Won't lie - it was a bit of a gut punch to learn that Zdeno Chara signed with the Washington Capitals. Like another 42-year old future Hall of Famer, Tom Brady, I was convinced that Chara would end his career in Boston. But I guess that wasn't meant to be.
Unlike Brady, who wanted to move on from the New England Patriots, the decision not to resign Chara seems to have been the Boston Bruins. Chara signed with the Capitals for just $730,00 with incentives which could bring the contract up to $1.46 million. For a guy who can still be a top 4 defenseman on almost any team - that's cheap money. Capitals fans have to be ecstatic with the signing.
Even at age 43 there's nobody in the NHL who wants to fight the 6'9" Chara. He's still capable of one-punching even the toughest tough guy. But don't get me wrong - Chara was a fun guy who didn't take himself too seriously - especially when kids were involved. And the above video where Chara answered the bell in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals WITH A BROKEN JAW shows how Bruins fans felt about him.
I think the Bruins will struggle to replace Chara's toughness and presence. Some of their skill players will suffer for his absence.
Chara is not just respected in Boston and the NHL but also internationally. In the 2014 Winter Olympics he was chosen to carry the Slovakian flag at the opening ceremonies. Well deserved big honor for a big guy.
He will be missed in Boston. And the Capitals with Chara are now my second favorite team in the NHL. I'll still be rooting for Zdeno for as long as he chooses to play.
Well said, couldn't agree more. I think Brady wanted to leave because the Pats (and especially Belichick) made it clear they wanted to move on from him. For me as a fan I think it's insane that franchises are so willing to dump icons like Brady and Chara in the name of "improving" their teams. So Cam Newton is an improvement over Brady? I always thought that 75% of Brady is better than 100% of most of the rest of the QBs in the league; same for Chara, so keep them until they decide to quit. As for Betts, well, I'm old enough to remember Willie Mays in his prime; Mookie is cut from the same cloth. He can do it all: hitting, fielding, base running, and he plays with elan and a clear love of the game. The way the Sox treated him was insulting to him and to the fans. One of the richest franchises in the league decided they'd rather save money than hold onto a future Hall of Famer and one of the most exciting players in the game. The owners of all these teams seem to forget that sports is a form of entertainment and that the fans idolize and identify with their heroes -- like Chara, Brady, and Betts.
ReplyDeleteThere's many things specifically wrong with this move. First they also lost Tory Krug so the Bruins have little proven depth from the left side defense. Second it was intimated that management wasn't sure how Chara would be with little or no training camp - we're talking about one of the best conditioned athletes on the planet. Finally the people who are happy that now Bergeron (as deserving as he is) can now get to wear the C with Chara gone seem like they same people who would happily cut off their noses to spite their faces. The Bruins will probably have to make a trade at some point to shore up the defense because of this move.
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