Zdeno Chara: From the NHL to Entrepreneurship and His Role with the Bruins

Zdeno Chara: Hockey Legend

Zdeno Chara, a name synonymous with greatness in the world of ice hockey, is remembered for his imposing presence on the ice. With a 24-year career, the Slovak defenseman, with his 6 feet 9 inches in height and 250 pounds, was the tallest player in NHL history.

His powerful shot, clocked at 108.8 miles per hour at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, and his longevity are notable. Chara retired at 45 years old, having 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. This polyglot, who masters seven languages, set a standard with his relentless work ethic and his mindset of doing whatever it took for the team, while also instilling values of respect. Recently, Chara was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, a culminating achievement of an impressive journey.

“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 practice is over. You dream of finding a stick that isn’t broken or skates that still serve you for a couple of years,” Chara said in his induction speech.

Zdeno Chara

Three years after his retirement, Chara continues to pursue 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 delves into the world of entrepreneurship and will soon launch his first application called Castable. In addition, he has maintained a close relationship with the sport, taking on an advisory role with the Bruins since last season.

After his retirement, he took on an advisory role with the Bruins. He is also exploring entrepreneurship and has competed in several marathons and Ironmans. Why does he keep pushing himself? “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 of those who say: ‘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 amazing, an incredible experience by learning about myself, about others, about business, about the world.” As for hockey, the game is constantly evolving. It will always keep moving 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 and advisory role in hockey operations. And that’s also something great and new for me, where I offer my experience in my mentoring, my intelligence that I gained during a 25-year career.

Why does he want to be remembered, Zdeno Chara?

“Well, I always say that statistics, records, games played, the strongest shot, all that: I am very grateful and humble about it. But the most important thing is the 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.” 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 alive within the team? “I mean, that’s the ultimate goal, to pass on that leadership and legacy to the younger generations. And I think, looking back, I think we created something very special in those years when we ultimately won the Stanley Cup, and then carried it on for a long period of time. Everything has its own trajectory, 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.” What does he tell those young players about leadership? “Well, it starts with themselves, first and foremost. 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 accountability.”

Seeing the current Bruins season, what has surprised you the most?

“I wouldn’t say that anything has really surprised me. I mean, we got off to 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, 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.” 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? “Well, I think he brings positive energy, and he brings the right mentality with his structure and system. He is a great human being. He cares about his players. He wants to win. He pays close attention to detail. He is a hard-working coach. He is the first in the office and the last to leave. So he is very, very disciplined and driven. You have a coach who is very motivated and inspired to bring back the winning culture and the championship.” He was always very close to Patrice Bergeron. How is their relationship today? “We are the best friends. That’s something that moved from our careers to our personal lives. I can always count on Patrice to get in touch 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 meetings after a few days, and we always talk about our lives and it’s great. I love him.” Now, it’s launching an application called Castable. How would you describe it? “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 people connecting 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.'” “So it’s an audio-first 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 found that most people, maybe 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? “Imagine there’s 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 on telling stories or anything that comes up. I could be giving the fans insider information or information from my growing up. 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 type of event, like television, movies, or concerts, or any type 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.” What have you learned in the business world? “I think the most important thing is to listen. I think you have to always be open-eyed and open-eared and try 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.” “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 go after your dream.” His sporting achievements after his retirement include several marathons and Ironmans. Does he have any other athletic goals?

“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, getting a little stronger. If I feel ready for another marathon, I can always find another marathon. I had a pretty good season in the summer. I did 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 just in the process of getting stronger and we’ll see maybe in January, December, February, something will come up and I’ll say, let’s do it.” He has played more regular season games than any other defenseman in NHL history. How could he do that? “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 great pride in my physical condition and always being in the best shape and in good condition and strengthening. Obviously, I didn’t have any major injuries. I had my share of injuries, but I was quite lucky not to have really bad ones.” What element of your exercise routine did you feel helped you the most in your career? “I grew up as a Greco-Roman wrestler, so I did a lot of Greco-Roman wrestling and I think that was hugely important for me. It wasn’t just about being strong with the weight, but being strong with your body, 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 the differentiating factor.” How did you incorporate it into your training? You didn’t do it during the season, did you? “Only in the off-season. During the season you don’t have time to fight and you don’t want to risk getting injured either. But my father was a wrestler and I was able to grow up with wrestling and continue doing it in the summers throughout my career.” 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 does he remember most about playing that next 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.” What was needed to get dressed and beat that game? “I was pretty tired, pretty exhausted from traveling back, having surgery the next day, waking up, just 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.”