Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Hall of Fame defender Zdeno CharaNo. 33 went to the TD Garden rafters on Thursday night.
It was the latest honor for a Boston Bruins legend and hockey’s most revered figure. But Chara’s AHL connection also runs deep, and continues today with Boston’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
Selected 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, came to the AHL in the 1997-98 season. In just one year in the Western Hockey League, he seemed to need a lot of seasoning, too. At that time the Islanders sent their prospects, including Chara, to the Kentucky Thoroughblades in a dual partnership with the San Jose Sharks.
Chara, then 20, played 48 games with Kentucky, the team that also had the second overall pick in 1995. Andrei Zyuzin on its blue line and the Sharks goalie of the future Evgeni Nabokov. Chara went to the AHL All-Star Classic in 1998 and ended up being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team along with a who’s who of NHL superstars such as Daniel Briere, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Brendan Morrison again Marc Savard. He also played in his first 25 NHL games with the Islanders, making his debut on November 19, 1997, in 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.
In Chara’s second season, the Islanders secured their own AHL franchise, the Lowell Lock Monsters, and Chara needed more time to develop. With 23 more games in the AHL with Lowell, he was ready to go to the NHL to stay.
When it was over, he had 1,680 regular season games with the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Bruins and Washington Capitals. He captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011. A three-time NHL First All-Star team selection (and four more All-Star Second Team selections), he became the longest-tenured captain in Boston history. With Boston sports being at the top of their game for most of the time in the city, he became one of the symbols of its success.
Last summer I got a call from Toronto. Chara was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. His body of work didn’t end in the NHL, either. He represented Slovakia seven times in the IIHF World Championship and three more times in the Winter Olympics, and also participated in the World Cup of Hockey twice. He was also inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame last year. As a captain, much has been made of Boston’s dressing room culture of stars, walk-ons, rookies and rookies alike. Along with another fraternity and AHL alumnus, Patrice BergeronBoston’s reception was as defining as anything that happens on the ice.
“I was really eye-opening, I remember, when I first met him,” the Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy he told BostonBruins.com. “As soon as I got to Providence, I was called. We were rehearsing, then we went to Ottawa. When I met him, I called him ‘Mr. Chara,’ and he was like, ‘Don’t do that. Call me Zee.’
“You have that larger-than-life personality.”
That’s who the Bruins want to help guide, mentor, and teach their prospects in Providence. So they named Chara as their hockey performance advisor and final advisor on September 25.
Boston has a long history of keeping its alumni involved with the organization after their playing days are over, starting with the team’s president. Cam NeelyGeneral manager Don Sweeney and the head coach Marco Sturm. Former Bruins forward Chris Kelly he is an assistant coach. Adam McQuaidwho played with Providence before graduating to Boston, is the organization’s director of player personnel. AHL Hall of Famer Dennis Bonviehis playing days including time with both Boston and Providence, he is the organization’s director of pro scouting. Dean Malkoc, PJ Axelsson, Brett Harkins, Milan Jurcina again Matt Lindblad all painted in black and gold before moving to the Boston testing department.
Chara was the latest addition to that group to hold something of a catch-all role. One of Chara’s greatest strengths as a player was his ability to communicate and develop relationships, and those skills are something Boston highlighted when announcing his new post-playing role.
Some of that work included working with Providence’s prospects, too. It’s been another successful season for the P-Bruins, whose 25-8-0-1 record has them in contention for first place in the Eastern Conference this season. That combination of winning and commitment to development has sent a long list of players to Boston after a stint in Providence. Strong leadership at Providence has long been a top priority for the organization and a highly respected captain Patrick Brown to help a group of experienced advisors.
And if a young player has a few questions about fitness, well, Chara is the person to offer advice. Known for his commitment to fitness as an athlete, his time since retirement has included running marathons and Ironman competitions.
This role is a return to hockey after taking three seasons off the ice to plan for his future. As she approaches her 49th birthday in March, Chara’s presence in Providence is welcomed.
“Chara is a big part of our team now,” said the Providence coach Ryan Mougenel.
It would be easy for the organization’s ranking to begin to slip as the players it has retained for so many years move on and leave. Boston has worked to avoid that by keeping people like Sturm, Kelly, and other alumni actively working in key roles to pass those values on to the next generation of Bruins. Chara is the latest step in that effort.
“There is a certain level,” Mougenel said when explaining that approach, “and I think it works … it’s a good place to be as a player.”
And with a seemingly endless list of accomplishments that include Chara and on and on, he has quickly fit in well with the Providence coaching staff and program. He’s a Hockey Hall of Famer but he’s one of the team at the same time.
“He is very humble,” said Mougenel, “but very detailed.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
