This week, it was reported that Zdeno Chara will be returning to the organization as a consultant. General manager Don Sweeney subsequently released a statement, saying in part, “We have an open invitation and ongoing dialogue with Zdeno to return in some capacity whenever he felt it was the right for both he and his family” (Ryan. “Zdeno Chara reportedly returning to Bruins as a consultant,” Boston.com, Jan. 29, 2025).
Chara spent 14 seasons with the Bruins, serving as captain for all 14 of them. Yes, he signed a five-year deal with the organization and was named the captain upon arrival, before even completing a full season. It speaks to how highly regarded he was throughout his NHL career, going beyond just his play on the ice. In fact, my very first article for The Hockey Writers back in 2020 was about the value of Chara’s leadership.
Since retiring at the end of the 2021-22 season, Chara has remained active in and around the Boston community and the Bruins organization. If a formal position does come to fruition sooner rather than later, it would be a huge benefit for the players, both the ones on the current roster and in the pipeline, the fans, and the front office.
Chara’s Long NHL Career
Chara was drafted 56th overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. For reference, David Pastrnak was only a month old when he was selected and Charlie McAvoy, his defensive partner in his final few seasons in Boston, was yet to be born. He was a third-round selection, but arguably, the best player to come out of that draft amongst names like Marco Strum and Daniel Briere, who were both first-round picks that year.
He made his NHL debut in the 1997-98 season with the Islanders, earning an “A” for the team in the 2000-01 season, only his second full-time NHL season. Subsequently, he was traded in June 2001 to the Ottawa Senators, where he was once again made part of the leadership group in the 2003-04 season.
As mentioned above, he signed with Boston as a free agent in 2006 and spent 14 seasons in Boston, serving as captain the entire time. In 2020, he left the Bruins in free agency, signing with the Washington Capitals. He spent one season there before returning to the Islanders for a final season in 2021-22, closing out his NHL career where it began.
All in, Chara played 24 NHL seasons for four different franchises, with his longest tenure being with the Bruins. With his size and skills, he was a great impact player and elite defenseman for most of his career. He was so significant that when the NHL recently began unveiling their quarter-century teams for each franchise, he was listed on two – the Bruins (first team) and the Senators (second team).
Value for Bruins Organization
Chara is a proven leader on and off the ice. That leadership and understanding of the game that comes from playing in the NHL for 24 seasons is incredibly valuable to the Bruins organization. He led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win in 2011 and appearances in the Final in 2015 and 2019. In 2009, he won the Norris Trophy for best defenseman in the entire NHL. He is a future Hall of Famer and most likely is the next guy to get his number retired in Boston. A lot of his leadership focused on ideas of accountability, the importance of building a culture, and being a team.
He was the type of leader that led by example, and always did his part. Chara is fluent in seven different languages, which helped him tremendously with communicating with players from different countries, while instating a rule that English must be spoken in the locker room to give them all a common tongue so that no one felt left out. He also avoided using the word rookie to not alienate first-year guys.
When Chara was captain, he was a bastion for togetherness, inclusivity, and bringing people together. That is an environment that often breeds success, so why wouldn’t the front office want to bring someone with that type of leadership ability back into the fold?
It has not been smooth sailing for the Bruins as the organization has seen three head coaches since 2022 and has been in transition the last few seasons as the “old guard” has retired and the new core has stepped into their leadership positions.
Bringing in a guy like Chara to help this “new” core group of franchise players (all of whom have 5.5-plus years left on their contracts in Boston) – McAvoy, Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, Jeremy Swayman, Elias Lindholm – establish their identity and leadership styles is truly valuable for the franchise. It may be a fairly minor role, but Chara has shown again and again to be a special kind of person. I mean, what guy finishes a 24-season NHL career and then starts running marathons, completing seven in 12 months?
As Sweeney implied, Chara can come in and work in whatever position, or consultant role he wants. Anything he does will be valuable for the franchise because he is a proven leader who has consistently found ways to make the guys around him better.
Future Roles?
While Chara is reportedly returning in a consultant position, it is hard to imagine a guy that played as long as he did and is as much of a disciplined machine as he is, wouldn’t one day start striving for a higher position. His emphasis since ending his career has been spending time with his family and kids, but as they get older, one wonders if he’d want a GM or coaching position. This is, of course, all speculation, but it’s interesting to think about.
Bringing Chara back in any role for now is not just a valuable hockey move for the organization, but a pretty good PR one as well as annoyance continues to grow amongst fans with Sweeney and president Cam Neely, and the chances increase that the Bruins could miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. A front office with Chara in it could certainly get them some positive points with the fan base.
