Zdeno Chara RUMORS & NEWS

Boston Herald "Usually the Bruins count on Zdeno Chara to play with physicality and shut down the opponent’s best scorers. Sometimes that even involves sending a player or two sprawling to the ice over the course of a game. Prior to their 2-0 win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals last night at TD Garden,..." June 18

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Time and space are a gifted playmaker's best friend. Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara wants to take those two things away from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- two players he called the best in the NHL -- when the Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final begins tonight. "They are..." June 01

CSN New England "Much of the focus about the week-long break for the Boston Bruins was on getting the banged up players healthy, but there is one player that a brief respite probably helped more than anybody else. Zdeno Chara topped 30 minutes of ice time twice in the five game series against the New York..." June 01

NHL.com "The man widely known as the most dominant defensive defenseman in the NHL might not have put up the gaudy offensive numbers in the regular season that capture the attention of Norris Trophy voters. However, entering the Eastern Conference Final, which begins Saturday against the Pittsburgh..." May 31

Boston Herald "The play from Zdeno Chara was simple, but the repercussions were huge. In overtime, Derick Brassard raced down the ice on the 3-on-2 and immediately looked to get the puck to Rick Nash. But as soon as the puck left his stick, Chara — using his entire 6-foot-9 frame — reached down and poked it..." May 17

Boston Globe "With 5:15 to go in Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Panthers in a matinee at the Garden, the Bruins’ playoff hopes were seemingly doubled over in front of the Florida bench. Boston captain Zdeno Chara was down, and remained down for quite a while, before straightening up under his own power and making..." April 22

Toronto Sun "Come Thursday night when the Maple Leafs roll into Boston, you can bet gleeful Bruins fans will break into familiar chants of “Thank You Kessel,” Beantown’s unofficial No. 1 hit. With the Bruins having used two of the three draft picks from the Phil Kessel trade to select stud forward Tyler..." March 07

Boston Herald "Losing Zdeno Chara for 17-plus minutes of The Biggest Game of the Year, Part 1, wasn’t exactly mentioned in the Bruins’ game plan. Then again, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do, and then you live with the consequences. And Chara’s admirable — if costly — move sent a very loud and..." March 04

CSN New England "They weren’t the same exact situations, of course. More than a month ago John Scott and the Buffalo Sabres ran roughshod over the Bruins in what might come to be known as Buffalo’s only shining moment of the season. Scott concussed Shawn Thornton with a few strong rights to the head in the..." March 04

CSN New England "In the closing minutes of the second period, Tyler Seguin took an uncalled cheap shot from Canadiens forward Alexei Emelin. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara took exception to the hit and charged after Emelin, earning himself 17 minutes of penalty minutes. What happened in those 17 minutes? The..." March 04

NESN "The Bruins lost their most important defenseman for almost an entire period on Sunday night against the Canadiens. And while his absence stemmed directly from a decision to retaliate against the opposition by fighting, the Bruins had no problems with their captain’s decision. Even if it might have..." March 04

CSN New England "The intimidating, meaner-than-a-junkyard-dog Bruins defenseman looked thoroughly sheepish when asked if it was the prettiest goal he’s ever scored in his career. The “it” was a 360 spin-o-rama into a roofed backhander while dangling through traffic in the offensive zone against the Florida..." February 25

Boston Globe "Doug Houda, these days a Bruins assistant coach, was there from the start. It was a long time ago, early in the 1997-98 NHL season, but Houda remembers those early days on Long Island with that humongous, gangly kid from Slovakia trying to find his place in the game. But it wasn't so much Zdeno..." March 25

Boston Herald "In Prague last season Zdeno Chara made the somewhat startling statement that he hoped to play until age 45. Before playing his 1,000th career game last night against the Kings, the Bruins captain reiterated that desire. "I would love to, yeah," Chara said. "Obviously, it's a question of staying..." March 25

Montreal Gazette "The blood was pouring from Zdeno Chara's face even before he hit the ice in the final ticks of the first period. The Boston Bruins captain had been struck in the chin by a neutral-zone puck off the stick of Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec, and before Chara had picked himself up and skated..." February 16

Boston Herald "Bruins captain Zdeno Chara gave his strategy prior to last night's NHL Fantasy Draft, saying you don't want to load up on too many players of the same position. "You don't want to have, say, too many right wingers," said Chara. That, of course, gave the wiseguys in the press a wide..." January 27

Boston Herald "Zdeno Chara may not be the most vocal captain, but when he does address something, people tend to listen. The case in point is young Tyler Seguin. Seguin had cooled off considerably after a torrid start. Chara decided to have a heart-to-heart with Seguin last month when the team was in..." January 06

Boston Herald "It was suggested to Andrew Ference the other day that Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara, playing as well as they ever have, are perhaps on their way to once more winning their respective NHL trophies. "Which trophy?" said Ference with a mischievous smile. "Conn Smythe?" Well, first things first. On..." December 21

Boston Herald "After the Flyers and Bruins took turns humiliating each other in the last two postseasons and Philadelphia took some of the gleam out of the Stanley Cup ring ceremony at the Garden on opening night in October, this could have been a delicious fight. Instead, it took the Bruins only 27 seconds..." December 18

Boston Globe "Zdeno Chara participated yesterday in his first full practice since injuring his left knee last Saturday against Columbus. Chara made it through the entire session at the Canadian Hockey International Academy without limitations. He took part in line rushes, went one-on-one against several..." December 17

Boston Globe "As of yesterday, Zdeno Chara was fifth among NHL defensemen in scoring. The Bruin captain's 5-13-18 line equaled the output of Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Nashville's Shea Weber, his two fellow finalists for the Norris Trophy last season. "My job is always to shut down top lines every game -..." December 04

Boston Globe "On Friday night, Zdeno Chara returned to Boston via Slovakia, where he attended a memorial service for close friend Pavol Demitra. Coach Claude Julien would have granted Chara a day off. But yesterday, despite being exhausted from the intercontinental flight and still mourning his neighbor's..." September 18

SportingNews.com "Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's fate is in the hands of a Canadian prosecutor, according to reports from Montreal. Police on Wednesday turned over results of their investigation into a March on-ice incident in which Chara left Montreal Canadians forward Max Pacioretty with a concussion and a..." August 11

Boston Herald "The fact that Montreal police are persisting in their investigation of Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's March 8 hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty might strike some as comically absurd, essentially pandering to the Habs' myopic and frenzied fandom. But for Bruins general manager Peter..." June 30

New York Post "It WAS the summer of 2006, and the only way for the Senators to keep impending free agent defensemen Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden was to get each at a hometown discount. Redden, then 29, went for it, signing a two-year, $13 million deal that included a no-trade clause. Chara, also 29, did not,..." June 19

Boston Herald "Before they exited Rogers Arena on Wednesday night in search of stuff they could set on fire, Vancouver Canucks fans received a real treat: They saw Bruins captain Zdeno Chara hoist the Stanley Cup into the air. It was quite a scene. Two official-looking fellows solemnly carried the Stanley Cup..." June 18

Boston Globe "Six games into the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, we have no idea which team will walk out of Rogers Arena a champion tonight. We cannot say with any authority or confidence that the Bruins are better than the Canucks, or that the Canucks are better than the Bruins, or that officiating, Zamboni, luck, or..." June 15

Boston Herald "Bruins captain Zdeno Chara isn't confounded by the home-road dynamic of the Stanley Cup finals. The Bruins returned to the Garden yesterday trailing the Canucks, 3-2, after Friday night's Game 5 loss in Vancouver. In three games played in Vancouver, the B's were shut out twice 1-0 (Games 1 and..." June 12

Boston Globe "At 11:35 of last night's second period, when the Bruins scored their first power-play goal of the Stanley Cup Final, Mark Recchi delivered some much-needed vindication for his coaching staff. The coaches — assistant Geoff Ward is in charge of the power play — made all the right moves. Zdeno..." June 05

Boston Herald "There was some worry about how Zdeno Chara would hold up if overtime went on too long in last night's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final, because the Bruins defenseman logged 28:01 of ice time in regulation. His inability to stop Alex Burrows from scoring the game-winning goal 11 seconds into that..." June 05

Edmonton Sun "Defenceman Kevin Bieksa is used to having his hands full in front of the Vancouver Canucks net. Battling with 6-foot-9 Boston Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara in front when the B's are on the power play takes it to new heights. "A lot of the guys are taking runs at him, trying to check out the..." June 04

Boston Globe "In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins' power play looked its best in the first period when Zdeno Chara was screening Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. It appears Chara will remain in that position for tonight's Game 2. Toward the end of practice yesterday, the Bruins worked on their..." June 04

Vancouver Province "A misfiring power play is a touchy topic amongst the Boston Bruins, although head coach Claude Julien has resorted to using huge defenceman Zdeno Chara as a net presence in an attempt to create something by screening the opposing goaltender. It was first tried late in Game 5 in the Eastern..." June 03

Boston Herald "Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara made the wrong read on the deciding play in last night's 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final at Rogers Arena. The third period was heading toward overtime when Canucks center Ryan Kesler turned a mistake along the boards into a..." June 02

Boston Herald "They led him through a tunnel and into various makeshift television studios yesterday deep down inside Rogers Arena, and then they sat him down in yet more rooms to do radio interviews. And then the people who are in charge of hyping and publicizing the Stanley Cup finals escorted Zdeno Chara..." June 01

Boston Herald "Tim Thomas didn't mince words when asked about the importance of defensemen Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. "They're awesome," the Bruins goalie said. "That's part of the reason we're in the finals. I don't know what else to say except that they're getting the job done and then..." May 31

Boston Herald "Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was relieved from the burden of unrealized expectations with Friday night's 1-0 victory over the Lightning in Game 7. Beginning Wednesday in Vancouver against the Canucks, the Bruins will play in their 18th Stanley Cup finals and 15th since the NHL adopted the..." May 29

Boston Globe "If the Bruins do win the Stanley Cup next month, their first since 1972, the engraver might be directed to etch one bold asterisk next to their names on the big silver trophy: "* — Accomplished with one hand tied behind their backs.'' Such is the state of the Boston power play, which..." May 26

Boston Globe "It is widely acknowledged that at 6 feet 9 inches and 255 pounds, Zdeno Chara is the biggest and strongest player in the NHL. It is no reach, then, to declare that Chara is a handful down low around the net. "He is a tall drink of water,'' said Lightning goalie Mike Smith. Last night, with..." May 24

Boston Herald "Some 13 minutes into the first period last night at the St. Pete Times Forum, with the Bruins leading 1-0 on David Krejci's early goal, the good folks in the stands, and the Lightning themselves, watched a play unfold that all probably assumed would result in a game-tying goal. Up the ice on a..." May 20

Tampa Tribune "While beating the Bruins handily in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Lightning accomplished a rare feat. They chopped Zdeno Chara down to size. The tallest player in NHL history suffered through a forgettable evening Saturday as the 6-foot-9 defenseman was saddled with a minus-2..." May 17

Boston Globe "The Bruins had a tall order to fill last night: Win the third straight game of their second-round series against the Flyers, and their first at TD Garden. They badly needed a power-play goal, an increasingly embarrassing void, even as the Bruins were playing their 10th game of the postseason...." May 05

Boston Herald "Zdeno Chara put the punctuation on a very special night's work by the Bruins. It was, without question, one giant exclamation point. The Bruins captain led the way as his team delivered a near-perfect performance at the best possible time, dominating the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1, last night at..." May 05

Boston Herald "Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was the image of serenity lounging in front of his locker at the conclusion of yesterday's short practice at the Wells Fargo Center. The source of Chara's calm was his steely sense of anticipation. He sees a Category 5 storm in the forecast tonight when the wounded..." May 02

Philly.com "At 6-foot-9, 260 pounds, Zdeno Chara is an imposing figure, someone who has a big shot from the point, and is the cornerstone of Boston's defense. In other words, he is to the Bruins what 6-6, 210-pound Chris Pronger is to the Flyers. The towering defensemen will play key roles in the..." April 29

Boston Globe "Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara hasn't regained all of the 10 pounds he lost after a recent virus sent him to Massachusetts General Hospital to be treated for dehydration, but he gained a few more ounces of prestige yesterday when he was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy. "I'm very humble..." April 26

Boston Herald "Zdeno Chara, as expected, was named one of the three finalists yesterday for the Norris Trophy, given to the league's top defenseman. And with the way he finished the season, he may just have the legs to win it for the second time in three years. The Bruins captain finished 19th in scoring..." April 26

Boston Globe "Would he or wouldn't he? Nobody knew for sure if Zdeno Chara would conquer his dehydration problems and make it back into the Bruins' lineup for Game 3 last night. It turns out Chara didn't have to drink Canada Dry to get ready to go. The extra rest from sitting out Saturday's Game 2 was his..." April 19

Boston Herald "The first moment Zdeno Chara stepped on the ice at the Bell Centre last night, 21,273 attendees, give or take a few wearing Bruins sweaters, booed. He didn't notice. "He's been booed in a lot of arenas," Claude Julien reminded those who were breathlessly awaiting exactly .?.?. what? What was..." April 19