Zdeno Chara's Toughest Opponent "He Played The Game The Right Way"
Zdeno Chara was originally passed over in the 1995 Draft but finally got picked the year after. The New York Islanders selected him as the 56th overall, and didn't make his NHL debut until 1997.
Many doubted that Chara could have a successful career in the NHL, standing at 6 ft 9, he's the tallest person to ever play in the NHL. Which was seen as a problem for fans and analysts.
But Chara proved everyone wrong, playing an astonishing 26 years in the national hockey league (NHL). Chara retired in 2022, after playing in his last game on April 29, 2022. He played in the league between 1997 and 2022 and served as the Boston Bruins captain for all of his fourteen seasons with the team.
Zdeno Chara played 23 seasons, recording 680 points in 1,680 games with the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals. Playing for so many years, Chara played against some of the best players in history. Chara was even on the ice when Wayne Gretzky scored his final NHL goal -- March 29, 1999.
A question on everyone's mind though, who was the best player Zdeno Chara had to defend? Especially after playing against such a variety of different players through the decades.
In an interview with The Athletic in 2020, Chara answered that question. Naming the great Pavel Datsyuk, as his most memorable competitor.
Zdeno Chara was spoke very highly of the former Red Wing saying, «Pavel was just a player that played the game the right way,» Chara said.
Chara won't forget the many times he faced the former Red Wings winger, good or bad. As sometimes Pavel Datsyuk got the better of him. On October 14, 2013, Pavel Datsyuk walked through Chara, finishing it off with a beautiful pass to former Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg.
Zdeno Chara added, «I can't say enough about the way he played. He played hard. If he needed to be, he would be very strong. If the team needed, he went to the front of the net. His skill and assets were above 99.9 percent of the players in the league. You can't really find that many players with so many weapons.»
Despite the size difference between the two, Datsyuk always played Chara "tough". As he was never afraid to push around Chara.
| POLL | ||
Do you miss Zdeno Chara? | ||
| Yes | 75 | 72.1 % |
| No | 29 | 27.9 % |
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