Everyone knows what Zdeno Chara is and what he has become over his career in the NHL. He no longer has anything to prove to anyone. He is and will always be one of the most legendary hockey players to play for the Boston Bruins and to play in the NHL. However, Zdeno Chara still has three years left in his most recent contract, with the Boston Bruins, and believes that he, in fact, does still have something to prove.
Puck Prose
When Zdeno was interviewed in a 2015 January feature on 60 Minutes Sports, he was asked if retiring at 41 years of age, when his current contract expires, would be enough for him. “I hope not,” was his response, and after being reminded that not many players continue their careers after 40 made the statement that, “there have been some guys who were very, very, effective in their forties and I feel that you always have something to prove.”
In recent years, Chara has had a couple of teammates who were very effective in their forties. Mark Recchi, who retired at 43 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011, was still put in many crucial roles, regardless of his age. Jaromir Jagr, who played on the 2013 Stanley Cup Finalist Bruins team, is 43 at the moment and continues to play effective NHL minutes. Seeing these players perform at their respective ages, would be enough evidence for Chara, who is in incredible shape, to be motivated to continue to play for as long as he can.
“There have been some guys who were very, very, effective in their forties and I feel that you always have something to prove.” – Zdeno Chara
One thing that would have to occur for this to be a practical possibility for the Bruins would be for Chara to take a massive pay cut in his next contract and to see a steady decline in ice time. When you look at other NHL players that had remained in the league for some time, like Martin Brodeur (retired in 2015 at the age of 42), Teemu Selanne (retired in 2014 at the age of 43) and Chris Chelios (retired in 2010 at the age of 48), you will notice that they also took major pay cuts and major demotions within the line up. Some players cannot accept this and choose to retire before their production begins to decline. I do not believe that Zdeno Chara will retire at 41, and at this point in his career, neither does he.
Apr 11, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Mandatory
: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
If the Boston Bruins were to sign Chara to an extension following his current contract, he would be expected to let other defenseman take on more responsibility so that they can develop properly into top line defenders. However, this does not mean that Zdeno Chara would not be a valuable part of the team. Regardless of how old or slow he gets, Zdeno Chara, with his size and hockey sense, will always be a frustrating obstacle for other teams.
The real question for the Boston Bruins would be how much money they would have to pay him in his next contract. I believe that Chara would be willing to take a giant pay cut to help the team become the best it could be. This has been done by players in the past and seems like something that Zdeno would do, at this point in his career. According to salary cap website General Fanager, Chara is scheduled to make $4 million dollars in the last year of his contract. If the Bruins could extend him for two or three more years at a price less than this, it would most certainly be worth it.
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Zdeno Chara has broken plenty of records since joining the NHL. It would be hard to believe that the thought of being the oldest player to play in the NHL hasn’t crossed his mind. Although passing Gordie Howe‘s record of 52 years old seems out of the question for any player, it does seem plausible that Chara could get rather close to Chris Chelios‘ record as the oldest defenseman, at 48 years old. Simply put, Zdeno Chara, once again, has something to prove to the NHL and, knowing how Chara gets, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.