Bruins Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara had his final shift of his career

On August 21st, in Trencin, Slovakia, Zdeno Chara skated for the final time, surrounded by friends and family, as well as old teammates.

The event titled 'Zee's Final Shift' was held at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium, in Chara's hometown. The event ended with an emotional moment, as Chara unlaced his skates before walking off the ice with his sons.

Zee's Final Shift

The event itself featured 21 Boston Bruins, both past and present. In true fashion, the second player announced to be attending the game was none other than Patrice Bergeron, who skated with Chara for 14 seasons as part of the Bruins.

Besides Bergeron and Chara, 11 other players from the 2011 Stanley Cup team were involved, including all six defensemen.

The game featured Team World versus Team Boston, fitting as that was Chara's home for 14 seasons.

Team Boston featured: Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Dan Paille, David Pastrnak, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Jozef Stumpel. Marco Sturm, Ray Bourque, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Adam McQuaid, Dennis Seidenberg, and Jaroslav Halak.

Team World featured: Anze Kopitar, Marian Hossa, Thomas Vanek, Jaromir Jagr, Robert Reichel, Jakub Voracek, Miroslav Satan, Zigmund Palffy, Michal Handzus, Andrej Sekera, Radek Hamr, Aaron Ward, Tomas Kaberle, Zdeno Chara, Petr Cech.

Tim Thomas and Matt Keator were the coaches for Team Boston, while Peter Bondra, Jergus Baca, and Marian Gaborik were behind the bench for Team World.

The rink did not have the best viewing for the fans, thanks to the summer climate that left a thick fog above the ice, but the event was still nothing less than spectacular and memorable for Chara.

Chara's Impact on the World of Hockey

At the event, Bergeron shared the first time he ever met Chara, after sharing the ice with him for 14 seasons, "(My first memory of him), ironically, was in the gym. I don't think it surprises anyone." Bergeron also mentioned how he, "learned a lot from him. I was 21 years old when he came in, so I was still young and needed his guidance and to learn from him. It was nice for me, or a nice bond, over time. He started as a mentor and (our relationship) finished as a great friendship. He was a big influence on my career."

Another attendant, Hockey Hall of Fame Forward Marian Hossa, who also had a "Goodbye Game" at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium said, "Most of his former teammates came here today from different parts of the world, which is a thing they would not do for just anybody. They goodbye evening was a beautiful event, and I am glad that we could meet here at Trencin again after three years."

It shows people what a guy Chara was on and off the ice, when all of these people would go and lace up their skates once again in a different country. Chara, since retiring in 2023, is now a Hockey Hall of Famer, has become the 13th Bruin to have his number retired, and currently works as a hockey operations advisor and mentor.

Chara finished his career with the NHL record for most games played at his position, sitting at 1,680, a Stanley Cup in 2011, and a Norris Trophy as the League's best defenseman in 2009.

What was even more special about the event was that it was the first game where Chara got to play with his twin sons, Zach and Ben. The two took the ice with their father in the third period of the farewell event. Team Boston won the game 13-8, with Bergeron and Lucic both scoring hat tricks on the night. Zach and Ben even scored a goal each for Team World.

To wrap up the event, Chara went on to casually tie his hardest shot record, which he set back at the 2012 All-Star Skills Competition at 108.8 mph.

The event was an event fitting for the 6-foot-9-inch Zdeno Chara, who terrorized the National Hockey League for 24 seasons.

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