5 Scariest Players in Boston Bruins History

Zdeno Chara

To be totally honest, when it comes to striking fear in opponents, Zdeno Chara stands alone. There are really two reasons why.

First, consider Chara’s size. At 6’9″, he’s the tallest player in NHL history. This gives him such a clear advantage over his opponents in reach and length. It’s the main reason why nobody can touch him, both figuratively and literally, in fights.

It also helps that Chara is probably the strongest player in the NHL. We’ve all seen him toss around smaller forwards on the ice, and we heard the stories of his pullup records.

Second, Chara combines his size and strength with shutdown defensive skills. Typically, players who are above 6’5″ become sideshows. They can’t really skate or score, and they’re lucky if they get eight minutes on the ice. Teams keep them around to intimidate and nothing else.

Chara, however, rose above and became one of the best shutdown defenseman of his generation. He’s matched up against top forwards for almost two decades, and he still comes out on top more often than not.

So, put yourself in the skates of a forward who lines up against Chara. Not only can he roll you physically; he also will limit your space and take away your chances. He’ll either punish you or suffocate you.

The crazy thing is, Chara is actually relatively tame compared to the other players on this list. He doesn’t fight or cross the line that often because he’s so valuable to his team.

Nonetheless, Shawn Thornton said it best when he described how Chara, if he ever wanted to, could absolutely destroy anybody in his path. That’s why Chara might be the scariest player in Bruins history.