Although it was likely the right call to sit Chara in Game 4 of the conference final with the Bruins leading the best-of-7 series 3-0, that didn't make the decision any easier for the defenseman to watch from above.
"I'm not going to lie, watching games are not fun," Chara said. "You want to play them, and you want to be involved. For sure, it was something that [I] was feeling that kind of anxiousness to play, but the guys did a great job winning that game."
Once it was over, Chara dressed in full uniform, including skates, took part in the handshake line, where Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, who played against Chara many times throughout his NHL career, could be heard saying, "Lots of respect for you. You can't keep doing this. Good for you. Good luck to you."
Chara posted the exchange on his Instagram account with the caption, "Rod is a true leader and was a tough warrior to play against. At last night's handshakes his words meant a lot to me. Balancing respect and intensity are what playoffs are all about."
He had more praise for Brind'Amour on Monday.
"I played against Rod a lot," Chara said. "I came into the League when he was in Philadelphia and obviously, had a number of years, a number of battles against him. He's a true warrior, great leader and captain and obviously, for the Carolina Hurricanes, he was very valuable in 2006 (when the Hurricanes won their only Stanley Cup championship).