Zdeno Chara is an easy target. He’s freakishly tall, (relatively) old and, let’s face it, sometimes gets turned into a pretzel on the ice.
But make no mistake: The Boston Bruins captain has been a force during the Stanley Cup Final.
Yes, Chara was on the ice when Vladimir Tarasenko scored in Games 1 and 2 at TD Garden. But neither of those goals were Chara’s fault (the first, maybe, but not really), and, on the whole, the 42-year-old defenseman has imposed his will on the St. Louis Blues star.
During Boston’s blowout victory in Game 3 on Saturday, former NHL head coach and current Sportsnet analyst Don Cherry lauded Chara for shutting down the Blues’ best player.
Take a look:
Again, Chara isn’t perfect — far from it, in fact. He no longer looks like a perennial Norris Trophy candidate and, at times, has been a liability for the Bruins when they face speedier teams, like the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Still, Boston now is just two wins a way from winning the Stanley Cup, and their Hall of Fame-bound defenseman is a big reason why.
