Chara's 'amazing' career set standard for Bruins, says Bourque

Ray Bourque
used the word "amazing" repeatedly in conversation Tuesday, rolling through a variety of adjectives in glowing reference to
Zdeno Chara
.

Chara's retirement announcement Tuesday
was news in Boston as big as the 6-foot-9, 250-pound former Bruins captain, who brought down the curtain on a record-setting championship career that never will be forgotten in the city where he is adored, among the most popular Bruins of all time.
"'Z's' entry into the League and his exit out of the League are both amazing," said Bourque, whose 15-season shared and solo run as Bruins captain between 1985-2000 is the longest in Boston history. "What Z became, what he made himself as a player with hard work, dedication and passion … his work ethic, his training, his attitude are all amazing. They're legendary."

Bourque, too, is loved in Boston. He played 21 seasons for the Bruins en route to induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
First in NHL history among defensemen for goals (410), assists (1,169) and points (1,579), Bourque was voted the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL five times. He has played more games than any other Bruin (1,518), leads Boston in points (1,506), assists (1,111) and power-play goals (164), and he's fifth in goals (395). Bourque's No. 77 has been retired by the Bruins and the Colorado Avalanche, the team he finished his career with after helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2001.
From near, and from a distance, Bourque has marveled through the years at Chara's growth, skills and leadership with the Bruins, who rewarded their man-mountain Tuesday with a one-day contract so that he could finish his NHL career with Boston.

Chara captained the Bruins for 14 seasons, from 2006-20. He helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011 and was voted the Norris Trophy in 2009.
"It's been great getting to know what Z was all about in Boston, having a certain relationship with him," said Bourque, who texted his best wishes to Chara soon after learning of his retirement.
"We've always stayed in contact. I've always checked in with him and congratulated him on his accomplishments. He'd reach out to me every once in a while too. It's a special bond when you play here in Boston.
"I've always been a fan of hockey, not only the people I've played with but my opponents. I'm still a fan to this day, watching certain players around the League. Getting to know Z and seeing what he's accomplished here in Boston and throughout his career, what went into it, was really amazing and inspiring to watch."

New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara, early in his career, tangles with Vancouver Canucks forward Alexander Mogilny at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Paul Bereswill/Hockey Hall of Fame
Bourque was beginning his 19th NHL season when Chara broke into the League with the New York Islanders in 1997-98. Like many in hockey, he viewed the massive defenseman as a bit of a curiosity.
"I remember him with the Islanders coming in, his skating, his balance, such a big guy," Bourque recalled. "You looked at him and thought, 'Whoa, OK.' He's big and he's strong and you kind of said, 'Wow.'
"Every year you'd see improvement, see him getting better. Then he went to Ottawa (by trade in 2001-02, Bourque freshly retired), where it became a matter of just how good he was going to become. And then he really flourished here in Boston."
The Bruins signed Chara to a five-year contract July 1, 2006. Bourque remembers a player who was going to be someone truly special in Boston, his work ethic and style of play certain to endear him to fans of the spoked B, who liked their hockey with an honest, blue-collar, physical edge.

Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and Bruins legend Ray Bourque perform a ceremonial puck drop with Montreal Canadiens captain Brian Gionta at TD Garden on March 24, 2014. Steve Babineau/NHLI Getty Images
"It was a great signing at that time," Bourque said. "The Bruins really needed that core, that anchor on defense, that leadership and physicality, everything that Z brought. Nobody worked harder, nobody outworked him.
"A guy who played that amount of minutes (23:30 per game through his 24 seasons), the first thing he'd do after a game was go into the gym. People couldn't believe his work ethic. Z knew that to be what he wanted to be, he had to maintain that. So that's what he did.
"His workouts and his program in the summer, how he trained during the season, are legendary. I can't think of anybody else who was like that. To have that passion and will and determination to keep doing that for what, 24 years? Believe me, anybody who saw him with the Islanders at the start could never, ever have imagined this guy having the career that he ended up having. It's a credit to him. It's amazing what he accomplished."
Bourque loves that the Bruins signed Chara to a one-day contract after he played 2020-21 with the Washington Capitals and then came full circle last season with the Islanders for his final NHL season.

Zdeno Chara celebrates with the Stanley Cup after the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 15, 2011. Elsa/Getty Images
"When you play in Boston for the amount of time that Z did and you're that important a player, when you've made his kind of impact in this city, you bleed black and gold forever," Bourque said. "Ask anybody who's had success and spent a good amount of time here. It's a very, very special place that you'll never forget and it will always be a part of you.
"Z is such an important part of this club. When you have a guy approaching the game the way he did, I think that means so much for players, especially for young players coming in, seeing how he goes about his business. I've always said, it goes such a long way when your best players are your best people in how they prepare, how they get ready, how they train and act and treat people. That is such a great example for young guys coming in."
Chara's way of going about his life in Boston, at TD Garden and away from it, "is how you create chemistry, how you create culture," Bourque said. It's how you send a strong message to everyone in the organization.
"That's what Z did during all of his tenure here in Boston," he said, "to go along with guys like (current captain) Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand now, and all those guys who came through. They have and had great leadership not only with Z but the core players when they were competing or winning the Cup, having long runs, always being one of the contenders. That starts with your top guys and your leadership, and Z played such a huge role in being that guy."
Top photo: Zdeno Chara during the Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Nov. 10, 2017. Dave Sandford/Hockey Hall of Fame