Chara

When things go south for a team that’s expected to be a Stanley Cup contender, three people receive most of the heat: the head coach, the goalie and the captain.

Zdeno Chara bore his brunt of criticism when the Bruins were floundering in the middle of the winter and in mid-March. So he should be rewarded with a lot of credit for his Norris Trophy-worthy play down the stretch run into the playoffs and then the first-round upset of Buffalo. Of course, then he’s as much to blame for the Bruins’ historic collapse as anyone. (more…)

Chara

BOSTON — Obviously the entire Bruins organization breathed a collective sigh of relief when the NHL announced it would rescind the instigator penalty against defenseman Zdeno Chara, and the coinciding suspension for Monday’s Game 6.

But no one exhaled harder that Chara, who will now get to try to help his team finish off Buffalo in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

“I think the league did a great job recognizing the whole situation,” said Chara after practice at TD Garden today. “Obviously, I wasn’t initiating, I was just responding.”

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Following up on the instigator penalty Zdeno Chara received at the end of tonight’s Game 5 Bruins loss, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on his Twitter feed that the league informed Boston and Buffalo that the automatic suspension has been rescinded. Chara retaliated against a Paul Gaustad slash to the back of his leg.

So Chara will play Monday night in Game 6 at TD Garden.

Here’s a look at the slash, Chara’s reaction and the melee:

Chara

With less than a second remaining in the Bruins’ 4-1 Game 5 loss at Buffalo in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight, defenseman Zdeno Chara was issued an instigator penalty after he retaliated to a slash to the back of his leg after the Sabres cleared the puck out of their own end.

This could mean a one-game suspension for Chara, although it could be rescinded. (more…)

Chara

BOSTON — It’s just laughable how every time the Bruins slump there’s so much criticism directed toward what type or leader Zdeno Chara is.

As if any of us know exactly what goes on behind the closed doors of the Bruins’ dressing room or know what might be afflicting the captain at any given time. Earlier this season we learned that Chara was playing with a dislocated finger that’s going to require offseason surgery. Tonight against Buffalo he added a broken nose, which required him to wear a full cage, to his list of hindrances. (more…)

The Bruins already knew they’d be facing Toronto without Marc Savard against the Leafs tonight. Then came the even worse news, as they found out that defenseman Zdeno Chara wouldn’t be available because of an undisclosed injury. (more…)

Chara

WILMINGTON, Mass. — There’s no need to panic just because Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara did not practice today at Ristuccia Arena.

Head coach Claude Julien assured the media that Chara, along with forward Steve Begin, was just taking a maintenance day and that the captain will be available to play in preseason games this weekend. (more…)

This is the first in a series of catch-up stories with members of the Boston Bruins as they make their way back to the Boston area for informal, pre-training camp captains’ practices.

Last year was a bit of a transition for Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, as he not only had to contend with being the most vital piece of a team that won the Eastern Conference but also had to adapt to being a father when his first daughter was born in the midst of the Bruins’ postseason run. (more…)

Chara

WILMINGTON — Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara didn’t take the ice today at Ristuccia Arena but he took a few minutes to catch up with the assembled media. On the Phil Kessel situation, Chara didn’t want to cause any controversy with his take on the restricted free agent’s ongoing contract situation.

“It’s part of the thing that every player has to realize and decide what he wants to do,” Chara said. “And obviously the rest of it is up to the management and Phil. So as a player I can’t really wish anything more than have both sides be happy. But we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

The Boston Bruins’ recent signing of free agent defenseman Derek Morris, on the heels of their trade of Aaron Ward to Carolina, leaves the club with an interesting mix of left- and right-handed shots on its back line.

Boston’s depth chart on D now includes four left and two right defensemen. Now, while most NHL defensemen give you the boilerplate “I can play on either side, whatever the coach wants” response when asked about playing on his stronger or weaker side, there’s no question that every player has a comfort level on a particular side. Plus it’s in a team’s interest to have the majority of its players making outlet passes on their forehand rather than their backhand.

So how should the Bruins align their defense this coming season? It’s never too early to plan, and first and foremost if I was coaching the Black and Gold would be to move Zdeno Chara to the right side. (more…)

Hedman

MONTREAL — Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara has been one of the premier blueliners in the NHL for a number of years, but his 2009 Norris Trophy win truly solidified himself among the game’s elite performers.

Chara is no longer just known as the tallest player in NHL history. And never was that more evident than at today’s luncheon with the top prospects for this weekends 2009 NHL Entry Draft. More than once Chara’s name was dropped as a standout a couple first-round hopefuls might be able to match someday as far as on-ice production.

Both 6-foot-6 defenseman Victor Hedman, the top-ranked European skater according to CSS, and 6-5 Jared Cowen, the CSS No. 9 skater among North Americans, still look up at the 6-9 Bruins’ captain. But they’re both left-handed shots, they could both grow a couple more inches, and they’ve love to be able to model their game after the Boston backliner. (more…)

LAS VEGAS — Well, I’m still recovering from a long night after the 2009 NHL Awards ceremony. I’m now at the airport waiting for my flight back home.

I was so caught up in my live blog and post-ceremony story, I completely forgot to take pictures. But here are some photos from Getty Images for your perusal. (more…)

LAS VEGAS — If there’s one common link between the Boston Bruins’ three award winners who were honored tonight at the 2009 NHL Awards ceremony at The Palms Casino and Resort, it’s perseverance in the face of naysayers and doubters.

Tim Thomas had to prove himself over and over for a decade on two different continents before he was given an NHL shot. Zdeno Chara had to convince people on two continents that someone as tall as some of the world’s biggest basketball players could succeed on ice. And Claude Julien had to rebound after two confusing firings before taking over the Bruins and turning around the franchise’s fortunes.

Tonight Thomas was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender, Chara won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman and Julien captured the Jack Adams Trophy as the coach of the year in the NHL.
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Chara

When the Boston Bruins bestowed their largest free-agent contract on Zdeno Chara in the summer of 2006, the 2008-09 season was just what they had in mind for the gargantuan defenseman.

It wasn’t just the career-high 19 goals and the plus-23 rating that made Chara the best defenseman in the league this season. When it came time to put the clamps on Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk or any of the league’s other offensive machines, Chara was there to grind them to a halt. He had his share of problems with Eric Staal in the playoffs, but regained his form in time to help the team force a Game 7 with Carolina and did nothing to tarnish what was definitely a Norris Trophy-worthy campaign. (more…)

Chara

The Boston Bruins lost Game 7 to Carolina last Thursday and today held their break-up day at TD Banknorth Garden.

If you can believe it, captain Zdeno Chara did not begin his offseason workouts in preparation for next season in between game night and this morning.

“I like to start early, that’s for sure. I like to start early,” the regimen-addicted defenseman said today.

You can understand why even Chara would want to take a little time off, especially considering the shoulder, knee and groin injuries he was battling all the way through to the end of the Bruins’ season. Unlike last season, however, Chara will not require surgery. (more…)