Most NHL players will set their sole focus on getting healthy when they're out with an injury.
Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara isn't like most NHL players, and not only because he's the tallest ever at 6-foot-9.
The Boston Globe reported Saturday that Chara, 37, has become licensed to sell real estate in Massachusetts.
Chara tore a ligament in his left knee Oct. 23; rather than lie around between daily rehab sessions each day, he enrolled in a real estate program. He passed his licensing exam during the NHL All-Star break last month and received his license that day.
"I like to keep as many doors open as possible for the future," Chara said, according to the Globe. "I just felt that while I was obviously not traveling as much with the team, I had so much time, especially early into my rehab, I decided to take some courses and I ended up going for the [exam]."
Chara has been productive since returning to the lineup Dec. 11; he leads the Bruins in average ice time per game at 22:52, and in 32 games he has 13 points and a plus-3 rating entering the Bruins' game Saturday against the New York Islanders (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, FX-CA).
While his contract with the Bruins runs through the 2017-18 season, it's never too soon to plan for life after hockey.
"It's something that's very useful with what's going on with the market," Chara said of the real-estate license.
Education is something Chara places great emphasis on. The native of Trencin, Slovakia speaks six languages; he also took financial-planning classes at Algonquin College in Ottawa during his time with the Ottawa Senators.
"We have so much free time while we travel on buses and airplanes, and I just don't want to spend all the time just playing games or watching movies or playing cards," Chara told the Globe.
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