Bruins’ Bruce Cassidy Reflects On What Zdeno Chara Means To Him

When the Boston Bruins take the ice at Capital One Arena on Saturday night, there will be a familiar face playing for the Washington Capitals.

Zdeno Chara, for the first time since the 2006-07, will be donning a sweater that does not have the eight-spoked B. Instead, he’ll be introduced as a member of the Capitals.

Naturally, there were questions about the 6-foot-9 blueliner and what he’ll bring come Saturday.

“I think he’ll come out and we’ll see his best,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after Boston’s 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. “He bled Black and Gold here for the Bruins for years, and I think he’s gonna wanna show his teammates, and everyone in the organization, that he can still bring it. I would expect nothing less.”

Cassidy then touched on just how much Chara meant to him during his time with the B’s.

“(It’ll) be good to see him,” Cassidy said. “It’ll be odd not seeing him in a Bruins jersey. But it’ll be good to see him. He’s a good person. I’ve always liked Zee, and hopefully we’ll have a friendship down the road. He’s a guy that helped me a lot when I first got here. He helped me a lot more than I helped him. He’d been in the league for a long time, so I’ve always appreciated that, I made it known to him.”

But come 7 p.m. ET, the focus shifts.

“But once the puck drops, I think you forget about that stuff,” Cassidy said. “You just play hockey.”