Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara’s number 33 went to the TD Garden rafters Thursday night.
It was the latest honor for the Boston Bruins legend and one of hockey’s most respected figures. But Chara’s AHL connections run deep as well, and they continue today with Boston’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
Chosen in the third round of the 1996 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, the 6-foot-9 Chara, the tallest player in NHL history, arrived in the AHL for the 1997-98 season. With just one year in the Western Hockey League, he showed up needing plenty of seasoning, too. That season the Islanders sent their prospects, Chara included, to the Kentucky Thoroughblades in a dual affiliation with the San Jose Sharks.
Chara, then 20 years old, played 48 games with Kentucky, a team that also featured 1995 second-overall pick Andrei Zyuzin on its blue line along with future Sharks star goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Chara went to the AHL All-Star Classic in 1998 and ended up being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team alongside a who’s-who of future prominent NHL names like Daniel Briere, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brendan Morrison and Marc Savard. He also got into his first 25 NHL games with the Islanders, making his debut on Nov. 19, 1997, at Detroit.
It was the start of a 25-season journey through pro hockey that came full circle when he finished his career with the Islanders in 2022.
For Chara’s second season, the Islanders had secured their own AHL affiliate, the Lowell Lock Monsters, and Chara again needed additional development time. With 23 more games in the AHL with Lowell, he was ready to head off to the NHL to stay.
When it all finished, he had 1,680 regular-season games with the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Bruins and Washington Capitals. He captained the Bruins to a Stanley Cup championship in 2011. Three times an NHL First All-Star Team pick (plus four more selections to the Second All-Star Team), he also was the second-longest tenured captain in Boston history. With Boston sports at its peak for much of his time in the city, he became one of the symbols of its success.
Last summer came the call from Toronto. Chara was going into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His body of work did not limit itself to the NHL, either. He represented Slovakia seven times at the IIHF World Championship and three more times at the Winter Olympics, and also twice competed in the World Cup of Hockey. He went into the IIHF Hall of Fame last year as well. As captain, much was made of Boston’s dressing-room culture for stars, journeymen, rookies and call-ups alike. Along with another organizational fixture and AHL alumnus, Patrice Bergeron, Boston’s welcoming environment became as defining as anything that happened on the ice.
“I was really wide-eyed, what I remember, when I first met him,” Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy told BostonBruins.com. “I came just over from Providence; I got called up. We had practice, and then we were going to Ottawa. When I met him, I called him ‘Mr. Chara,’ and he was like, ‘Don’t do that. Call me Zee.’
“He just has that larger-than-life persona.”
That’s who the Bruins want helping to mentor, guide, and teach their prospects in Providence. So they named Chara their hockey operations advisor and mentor last Sept. 25.
Boston has a long history of keeping its alumni working closely with the organization after their playing days have ended, beginning with team president Cam Neely, general manager Don Sweeney and head coach Marco Sturm. Former Bruins forward Chris Kelly is an assistant coach. Adam McQuaid, who played with Providence before graduating to Boston, is the organization’s director of player personnel. AHL Hall of Famer Dennis Bonvie, whose playing days included time with both Boston and Providence, is the organization’s director of pro scouting. Dean Malkoc, P.J. Axelsson, Brett Harkins, Milan Jurcina and Matt Lindblad all suited up in black-and-gold before moving into Boston’s scouting department.
Chara became the latest addition to that group in taking on something of a catch-all role. One of Chara’s top strengths as a player was his ability to communicate and develop relationships, and those skills are something that Boston highlighted in announcing his new post-playing role.
Some of that work has included working with prospects in Providence, too. It has been another successful season for the P-Bruins, whose 25-8-0-1 record has them fighting for first place in the Eastern Conference this season. That mix of winning and a commitment to development has sent a long list of players onward to Boston after time in Providence. Strong leadership in Providence has long been an organizational priority with highly respected captain Patrick Brown helming an experienced group of mentors.
And if a young player has a few questions on fitness, well, Chara is certainly someone who can offer advice. Famous for his commitment to fitness as a player, his time since retirement has included running marathons and Ironman competitions.
This role is a move back into hockey after taking three seasons after leaving the ice to map out a plan for his future. As he approaches his 49th birthday in March, Chara’s presence in Providence has been welcomed.
“Chara’s a big part of our group now,” said Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel.
It can be easy for an organization’s standard to begin to slip as the players who maintained it for so many years move on and retire. Boston has worked to avoid that by keeping people like Sturm, Kelly, and other alumni actively working in key roles to pass down those values to the next generation of Bruins. Chara is the latest step toward that effort.
“There’s a certain standard,” Mougenel said in explaining that approach, “and I think it just works…it’s a great environment to be in as a player.”
And for the seemingly never-ending list of accomplishments dotting Chara’s resume, he has fit in quickly with the Providence coaching staff and roster. He is a Hockey Hall of Famer but just one of the group all at the same time.
“He’s extremely humble,” Mougenel said, “but extremely detailed.”
