BOSTON — There is possibly no other player in Bruins history that had the impact that Zdeno Chara did when he arrived in Boston in the 2006-2007 season.
The Bruins honored the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion at TD Garden on Saturday as Boston played a tribute video for the franchise legend before his ceremonial puck drop. The Black and Gold ended the day with an overtime win over the Minnesota Wild, and Nick Foligno helped score one of four Bruins goals.
The left wing was briefly teammates with Chara during their time with the Ottawa Senators, and the 24-year-old recalled what he admired the most about the retired defenseman.
“I knew Zee way back when,” Foligno said after the game. “My first year in Ottawa, he was still there in training camp. I got to meet him, and he’s a guy that I just have so much respect for because he did, he came here and changed the culture completely. The way he played, for how big he was and the way he dominated and the way he worked at his craft, I think that was something I always admired about him as a professional. And playing against him, just so much respect to the leader that he is and the family man. You appreciate getting to play against legends like that in the game, and I think knowing what he meant to this organization and now being here, it was an honor to be a part of that. And I hope he gets a lot more recognition for what he’s done for the city and this team. And I think all the guys in here feel that.”
Foligno was primarily an opponent to Chara, and he admitted extra preparation was needed when facing off against the 6-foot-9, 250-pound defenseman.
“I had to put an extra pad on just because of him,” Foligno said. “He liked his cross checks. It was fun, though. I think we respected the way we played the game, how hard he would play, how hard I would go at him — made some nights kind of tough, especially with how dominant he was, but you get up for playing against players like that. And I always enjoyed the challenge, and I have so much respect for him.”
Foligno and the Bruins are off to a solid start after the first six games, and they’ll look to keep the momentum going when they play the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
