Boston Bruins retire Zdeno Chara's No. 33, honoring the giant defenseman who led 2011 Cup victory

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Bruins retired Zdeno Chara’s number in a ceremony before Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

Chara’s No. 33 is the 13th to be raised to the rafters by the Original Six franchise. A handful of his predecessors, including Bobby Orr, John Bucyk, Cam Neely and Willie O’Ree, took part in the ceremony.

Chara spoke to the crowd from a podium at center ice with a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind him. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”

The Bruins gave Chara a trip to Australia, where Chara is planning to run the Sydney Marathon as part of his effort to complete all seven major marathons.

The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman.

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