The Zdeno Chara Leadership Era

Lore & Background

Chára was drafted 56th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL entry draft and spent parts of five seasons with the Islanders and Ottawa Senators before being traded to the Bruins in 2006. Standing 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL. Known for his punishing defensive play and powerful slapshot, Chára won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenceman in 2009 and captained the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 39 years in 2011. He holds the NHL record for hardest slapshot (108.8 mph) and was a key figure in Boston's leadership for over a decade.

In Their Own Story

The arena hums with a nervous energy, the glass vibrating against the slap of sticks on ice. It is Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, and Zdeno Chara stands at the center dot, his towering frame silhouetted against the bright lights of TD Garden. He adjusts his gloves, the leather creaking slightly, a familiar ritual before the drop. As the puck falls, he doesn't rush; he commands space with mere presence, a mountain moving through the chaos. When the final buzzer sounds and confetti rains down, Chara is not the first to raise the cup, but his hand rests firmly on its base, the anchor of a decade built on ice.

Reader's Guide

Bergeron is a member of the Triple Gold Club after winning the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011. He scored two goals, including the Stanley Cup-winning goal, in game seven against the Vancouver Canucks. In international play, Bergeron competed for Canada and won gold medals at the 2004 World Championships, 2005 World Junior Championships, 2010 Winter Olympics, 2012 Spengler Cup, and 2014 Winter Olympics. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026, and is set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Did You Know?

• Chára scored his first NHL goal on October 17, 1998, against the New York Rangers.
• He was the first European-born captain to lead a team to a Stanley Cup championship since Nicklas Lidström in 2008.
• Chára played in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at age 42, becoming the oldest defenceman to appear in a Final since 1945.
• He recorded a career-high 19 goals and 50 points in the 2008–09 season, winning the Norris Trophy.
• Chára's 108.8 mph slapshot at the 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition remains the hardest shot ever recorded in the event.