All Boston Bruins fans know the impact that Zdeno Chara had on the organization as a player. He changed the culture and left a lasting impact, marked by a Stanley Cup and sustained success for nearly two decades. As the Bruins begin to regress and head into a mini-rebuild to get back to that level, the Jacobs family put out the bat signal and brought Chara back into the fold to help.
The biggest impact was left on Charlie McAvoy, who instantly earned a spot alongside Chara as his defense partner and carried the torch as the team's No.1 once the captain left. McAvoy still credits Chara in interviews to this day, and he had plenty to say about Chara's leadership on Friday.
""You saw just how [Chara] prepared, how he treated the game, what it meant to him, how he treated everybody around you — that was his superpower.""Charlie McAvoy
Another obvious mentee for Chara was David Pastrnak, who grew up watching the Slovakian superstar as a child in Czechia. It was a great honor for Pastrnak to play alongside Chara, and as he told reporters on Friday, it wasn't easy to consider himself a teammate when his culture prides itself on treating older people with respect.
""I had to call him Mr. Chara –– that’s our rules back home. In the language we speak, always when we meet respectful or older people, we have to be respectful. I remember Z right away told me I can call him Zdeno.""David Pastrnak
Clearly, Chara views all his ex-teammates in a great light, and he likely feels an immense pride that two of his biggest mentees are still attempting to carry the torch of the Bruins' glory years. Chara tied a nice bow on both players' comments in his press conference, and it looks like his role of being their mentor isn't over just yet.
"“If I can be a help, a guidance, or a little bit of mentorship in that department - to help them grow as people and as a man and as our leaders, that’s what I’m going to do.”"Zdeno Chara, on helping McAvoy, Pastrnak
Will Chara be the hero again and reform the Bruins' culture that was the envy of the league for so many years? We know one thing, in his role as a Hockey Operations Advisor, when Chara talks, people are going to listen.