Bruins React to Chara Rejoining Organization: ‘Extremely Impactful on All of Us’

BOSTON –– When David Pastrnak came into the Boston Bruins’ locker room as a rookie, he was greeted by a towering captain with an already legendary career.

Zdeno Chara was in his 17th season in the NHL by 2014, as Pastrnak made his debut.

“I had to call him Mr. Chara – that’s our rules back home. In the language we speak, always when we meet respectful or older people, we have to be respectful,” Pastrnak said. “I remember Zee right away told me I can call him Zdeno."

Fast forward 10 years, and Pastrnak is now one of the veteran leaders for the Bruins. And, while Chara hung up the skates three years ago, he has rejoined the organization as a Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor.

“It is so simple with Zdeno; he has so much to offer. Obviously, personally, and all the experience he had as a player. We are very happy as the players,” Pastrnak said. “I think every single young player in the locker room should recognize what kind of person we have in this room and use him. He’s here for us. He has so much to offer, and we can learn so much from him.”

In his position, Chara will build relationships and strengthen communication between players and coaches by attending practices, home games and providing off-ice development support to the defensemen. He will also be a resource for the team's development staff with periodic visits to the AHL’s Providence Bruins.

“It is definitely something new. Something that I can bring a lot. But at the same time, I’ll be learning a lot, too,” Chara said. “It is nice to be back, interacting with players, learning from coaches. Obviously, I know how it is to be a player. It is a little bit different to be on the other side. But at the same time, I can relate to a lot of things that I experienced as a player.”

Chara has a jam-packed career catalog. Through 14 seasons (2006-20) in Boston, Chara served as captain for the entire time and led the organization to the 2011 Stanley Cup. The 48-year-old amassed more than 1,000 games with the Bruins and over 1,600 in his 25-year NHL career, finishing as the league’s all-time leader in games played by a defenseman.

Charlie McAvoy is one blueliner who is excited to have Chara around. Chara was McAvoy’s main mentor when he entered the league in 2017, and the two played on a pair together for three years. While McAvoy is an established NHL defenseman now, he is eager to get Chara’s advice on and off the ice.

“Guys like that don’t grow on trees. The experience that he has, the person he is, the leader. To have him here is going to be extremely impactful on all of us,” McAvoy said. “Every day, he brought it. Every single day, he led by example. He was the hardest-working guy out there. He’s in the gym early, he’s doing more, he’s here early, he leaves late. You just saw what it meant to him.”

Head coach Marco Sturm is another familiar face for Chara, who is working with a team that is entering the next Bruins era. Sturm and Chara were teammates from 2005-10 when the bench boss played in Boston. Now, they’re helping shape the Black and Gold product on the ice with a different perspective.

“It’s great to see him back. I talked to him a few times over the summer, and when I got back to Boston. I could tell right away he wanted to come back,” Sturm said. “He loves the game. He loves the Bruins culture, and we just want to take advantage.”

Chara has been at Warrior Ice Arena the past week observing training camp as the Bruins work towards opening night on Oct. 9 at TD Garden. His responsibilities may be new, but Chara feels like he has returned home.

“This is all about communication, being open with each other and having the transparency with players and with the coaches. We all work for the same goal, which is to improve and get the maximum potential and performance from our team,” Chara said. “It’s been an unbelievable 20-plus years. Living here, being part of the Original Six franchise. My family has been raised here, we stay here, we live here. It became home. That’s why I am here.”