Boston Bruins great Zdeno Chara was finally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday.
The 6-foot-9 Chara, even at 48 years old, still looked intimidating as ever as he stood on the stage for his speech. But the former Bruins star defenseman was all class, as he talked about his career and the people who have made a tremendous impact on him.
Among those that Chara spoke highly about during his speech was none other than his teammate with Boston, Patrick Bergeron.
“I want to single out one player – I want to thank Patrice Bergeron…my longest teammate, my co-captain – Bergy, I could always count on you, Chara said (h/t Bruins' official account on X, formerly Twitter).
“You showed me and helped me to become a better leader, player, but more importantly a better person.”
Bergeron and Chara played a total of 14 years together as Bruins teammates. After starting his NHL playing career with the New York Islanders and spending four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Chara starred for the Bruins for over a dozen years, all of it alongside Bergeron, who played his entire 24-year career in the league with Boston.
During their time in Boston, Bergeron and Chara helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011, when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final for the franchise's first Cup win since 1972. Chara played for Boston from the 2006-07 season to the 2019-20 campaign, during which he amassed totals of 148 and 333 assists for 481 points, including 69 power play goals and four shorthanded ones.
The former James Norris Memorial Trophy winner was introduced to the Hockey Hall of Fame by another Hall of Famer in Nicklas Lidstrom, and also reflected on the Bruins' unforgettable run in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“We had a tight-knit group during that Stanley Cup year and many around it, a bunch of players who didn’t want to disappoint each other,” said Chara (h/t Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com). “We sacrificed our bodies, everyone knew their roles, we stuck up for each other and refused to let the guy next to you down.”
Perhaps Chara, who retired in 2022 after playing his final two seasons with the Washington Capitals and the Islanders, will get a shoutout in return in 2026 from Bergeron, who is among the Hockey Hall of Fame candidates next year.
