Zdeno Chara, remembered for his imposing presence on the ice, has left an indelible mark on NHL history. With a 24-year career, the Slovak defenseman, with his 6 feet 9 inches in height and 250 pounds, was the tallest player in league history. His most powerful shot, recorded at 108.8 miles per hour in the 2012 All-Star Game, and his longevity are worthy of admiration.
Upon retiring at age 45, Chara had played 1,680 regular season games, the most for a defenseman in the NHL. In his 14 seasons with the Boston Bruins, all as captain, Chara became the second European captain to win the Stanley Cup, marking a new era of excellence for the team. This polyglot, who speaks seven languages, set a standard with his relentless work ethic and his mindset of doing whatever it took for the team, while instilling values of respect.
Recently, Chara was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, an achievement that crowns an unexpected but impressive journey.
“Growing up in a small town in Slovakia, Trencin, you don’t dream of nights like this. You dream of a piece of ice that doesn’t melt before we finish practice. You dream of finding a stick that isn’t broken or skates that still serve you for a couple of years”
Zdeno Chara
After retiring, Chara has continued to challenge himself. He completed his first Ironman triathlon in August in less than five hours, surpassing his nine marathons completed in a span of 15 months. After taking business courses at Harvard University, Chara delves into the business world and will soon launch his first application called Castable. In addition, he has maintained a close relationship with hockey, taking on an advisory role with the Bruins.Why does Chara keep trying their best?
“I think it’s something really cool. As much as you might think: ‘I don’t need to do this, I’m ready. I had a successful career’, you know what? I’m more the type who says: ‘Hey, why not? I’m going to try this. I’m going to learn a lot’. And learning is invaluable. So I’m investing time and energy and, obviously, some money in it. But in return, I’m getting something incredible, an incredible experience by learning about myself, about others, about business, about the world.”
Chara also commented on his role with the Bruins, the evolution of the game, and his impact on the team. In addition, the former captain reflects on his legacy, leadership, and the advice he offers to young players.
“I always say that statistics, records, games played, the strongest shot, all that: I am super grateful and humble about it. But the most important thing is what impact you have on others. I was very proud to build something and create something in the organization, and leave something behind. I am very proud that we were able to build that culture between 2008 and 2014-15, where we were very, very strong. We were contenders and that culture, that legacy, was one of the best, if not the best in the league.”
Chara also talked about the new Bruins coach, Marco Sturm, and the relationship he maintains with his friend and former teammate, Patrice Bergeron.
Chara is about to launch an application called Castable. The application is designed to connect people with celebrities or talented individuals, offering real-time commentary during sporting or live events.
“This idea was created about three years ago. I met my co-founder, Peter Gladstone, at the Harvard Innovation Labs (i-Labs), and I was looking for some kind of practical experience to learn more about entrepreneurship, the business side of things. And he said, ‘Hey, look, I have an idea I’m thinking about. I want to create a platform that focuses on connecting people with celebrities or talented people. And they wouldn’t have to chase them, literally, it would be easy to meet through a sporting event or live event'”.
Chara continued talking about how he envisions the application applied to hockey.
Additionally, Chara shared her experiences in the business world and her future athletic goals.Chara also talked about how he managed to play so many games in the NHL and the element of his fitness routine that helped him the most in his career.
“I grew up as a Greco-Roman wrestler, so I did a lot of Greco-Roman wrestling and I think that was very important for me. It wasn’t just being strong in weight, but being strong in the body, being strong on your feet, you control your body differently and much better when you’re wrestling man against man instead of just lifting weights. I mean, you can be as strong as you can lift weights, but then you go to a mat and you’re wrestling other men who weigh at least 240, 250 pounds. It’s a completely different exercise, a completely different strengthening. So I think for me, doing Greco-Roman wrestling was what made the difference.”
Finally, Chara remembered the injury he suffered in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and the experience of playing the next game.
