents in NHL history.
“It goes against all odds with his size and his body, how heavy he is,” Patrice Bergeron told Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt. “And he seems to be getting better. It’s pretty scary.”
That’s certainly a telling comment from Bergeron, who is in his 12th season as Chara’s teammate. Charlie McAvoy hasn’t even finished his second campaign as Chara’s linemate, which might be why the 20-year-old is mystified by Big Z’s absurd longevity.
“He’s insane,” McAvoy told Prewitt. “It’s crazy. I don’t know how he does it.”
McAvoy is right: it is crazy. But the craziest part might be not being able to pinpoint when Chara will call it a career.
