Zdeno Chara was physically unable to say much, but his return to the Boston Bruins bench on Monday night spoke volumes regardless.
The Bruins captain left Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final after he took a puck to the mouth in the second period. Chara went into the locker room for medical attention, and he returned to the bench with a full bubble shield to begin the third period. However, Chara never skated a single shift in the third period, with his “return” to the game solely centering on attempts to rally the troops.
Ultimately, those efforts were for naught, as the Blues scored midway through the third period to break a tie and held on for a series-tying 4-2 win. But Chara’s effort to get back to his teammates wasn’t lost on the rest of the Bruins’ roster.
“When Zdeno Chara left the game, that hurt. It hurts any time somebody goes out at this time of year, but he was on the bench in the third period supporting us, cheering, keeping us going,” Bruins forward Sean Kuraly wrote in his player diary for NHL.com. “It’s a tough break, but you have to move on. That’s why this is so hard to win because of the tough breaks that happen. You have to move forward and keep going and that is what we have to do.
“I think it is tough for (Chara) to speak right now, that was the biggest thing. He didn’t have to say a word, he was there for us, supporting us anyway. That’s the type of player, the type of leader he is and why he has had the success he has had during his career.”
Kuraly insisted the Bruins will “sleep this one off and we’ll wake up with a little better feeling about it (Tuesday) and even better (Wednesday),” and they have to hope the same can be said for Chara. An extremely crucial Game 5 awaits Thursday night at TD Garden, and the Bruins might face the unenviable task of playing their biggest game of the season without their captain.
That might be the ultimate test for a team that has been resilient all season long and will need to dig down even deeper if it wants to capture the sport’s ultimate prize.
