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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:25:06 GMT -5
I can’t think of a better one. You mean all time for Bruins or?? All time.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:32:45 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:33:47 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:38:22 GMT -5
On the difficulty of the decision and what it means to retire a Bruin…
“It wasn’t difficult. I knew before this day. I knew quite earlier than today, but I waited a little and wanted to really soak everything in. We had some conversations with Cam and Don, and we were just waiting for the right timing. It’s a privilege, it’s such a huge honor, like said, to be part of this organization for so long and to retire as a Boston Bruin, it’s a huge amount of honor.”
On his plans for retirement...
“I’m not just going to completely just not follow hockey or follow the Bruins especially. I’m just going to take my time right now to really be home and see how much free time I have before I can actually commit to anything. It’d be really unfair to myself, my family, or to whatever I decide to do hockey-wise. To commit to something without knowing I can be committed one hundred percent to that specific job or task. Just want to enjoy being with my family, my kids especially. Just want to be taking days as they come. I think if there’s opportunities or there’s something that will present in the future, there’s always going to be a chance to step in. But as of right now, I’m just kind of going to take some time and see how it goes.”
On if he felt it was time…
“The biological age is always going to be there, you can’t deny it. I knew where I was, but that was not the main reason. I think the main reason was just to be home with my family. The past two years, I’ve been away constantly. It was weighing on me way too much, and I knew that first of all, it was time, and it was the right time to step away. Having three kids at home and being involved and not missing their birthdays or special occasions. I knew that was the right decision and I’m completely happy with it. I have no regrets, I would not change a thing. We are in a business where everything is judged by winning, but I had my share of highs and the lows, and that's ok. That's part of it. You learn from it, and you grow as a player, and you grow as a person. I'm completely at peace with it, I’m happy with it.”
On how he’ll drive himself with retirement…
“I'm not sure. I’m learning it. I'm living it right now, I can't really tell you that after three months of being away from the game or not following the same routine as I used to. I’ll tell you exactly how it is. It’s normal, I’m still active, and I still have that drive in me. Probably not at that level I need it or want it to for hockey, it’s more for me being in shape and feeling good and feeling good about myself. That’s not going to change or ever leave. I always really enjoy being in good shape and somewhat in some capacity compete. Whether that's just for me or against myself or doing some races or some stuff that I kind of like. I’m learning it. Basically, it’s something we all are going to have to go through, you're in such an everyday schedule-driven regime, and it’s great I loved it, I enjoyed it. But at the same time, now I don't have it, and that’s ok.”
On building a culture in Boston…
“Without that, you can’t win. You need to have a culture. You need to have players that want to follow, and it wasn’t just me. It was a team effort. I would have never done it without Patrice. I never would have done it without Brad coming in and following Patrice’s lead. We had guys stepping in willing to come from other teams and adjust to that culture. We pushed each other. We were practicing as hard as we could against each other, but we were still ok with it. We set goals, and slowly and surely, we were climbing and making these steps, but without the culture and without someone planting the seed and basically putting the foot down that this is how it’s going to be, yeah it was hard at the beginning. It was not probably easy, and not everybody wanted to kind of change, but it was necessary. I felt it was necessary for this organization and for this team to make a change. We had Cam arrive, we have Don step in; we have different people coming in and helping change the culture and make it better. Ultimately, we end up winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, and we came close two other times.”
On who brought out the best in him…
“They’re sitting right here: Patrice, Marchy. We always compete against each other in the practices, but we knew that that would make the best of us; it would just bring the best of us. It would just prepare us for the games. I always kept telling them, if the practice is harder than the game, then that’s how it should be so then the games became easier. There’s so many great players you play against over the span of 25 years; it would be – like I named a few. You had challenges every night against the best players in the world, but I think the biggest challenge you face is against yourself. You have to look at yourself every night before you step on the ice and make sure you’re ready. That’s the challenge you face every day, and you better be ready, because if you’re not, then you are not giving your best; you’re not giving one-hundred percent to the team, and it’s not fair if you don’t. So, as much as you compete against others, I think the biggest challenge or biggest task is competing against yourself and being at your best.”
On if he is no longer ready for the challenge…
“No, like I said, my decision was based on family. Listen, you tell me I cannot do something, I’ll make sure I do it. It doesn’t matter the age. It’s not that. It’s time to be home. It’s time for everything. I had my share of battles and all of these things. It’s time to be home with my family.”
On what he recalls from 2011…
“If you say what it means to me, I would correct you – what it means to us. We won it together. It’s not me because I was the captain. We did it together. We had such a committed group. We all bought in to what we did prior years in the practices. Every day, we made commitments to each other and to the team and the organization. To finally accomplish it in winning the Stanley Cup, it was such a relief and such a happy moment for everybody, because we did it together. We did it as a group. And the celebrations are just something we will never forget. If you ask any of us, that’s the best memories we have. Going to what you said about the city, I think it’s pretty special, this city, the fanbase we have, the success the teams have around here. It’s pretty special. I’m very happy, like I said. This is our home. My kids were born here, and we call it home, and we love this city and the fans.”
BOSTON BRUINS PRESIDENT CAM NEELY…
On if the Chara free agent signing was one of the best in history…
“Yeah, absolutely, I would agree with that statement, especially where the team was at that particular moment in time. Then what Zdeno not only brought on the ice but also in the locker room. We touched on it today: the leadership abilities and qualities he has and the demand that he had for his teammates to follow a certain lead and to really build back the culture of this organization, I think, was key. And it certainly led to the success that the teams that Zdeno had brought. Yeah, arguably the best free agent signing probably in history.”
On if the Bruins will be in Toronto for the Hall of Fame soon…
“I would find it hard to believe he is not going to be there.”
On if there is a moment that stands out that describes Chara…
“I went to go visit him after he broke his jaw in the playoffs in ’19 in the hospital, and he’s telling me he’s playing Game 5. I’ve had surgeries where you’re out…to me, that just showed everything about Zdeno and who Zdeno is – not only the toughness, but the commitment and understanding there are only so many kicks at the can."
On if the door is open for Chara to join the organization…
“Yeah, I am looking forward to having that conversation with him whenever he is ready to have that conversation. Obviously, having Zdeno around at whatever capacity would be a huge boost to the franchise, so we’ll see where it goes. Obviously, any athletes that retire, whether it’s on their choice or not, you still need some time to digest and kind of figure out what the next chapter is going to be. Not many have an idea of what they’re doing the following day they retire. Zdeno can take the time he needs, and we’ll see where it goes from there. You’re always going to be a Boston Bruin. Whenever the time comes, I want you to consider retiring as a Bruin. Obviously that’s something that was very special for him to do whenever that day came which was today. It made all the sense in the world for that to happen.”
BOSTON BRUINS CAPTAIN PATRICE BERGERON…
On Chara…
“He was a great mentor, a great person, a great friend. I am thankful for his friendship and everything that he meant to the Boston Bruins organization. This day brings back a lot of memories. Congratulations to the big man for everything that he’s accomplished. As we all know, a sure Hall of Famer, especially on and off the ice. That’s the most important part.”
On how special of a player he was…
“On the ice, we all know how he was, he really leaded well. How talented he was, how gifted he was. A real shutdown D-Man, but also offensively to have that shot and to make those plays. He was a force to be reckoned with. I was happy to be on his side, to be honest with you. I played against him when he was in Ottawa, and he was just so hard to play against. And to have him on your side it just gives you a lot of confidence. Off the ice as a leader, the way that he competed, the way that he demanded guys to give their best, and the work ethic. Touched on the culture that he brought in, and it's been a great journey to be with him.”
On Chara’s thoughts about family…
“Obviously, we love them, and that’s why we’re doing it. It’s a passion, it’s something that drives us. But also, family should always come first, and a lot of sacrifices are made. There comes a time when you reflect on that. I’ve had the chance to speak to him a few times before today. Good for him on everything he’s accomplished, all the accolades that he really deserves. It’s great that he’s going to be able to be with his family.”
On the difference before and after Zdeno arrived…
“I think it grew as it went along. It’s always harder when you… A lot of guys came in, as he talked about, to help. As we went along, Shawn Thornton and Mark Recchi, guys who had won before, had come into the locker room and helped. His competitiveness, that way that he demanded guys to compete and work, as we talked about the practices. It was always hard, going after each other. There's no hard feelings, guys are just going after each other…. We had some guys still do that are willing to buy into that and go with what he was saying as management.”
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:53:38 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:55:17 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 21, 2022 6:56:03 GMT -5
I can’t think of a better one. You mean all time for Bruins or?? No, I mean the entire NHL. 14 seasons in Boston. Stanley Cup Norris Trophy Captain and leader that set the tone for the franchise on and off the ice. Z received the Mark Messier award in 2011 but it doesn’t say enough about his leadership. They should rename the Mark Messier award to the Zdeno Chara award.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:57:15 GMT -5
BOSTON BRUINS 2022 TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 21 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA)
-Training Camp opens
Thursday, September 22 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA)
-Group A practice, 10 a.m.
-Group B practice, 11:45 a.m.
Friday, September 23 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA)
-Group B practice, 10 a.m.
-Group A practice, 11:45 a.m.
Saturday, September 24 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA / Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA)
-Pre-game skate, 10 a.m. (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA)
-Non-game Group A practice, 11 a.m.
-Non-game Group B practice, 12:30 p.m.
-Preseason Game at the Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA)
Sunday, September 25 (Boston, MA)
-TBD
Monday, September 26 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA)
Group A practice, 10 a.m. -Group B practice, 11:45 a.m.
Tuesday, September 27 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA / TD Garden, Boston, MA) -Pre-game skate, 10 a.m. -Non-game Group A practice, 11 a.m. -Non-game Group B practice, 12:15 p.m. -Preseason game vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA)
Wednesday, September 28 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA) -Group B practice, 10:30 a.m. -Group A practice, 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 29 (Boston, MA) -TBD
Friday, September 30 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA) -Group A practice, 10 a.m. -Group B practice, 11:45 a.m.
Saturday, October 1 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA / TD Garden, Boston, MA) -Non-game Group A practice, 9 a.m. -Non-game Group B practice, 10 a.m. -Preseason game vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 1 p.m. (TD Garden, Boston, MA)
Sunday, October 2 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA) -Group A practice, 10 a.m. -Group B practice, 12:30 p.m.
Monday, October 3 (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA / Prudential Center, Newark, NJ) -Pre-game skate, 10 a.m. (Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA) -Non-game Group A practice, 11 a.m. -Non-game Group B practice, 12:30 p.m. -Preseason Game at the New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ)
Tuesday, October 4 (Boston, MA) -TBD *Remaining training camp schedule TBA
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 6:58:16 GMT -5
Forwards: Joey Abate, Samuel Asselin, John Beecher, Patrice Bergeron, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Nick Foligno, Trent Frederic, J.D. Greenway, A.J. Greer, Curtis Hall, Taylor Hall, Joona Koppanen, David Krejci, Jakub Lauko, Vinni Lettieri, Fabian Lysell, Brad Marchand*, Marc McLaughlin, Georgii Merkulov, Tomas Nosek, David Pastrnak, Matthew Poitras, Craig Smith, Oskar Steen, Jack Studnicka, Luke Toporowski, Eduards Tralmaks, Alex-Olivier Voyer, Chris Wagner, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen: Jack Ahcan, Victor Berglund, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Brandon Carlo, Connor Carrick, Connor Clifton, Josiah Didier, Jackson Edward, Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk*, Hampus Lindholm, Ryan Mast, Charlie McAvoy*, Mike Reilly, Dan Renouf, Jacob Wilson, Kai Wissmann, Nick Wolff, Jakub Zboril
Goaltenders: Francois Brassard, Brandon Bussi, Kyle Keyser, Keith Kinkaid, Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 21, 2022 7:07:19 GMT -5
My biggest concern at the start of the season is our thin blue line and our likely growing pains for all players adjusting to a new coach and new system. It could make our goalies very busy.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 7:14:30 GMT -5
My biggest concern at the start of the season is our thin blue line and our likely growing pains for all players adjusting to a new coach and new system. It could make our goalies very busy. I agree, one injury to a dman and we could really be hosed. Time for Carlo to step up and be better.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 7:14:35 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 8:01:06 GMT -5
Boy, was I intimidated the first time I encountered Zdeno Chara. It was 2006 and I was a college intern at the Globe, dying to write about hockey. Veteran defenseman Jason York, seeing a mop of dirty blond hair saunter into the Ristuccia Arena dressing room after practice, nicknamed me “Kessel’s brother.” I didn’t dare make a peep in the media scrum at the new captain’s locker. I caught myself staring at his elbow, which remains the largest that’s ever accidentally brushed my shoulder. Chara has had that effect on thousands of people since arriving from Slovakia 25 years ago. He is the largest player in NHL history — 6 feet 9 inches and at his Stanley Cup-hoisting peak, a chiseled 260 pounds — and certainly one of the strongest, with piercing green eyes and a voice of a subterranean register.
“Early on I was scared of him,” said Brad Marchand, who iced a few bruises from Chara cross-checks as an 18-year-old know-nothing in 2006 training camp. “I almost looked at him as a coach — ‘yes sir, no sir, thank you sir’ — and avoided him at all costs.”
Marchand, like hundreds of Chara’s teammates over the years, was soon welcomed, shown the way of Big Z.
He was the most physically dominating defenseman the game has ever seen, and a sensitive, perceptive leader who demanded rookies be treated fairly. He spoke seven languages and demanded everyone use common English in the room. He had a 108.8-mile-per-hour slap shot and donned an Easter Bunny costume to visit children in the hospital. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and was as down-to-earth as they came.
Dealing with him on the beat the last few years of his Bruins tenure, I found him (at arm’s length) to be gracious, honest, and polite — even when his duties as captain forced him to clam up. He was immersed in his sport but at ease discussing the environment, world politics, sports science, human nature. We chatted about bikes when we crossed paths Tuesday morning, before he made his announcement.
Marchand mused that the frugal Chara would be a good team owner. Patrice Bergeron all but shuddered at the thought of the perfectionist Chara coaching (his players, Bergeron cracked, would be in deep). Cam Neely stated the obvious: No one will ever don No. 33 for this franchise again.
A dad’s ballcap and sneakers is the uniform Chara wants to wear now. The proud son of Trencin has put down roots in the Metrowest area with his family. After carrying on the legacy of Eddie Shore, Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, he is focused on his wife, Tatiana, 13-year-old daughter Elliz, and twin 6-year-old boys Ben and Zack.
Even Chara cannot endure forever.
“The biological age of your body . . . you can’t deny it,” said Chara, one of four NHLers to skate beyond age 45. The others are Gordie Howe, Chris Chelios, and Jaromir Jagr.
“But that was not the main reason. My decision was based on my family. You tell me I cannot do something, I’ll make sure I do it. It doesn’t matter the age. It’s not that.
When I think of his intensity, I flash back to Oct. 3, 2018. The Bruins opened the season on the road against the Capitals, who were raising their Stanley Cup banner.
Home teams at NHL arenas have dedicated gyms in which to sprint, stretch, juggle, and jangle themselves into game-readiness. The road teams often make do with limited space: a barren hallway, an unused bay near the Zamboni.
Chara emerged. I blended further into the background. He wouldn’t have seen me if I was wearing a bunny suit.
He stared a hole through the walls of the rink, across town, and all the way to Kilimanjaro. This sinewy sculpture twisted and arched and rolled and flexed, flowing like a yogi and popping like a piston. He seemed to be reaching to access every fiber of his frame, reasserting control over every neuron. The man who drew laughs as a teenager, a gangly, awkward project, is now a brief wait from the Hall of Fame because he mastered that unique body, ever determined to make sure the world’s fastest game wouldn’t pass him by.
“I miss competing against him,” Marchand said. “It’s not the same without him. There’s not the same intensity in the room and on the ice every day. There’s a reason why our culture is the way it is now. It’s because of what he brought every single day.
“Teams try to copy it. But he’s one in a million.”
The Bruins got smoked that opening night in D.C., but were back on track in Buffalo 24 hours later. The following June, in the heat of the Cup Final against St. Louis, Brayden Schenn’s shot rocketed off Chara’s stick and shattered his jaw.
“I went to go visit him,” Neely recalled, and through wires, screws, and plates “he’s telling me he’s playing in Game 5. To me, that just showed everything about Zdeno. Not only the toughness, but the commitment, and understanding there’s only so many kicks at the can and he wanted to be a part of it.
“I give him all the credit in the world. I don’t know how many athletes could do that.”
The jet-engine Garden ovation when Chara was introduced before Game 5 carried the answer.
Only Zdeno Chara.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 8:22:05 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 8:29:48 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 9:08:46 GMT -5
It should surprise no one, of course, given the class with which Zdeno Chara has always carried himself.
But the fact that Big Z made sure to reach out individually to Claude Julien and Peter Chiarelli, among others, the day before his retirement announcement speaks to the person he is.
The captain, the coach and the general manager from the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team are tied together by history, and those phone calls Monday meant a lot — to each.
“He wanted me to know before he announced it. As you know, Z is a very classy individual,” Julien said Tuesday. “He basically told me I had a big impact on his career. So instead of making it about him, he was making it about me.
“At the end of the day, I think what he’s accomplished is incredible.”
“He called me yesterday just to let me know what was going on,” Chiarelli added. “I’ve remained friends with Z and talked to him over the years after I left Boston. You don’t go through all those times with a player and not keep in touch.”
It was Chiarelli who brought Chara to Boston from Ottawa back in the summer of ’06, as Chiarelli himself also left the Senators organization to become GM in Beantown. They forged their Boston journey together and are bonded by it.
Chiarelli was GM in Boston from 2006 to 2015, Julien head coach there from 2007 to 2017, Chara captain from 2006 to 2020.
Chiarelli’s message to Chara in that call Monday?
“I just told him that he was the most impactful player that I’d been associated with. And I was fortunate,” said Chiarelli, now VP of Hockey Ops with the St. Louis Blues. “He was impactful from a playing perspective, like a complete defensive stopper who had lethal weapons in his shot and physicality. He was impactful as a leader.”
Chara at his news conference in Boston on Tuesday talked about the culture change that was needed when he arrived in Boston and the help he got along the way to get that done. But it was a point of emphasis Tuesday from Chara.
Said Chara of the culture change: “It was not easy. Not everybody wanted to change. But it was necessary.”
To make it happen, Chara had to learn to be a captain in Boston, and he became one of the game’s great leaders.
“I saw him learn through (Daniel Alfredsson in Ottawa), and I saw him learn on the job in Boston,” said Chiarelli. “I saw him delegate and at the same time adapt.
“So I just said to him (Monday), ‘You’re the most impactful person that I’ve been around in my career.’
“All that aside, just a consummate professional, person and friend. He checked a lot of boxes.”
Julien said he ended his conversation with Chara telling him there’s zero doubt in his mind the Hockey Hall of Fame is Big Z’s next stop.
The rest of his message?
“It was pretty simple. I said, ‘You’re an unbelievable individual. You’re an unbelievable captain. If we won the Stanley Cup, a lot of credit goes to you and your leadership in that dressing room. You’re probably one of the best human beings I was able to coach.”‘
And Chara wanted to be coached, Julien added.
“He was receptive to everything,” said Julien, speaking on the phone from Switzerland, where he’s consulting for the Ambri hockey club. “If there was an issue, he would come to your office and discuss. Whether he agreed or not, at the end of the day, he accepted it because it was all about the team. There weren’t too many faults and weaknesses when it came to Z.”
Team first, all the time.
“Everyone knows he was always a player that came to camp in the best shape of them all,” said Julien. “He took pride in that. Because of that, he was able to lead by example. Talk about a guy who honestly exemplified team play and with him, everything was about the team and not about the individual. He made sure of that.”
Julien recalls even some little details that might go unnoticed.
“He didn’t want young players to be called rookies,” Julien said. “They were first-year players, not rookies, for him. He wanted to make sure everybody was treated well. That was Z as a leader.”
Julien remembers shortly before his own tenure ended in Boston, he talked to Chara about reducing his minutes somewhat.
“We talked about taking away maybe a minute or two from his ice time. Although he understood and he agreed, he didn’t like it,” Julien recalled with a chuckle. “That’s the kind of competitor he was.
“But you know, I made him understand that two minutes a game times 82 … when you play 24 minutes a game, I said ‘I saved you at least four games there.’ He understood those things. But in his mind, he wanted to play so badly and compete in every situation.
“The ultimate competitor. That’s why he lasted as long as he did.”
That longevity was a factor when negotiating Chara’s second contract in Boston. The Slovak star was 33 when he signed a seven-year, $45.5 million extension in October 2010. He would be 41 when the deal expired.
“Those long-term deals over the age of 30 are fraught,” said Chiarelli. “But at the time, it was that or nothing. And I certainly had confidence in it, just because of the physical prowess, how he kept his body in impeccable shape. And his play obviously. In hindsight, he was worth every penny.”
In fact, Chara blew way past that contract, signing four consecutive one-year deals after that before ending his career.
The negotiation for that seven-year deal featured a pretty open dialogue not just with Chara’s long-time agent Matt Keator but between Chiarelli and Chara directly at times.
“Z is a very smart individual,” said Chiarelli. “He took all these business courses when I was around him. Very bright. He shared some of the business stuff with me that he did, and all of them were successful.
“So you can be open with him. There’s no tactics that maybe you can use in a normal course of a negotiation. It was an open and frank discussion. And Matt helped facilitate that, of course.”
Said Keator on Tuesday: “I always try to include my clients into the process, I want all my clients to be businessmen. I definitely included Z in that process. It appealed to him. He was very much part of the process.”
It was a different dynamic back in July 2006 when Chara left Ottawa for Boston. While Chiarelli had been named Bruins GM in May, he wasn’t allowed to partake in free agency until after it was over.
Jeff Gorton was interim GM and signed Chara. But let’s not kid ourselves, even if to this day Chiarelli won’t comment, that was a package deal coming from Ottawa — the new GM and the new captain.
“We couldn’t negotiate with Peter, but it was obviously a factor that he was coming in as GM,” Keator said of Chara signing a five-year, $37.5-million deal with the Bruins on July 2, 2006.
The Senators had both Chara and Wade Redden — who had just had another strong season — becoming unrestricted free agents at the same time while the new salary cap imposed its teeth. A brutal situation for Ottawa at the time.
And of course, Chiarelli was still assistant GM with the Senators when those negotiations began with each top blueliner.
“I was there when the decision was made in Ottawa, and Wade was a terrific player, as was Z at the time,” Chiarelli said. “We actually embarked on negotiating with both of them, and they had to pull me off because of my situation. And then I really don’t know what happened after that. Z told me it just kind of went silent (with Ottawa).”
Instead, it became one of the greatest UFA signings of the NHL’s modern era — changing the Bruins’ franchise for a decade plus.
“It made a significant wave in the history of a storied franchise,” said Chiarelli.
Although Chara’s impact didn’t happen overnight.
“He went through some bumps in the road,” said Chiarelli. “When he started in Boston, he tried to do too much. He tried to do everything. He was trying too hard. And it didn’t start well. But he figured it out. He was able to be that player, that dominant, dominant defensive player who also had offense. As he does, he adapted and quickly turned it around.”
And fueled so many great Bruins memories along the way.
“He led the charge,” Chiarelli said.
Which led, of course, to the 2011 Stanley Cup.
Hours before Game 7 of the Final that year, in Vancouver, Chiarelli paced up in the press box area, deciding he needed to get a note down to his head coach. But for whatever reason, they were having cell reception issues and Chiarelli couldn’t get a text through to Julien. So he wrote down a note to former Bruins PR person Matt Chmura and asked him to get it down to the coach.
Chmura, now the Chief Marketing, Communications and Brand Officer at the LPGA, still has the note, framed in his office.
Reached via text message Tuesday, Chmura shared what the note from Chiarelli to Julien before Game 7 said:
“Claude — I don’t know what made me think of this, but remind Z that simple is best for him.
“Pete.
“P.S. As you know, he gets nervous.”
And so Chmura ran it down to the coach.
“Claude read it and handed it back to me,” Chmura said. “I put it in my pocket. A few days later, before the champagne suit went to the dry cleaner, I checked the pockets and it was still there.
“Then I had it framed as my keepsake from that day.”
Chiarelli had actually forgotten about all this until Chmura later reminded him. But he remembers why the message was about Chara.
“That was the key to Z. The simplicity of his game was when he was so effective, strong and just dominating,” said Chiarelli. “It was just a message that I had shared with him over the years. He knew what it meant.”
Five or six hours after that note was written, there was glory. Party time.
Except Chara wasn’t ready to party right away.
“I’ll always remember after we won the Cup, we got into the dressing room and everyone was celebrating, I couldn’t find Z,” said Julien. “He was actually in the medical (trainers) room getting intravenous because he was dehydrated.
“That’s how much effort he had put into the game. That’s the kind of competitor he was. He had left everything on the ice.”
Chara has, in fact, left everything on the ice after 25 years of a remarkable career.
Truly one of a kind.
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Post by madmarx on Sept 21, 2022 14:24:52 GMT -5
The boys on Overdrive were giving Chara a lot of love tonight. One thing they asked which I never considered before, was Chara the best UFA signing of all time? I’m hard pressed to come up with a better one.[/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1243919-nhl-free-agents-the-top-25-free-agent-signings-of-all-time
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Post by madmarx on Sept 21, 2022 14:26:04 GMT -5
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Post by nfld77 on Sept 21, 2022 16:15:41 GMT -5
Chara ranked #2 behind Scott Stevens..
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 21, 2022 18:01:34 GMT -5
Chara ranked #2 behind Scott Stevens.. Which is stupid because he wasn’t signed as a free agent.
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 21, 2022 19:30:17 GMT -5
Chara ranked #2 behind Scott Stevens.. Which is stupid because he wasn’t signed as a free agent. True, St. Louis did sign him as a UFA and lost him to Jersey because of their Shanahan transaction. So St. Louis only got a year out of him. New Jersey don’t count. Also we got 14 years out of Z, Devils got a mere 13 out of Stevens.😂
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 22, 2022 12:46:53 GMT -5
Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, probably with Jake DeBrusk. David Pastrnak and David Krejci, almost certainly with Taylor Hall. Beyond those projected forward lines, Jim Montgomery sounds ready to see anything in his lineup. “I’m going into this open-minded,” the Bruins coach said Wednesday, his first day presiding over training camp. “The players don’t know me and I really don’t know them. I want to see what players can do.” For the most part, he plans to pair younger players with veterans over the six-game, 21-day lead-up to the Oct. 12 season opener in Washington. “We’re going to be looking for guys that are effort and execution,” Montgomery said. “Effort for me is first on pucks. We want to play a possession game, so you’ve got to be first on puck. You can’t be second.
“Then you’re always looking for guys who can make plays. That’s offensively, those really shine, but defensively, who’s killing plays? Who’s making life hard on other people? Those are the areas we’ll be looking for and discussing.”
As is customary for a preseason opener, Montgomery expects that a younger group, including Fabian Lyselland John Beecher, will suit up Saturday in Philadelphia (7 p.m., NESN).
Lysell, the 21st overall pick in 2021, scored two goals in three games at last week’s rookie tournament in Buffalo. It’s clear the slightly built speedster (5 feet 11 inches, 176 pounds) has made a strong first impression internally.
“The more time he’s spent in North America, I think he’s understanding where he can attack,” said general manager Don Sweeney. “He likes to attack. He likes to attack one on one and in spaces. He likes to get speed in the neutral zone.
“In the European rinks, he has more opportunity to stay wide, but you saw him attack inside the dots, from the corners to attack the net.”
Sweeney said Beecher’s performance at the rookie tournament — three goals in three games — didn’t change the team’s perception of him. They’ve been encouraged by the development of the second-year pro, who didn’t pop offensively on a stacked University of Michigan squad.
“The rhetoric’s been a little unfair on Johnny,” Sweeney said. “He spent three years in college. Some guys have been at the pro level. He’s just starting to get acclimated at the pro level.
“The ceiling itself, with his skating and his size — we don’t know, ideally, whether he’s going to be a prolific scorer in the National Hockey League. We’ve talked a little bit about whether he’s going to be a winger or a center.
“We see him in the middle of the ice. He’s really good on faceoffs. We see him go wide and take pucks to the net; could he be a power forward winger of some sort in the league that has those physical attributes? Yeah, he probably can. Now, can he score when he’s in the [tough] areas?”
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 23, 2022 7:34:54 GMT -5
Montgomery on Lysell: “Dynamic, how he attacks people’s feet. He makes defensemen face him. Good offensive players will manipulate defensemen’s feet. He understands how to do that already, so he’s going to make plays” …
Left-shot defender Jakub Zboril started camp on the right side, which could be his ticket to early playing time … A couple new Montgomery wrinkles: a hard lap between early drills, and a 2-on-2 mini-game, rather than the 3-on-3 that Bruce Cassidy favored. Jake DeBrusk said, “I wouldn’t say there’s too much of a difference that’s noticeable.” … Best shot of the day came from Charlie Coyle, who sniped Jeremy Swayman’s water bottle in a 2-on-2 drill … Clifton (5-11, 175) had no problem dumping Beecher in front of the net, registering the pop of the day. Clifton’s physicality continues to surprise forwards … Jakub Lauko got up flexing his left leg after taking the worst of a three-man collision behind the net, but he didn’t miss a shift, and hammered a slapper past François Brassard in a later drill … Is the Swayman-Linus Ullmark goalie hug coming back? “We’ll see,” Ullmark said. “I wouldn’t mind doing it. We’ve said that many times before, we always did it for ourselves, it’s not a PR trick or anything like that. We’ll just have to wait and see until that first game what’s going to happen.”
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 23, 2022 9:22:17 GMT -5
Bruins Preseason:
- Sat, Sep 24: Bruins at Flyers 7pm (NESN) - Tue, Sep 27: Bruins vs Rangers 7pm (NESN+) - Sat, Oct 1: Bruins vs Flyers 1pm (NESN+) - Mon, Oct 3: Bruins at Devils 7pm (NESN+) - Wed, Oct 5: Bruins at Rangers 7pm (TNT) - Sat, Oct 8: Bruins vs Devils 7pm (NESN)
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 23, 2022 9:26:51 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 3, 2022 11:57:02 GMT -5
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Post by skemack on Oct 3, 2022 20:06:50 GMT -5
Dear Government of Canada, JUST FUCKING DISSOLVE THAT DISGRACE OF AN ORGANIZATION AND REBUILD IT FROM THE GROUND UP. Signed, Canadian Hockey Fans everywhere. Maybe since I shouted it on the internet they might actually get the message lmao.
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Post by kjc2 on Oct 3, 2022 20:53:16 GMT -5
Dear Government of Canada, JUST FUCKING DISSOLVE THAT DISGRACE OF AN ORGANIZATION AND REBUILD IT FROM THE GROUND UP. Signed, Canadian Hockey Fans everywhere. Maybe since I shouted it on the internet they might actually get the message lmao. Yes, burn it to the ground. Let’s not forget the players involved either, they need to be held accountable.
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 5, 2022 8:47:04 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Oct 5, 2022 13:00:47 GMT -5
Pure shit show. I guess Quebec doesn’t want to be a part of any solution. Typical!
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