A NEW SEASON BRUIN;Chara plans to be in Black 'n' Gold for long haul
PRAGUE - Zdeno Chara is 33 years old and has played 12 NHL seasons. That's a successful and rich career by any standard, likely a Hall of Fame career. But if the Bruins' captain has his wish, his career isn't even half over yet.
Chara was asked a few days ago if he'd like to play until age 40. His response was a bit of a jaw-dropper.
''My goal,'' said Chara, ''is not to shoot to be playing at 40, it is to shoot to play maybe until 45.''
And he sounds like he'd be fine spending all those years as a Bruin. As he enters the final season of his lucrative five-year contract he signed as an unrestricted free agent - with an extension expected to be announced any day - Chara made it clear he has loved his time in Boston and hopes to stay for a long time.
''For me, my heart is set to be a Bruin,'' said Chara. ''Obviously, we'll see how things go. For sure my plan is to stay.
''I have to go back five years ago when I decided to sign as a Bruin. I saw that this team had so much they can accomplish and reach, and I wanted to be part of it. I still believe we have one of the best teams in the NHL. Since I got here this team has just gotten better and better.
''Obviously the last two years, the results we got were not as good as the team should show,'' Chara said. ''I know we can do better. We lost both years in Game 7 of the second round. So we got closer to being over that hump of being in the conference final and possibly the Stanley Cup final for sure I want to be part of that.
''I take a lot of pride to be a Bruin,'' he said. ''I'm really honored to lead this team and be captain. I just enjoy being a Bruin. I love the city and playing in front of such passionate fans. I know their heart. They are honest. At times, it's not pretty, but that just shows you how serious they are about (wanting) us to be playing well, and how much they want us to win.
''You have to accept that. As a professional athlete, you have make sure you perform, or you're going to hear about it.''
Fitness comes first
For most NHL players, stating a desire to play until 45 would realistically be unattainable and maybe a little silly. But for Chara, who is as dedicated to high-level fitness as any athlete in any sport, the plan doesn't seem that farfetched at all.
''Obviously, you have to be healthy,'' he said. ''For that you need a little bit of luck to stay away from injuries. But as of right now I feel absolutely 100 percent. That's my goal every postseason: To get into the absolutely best shape I can be in.
''I just enjoy being fit,'' said Chara. ''I dedicated everything to that. My diet, my training, my family life. I get a lot of support from my family. Obviously my wife, she's not sometimes happy when I go on bike rides and spend 5-6 hours on the bike and I'm not with my family as much. But it's just something I enjoy.''
Chara has loved seeing how teammate Mark Recchi is playing at age 42 - which makes his stated goal seem all the more plausible.
''For sure, to see him playing at age 42 is a big motivation for all of us,'' said Chara. ''To see what he accomplished, for sure it's unique. You have to be a little bit lucky and avoid major injuries. But to his credit, he still plays the game hard.''
And Chara said he will keep playing deep into his 40s only if he is still capable of playing the game the way he does now. That means playing physically and being able to contribute in both the defensive and offensive zones. He doesn't want to be some slow, old guy who just stays back and plays a purely defensive style.
''I wouldn't want to see myself backing off and taking less responsibility, saying, `Oh, I'm older, I don't have to do it, let me play less.' No, I want to still be very competitive and play the same way I'm playing now: Playing physical and taking care of the puck. There's no reason to be less just because of age.''
Playing in pain
Chara now admits he was forced to do less most of last season, after he broke his left pinky finger. He could have had immediate surgery and missed six weeks, but he opted to keep playing even though he could not do anything with the painfully injured finger. The digit eventually healed in a permanently-bent position.
''That's the way it goes,'' said Chara, displaying the crooked finger. ''I can't bend it. I can't straighten it. It's not fun to play 6-7 weeks with a cast on your hand and then taping it to the other finger to support it, so you're holding the stick with three fingers. Taking slapshots, you don't have as good a grip or balance in holding the stick. You can't really grab someone, and you can't fight with a cast on, or you get suspended.''
Unable to shoot the puck with his full velocity and accuracy, Chara scored only seven goals - after putting up 19 and 17 the previous two seasons.
''It's something for sure that I was effected by, but I'm not going to make excuses,'' he said. ''If it was something where I knew I couldn't play, then I wouldn't play. But I knew I could play. Obviously it wasn't 100 percent, but I just played.''
Now that his finger is nothing worse than a cosmetic inconvenience - and with the rest of the team (except for Mard Savard) healthy - Chara hopes he and the Bruins can return to the phenomenal form they had two seasons ago, when the team earned 116 points and Chare won the Norris Trophy.
''Two years ago when we were dominating the league,'' he said. ''We were playing really well system-wise, everyone was on board, we we're all doing the rights things.
''Last year we just had games when we were on, and games where we were not playing that well as far as structure. We hit some bumps with injuries and guys coming in and out of the lineup. All those things made the season kind of inconsistent.
''For sure we're looking to get back on the track we were on two years ago,'' Chara said. ''The team we have is absolutely, probably the best we've had. We've got to make sure we turn that talent into hard work, and hard work into playing smart. We had 116 points two years ago. We are for sure capable of repeating that.''
That's a lofty goal. Kind of like playing to age 45. But when Chara says he wants to accomplish something, who wants to tell him he can't?
