Zdeno Chara: Ice Hockey Legend in a New Stage
Zdeno Chara, a name synonymous with greatness in ice hockey, is remembered for his imposing presence on the ice. With a 24-year career, the Slovak defenseman, standing 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds, was the tallest player in NHL history. His most powerful shot, recorded at 108.8 miles per hour at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, and his longevity are impressive. Retiring at age 45, Chara had played 1,680 regular season games, the most for a defenseman in the NHL. During 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 in Boston. A polyglot who speaks seven languages, he set a standard with his relentless work ethic and a mentality of doing whatever was necessary for the team, while instilling the values of respect. Recently, Chara was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, a culminating achievement of an extraordinary journey.Three years after his retirement, Chara is still seeking excellence. He completed his first Ironman triathlon in August in under five hours, surpassing his nine marathons completed in a span of 15 months. After taking business courses at Harvard University, Chara is delving into the world of entrepreneurship and will soon launch his first application called Castable. In addition, he has remained close to the game, taking on an advisory role with the Bruins since last season.“Growing up in a small town in Slovakia, Trencin, doesn’t make you 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
As for hockey, the game is constantly evolving. It will always move forward and there will be some adjustments. The main thing is that I love watching the game and I love being a part of it. I am very happy to be included in the Boston Bruins organization in a mentoring program, an advisory role with hockey operations. And that’s also something new and great for me, where I offer my experience in my mentoring, my intelligence that I gained during a 25-year career. When people consider Zdeno Chara’s career, what do they want him to be remembered for?“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, energy, and, obviously, some money in it. But in return, I’m gaining something incredible, an incredible experience by learning about myself, about others, about business, about the world”.
Zdeno Chara
He was known for establishing a great culture as a captain, and that was passed on to Patrice Bergeron and then to Brad Marchand. The Bruins currently do not have a captain; do you see the legacy of his teammates still living within the team?“Well, 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 kind of 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”.
Zdeno Chara
What does he say to those young players about leadership?“I mean, that’s the ultimate goal, to pass on that leadership and the legacy to the younger generations. And I think looking back, I think we created something very special in those years when we were winning, ultimately, the Stanley Cup, and then we carried it out for a long period of time. Everything has its own track, and when I left and then Patrice left, Brad Marchand left, yes, there’s a little void. But it takes time, it takes learning. And so, one of my roles is to come in and try to help these players become better leaders and better mentors for their younger teammates. So it just takes patience and time”.
Zdeno Chara
“Well, it starts with themselves first, above all. You can’t expect to lead or follow if you don’t commit to certain things. And it starts with self-discipline and commitment. You have to be willing to put in the work and time. You have to find the purpose behind everything you do and everything has to be within the team’s goals, and you have to be willing to accept those responsibilities and be accountable”.
Zdeno Chara
Watching this Bruins season so far, what has surprised you the most?
There have been very few European-born coaches in NHL history. Marco Sturm of Germany is now one of them. What’s different about what he brings to the Bruins?“I wouldn’t say anything really surprised me. I mean, we had a good start and there was a little setback, if you want to call it that, but we bounced back and now we’re playing some really strong and good hockey, so we just have to keep going and keep getting better. Every game is a tough game. There are no easy games in the National Hockey League. Consistency is the most important thing.”
Zdeno Chara
He was always very close to Patrice Bergeron. How is their relationship today?“Well, I think he brings positive energy, and he brings the right mindset with his structure and system. He’s a great human being. He cares about his players. He wants to win. He pays a lot of attention to detail. He’s a hard-working coach. He’s the first guy in the office, the last to leave. So he’s very, very disciplined and driven. You have a coach who is very motivated and inspired to bring the winning culture and the championship back.”
Zdeno Chara
Now, it’s launching an application called Castable. How would you describe it?“We are the best of friends. That’s something that carried over from our careers to our personal lives. I can always count on Patrice to reach out weekly. He’s an incredible human being and I couldn’t ask for a better friend. He’s very caring, a great family man. Whenever we have time to get together, we have lunch or dinner. Then we enjoy our reunions after a few days, and we always talk about our lives and it’s great. I love him”.
Zdeno Chara
So it’s an audio platform for streaming and commentary, but much more accessible, where celebrities or talented people will provide real-time commentary during events or sporting events and bring fans closer to those moments that matter most to them. We discovered that most people, perhaps more than 80% of people, watch sporting events alone. So we want to create something where these people are not alone, but connected not only with their friends and the other group of listeners, but also with their favorite people. So imagine: the ManningCast, in real time, and it will be accessible to many, many people. How do you foresee it applying to hockey?“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 looking at. 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’”.
Zdeno Chara
What have you learned in the business world?“Imagine you have a hockey game going on, and I could be one of the commentators. I don’t need to do the play-by-play commentary, but rather focus more on the narration or anything that comes up. I could be giving the fans inside information or information from my childhood. The fans have the privilege of texting me through this application and asking me questions. I can be scrolling while I’m talking and looking at some comments and choosing which ones I want to answer, which ones I want to let pass. It will be entertaining for the fans, and I think this is a great opportunity to also show your personality, show your authenticity, and have fun. But it doesn’t have to be that I have to do a hockey game. I can do any kind of event, like television, movies, or concerts, or any kind of sport. I can watch basketball, golf, tennis, and I can bring guests, I can bring people who are my friends and we can broadcast”.
Zdeno Chara
And then I think you also have to understand that most startups fail; obviously, things that can come up. In general, you just have to be willing to put in the effort and keep working at it and never give up and just pursue your dream.” His athletic achievements after retirement include several marathons and Ironmans. Does he have any other athletic goals?“I think the most important thing is to listen. I think you have to be open to always having your eyes and ears open and trying to learn how things are developing, it takes a lot of patience. There are a lot of smart people. The most important thing is the willingness to learn, the willingness to surround yourself with people smarter than you and create a diversified team. I think it helps when you take some courses. I took a lot of courses at Harvard Business School, some courses from MIT.
Zdeno Chara
He has played more regular season games than any other defenseman in NHL history. How could he achieve this?“People ask me all the time, what’s next? What’s your next race? I don’t know at this moment. I’m going into the winter season and my focus is on simply maintaining fitness, strengthening a little bit. If I feel ready for another marathon, I can always find another marathon. I had a pretty good season in the summer. I’ve done three or four half Ironmans. I did a full Ironman and then I did the Chicago marathon. So it was a pretty busy summer season, and right now I’m in the process of strengthening and we’ll see, maybe in January, December, February, something will come up and I’ll say, let’s do it”.
Zdeno Chara
What is the one element of your exercise routine that you felt helped you the most in your career?“I took care of my body. I worked very hard and trained very hard, I think that’s probably what made me last so long. Maybe some people would think differently. Maybe some people think that when you work so hard and train so many times a day, you’re going to have a lot more wear and tear on your body. But it worked for me. I took a lot of pride in my physical condition and always being at the top of my form and good condition and strengthening. Obviously, I didn’t have any major injuries. I had my share of injuries, but I was lucky not to have any really bad ones.”
Zdeno Chara
How did you incorporate it into your training? You weren’t doing it during the season, were you?“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 about being strong in weight, but being strong in the body, standing strong, you control your body, differently and better when you’re wrestling man against man instead of just lifting weights. I mean, you can be as strong as you can lifting 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 the differentiating factor.”
Zdeno Chara
The only injury everyone always remembers was the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, when his jaw was broken in several places. He underwent surgery with two plates, wires and screws and played in Game 5. What do you remember most about playing that next game?“Only in the off-season. During the season you don’t have time to fight and you also don’t want to risk getting injured. But my father was a fighter and I was able to grow up with fighting and continue doing it in the summers throughout my career”.
Zdeno Chara
What was needed to get dressed and beat that game?“The fans were so supportive and incredible in showing their gratitude and appreciation for being on the edge and playing. I will never forget that ovation. I felt it in my heart and that will always stay with me forever. I am, I am forever grateful for that”.
Zdeno Chara
“I was pretty tired, pretty exhausted from traveling back, from having surgery the next day, from waking up, from eating a little bit. But everyone at that point in the playoffs is exhausted. So I just had to stay calm and really focus on spending every ounce of energy I had left in my body to leave it on the ice.”
Zdeno Chara
