Former captain 'set the tone' as player, returns as hockey operations advisor
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BOSTON — When David Pastrnak first encountered Zdeno Chara, back when he was a rookie after being chosen with the No. 25 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, he addressed the then-Boston Bruins captain as he would back home, as Mr. Chara, a term of respect for an elder. Chara quickly shrugged off the formality, making Pastrnak feel at home and welcomed.
It’s that kind of impact, and more, that the Bruins are hoping returns as Chara rejoins the Bruins after being named a hockey operations advisor and mentor Thursday.
“It’s so simple with Zdeno. He has so much to offer, obviously both personally and with all the experience he has as a player,” Pastrnak said. “We are very happy as players. I think every single young player in the locker room should recognize what kind of person we have in this room and use him. He’s here for us.”
Chara, who retired after the 2021-22 season, will work with players and staff in his new role, as a bridge between players and coaches, and will help with the off-ice development of defensemen, among other responsibilities. After five years away from the organization — he left the Bruins after the 2019-20 season, playing one season each with the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders — he once again will be visible around practices and home games.
It’s something the current Bruins are embracing, including first-year coach, Marco Sturm, a teammate of Chara’s for four seasons in Boston (2006-10).
“He set the tone pretty much, starting in practice,” Sturm said of Chara’s presence. “You still want to have fun, whatever, but when it’s time to go and time to work, you’ve got to get the job done and he was a big leader on that. And the [Patrice] Bergeron’s and the Sturm’s, you name it, all those guys, we followed him pretty much.
“I think that is the message he wants to send to [Charlie] McAvoy and ‘Pasta’ and all these guys. So sometimes they get sick of me and sick of whoever, but I think he will be just another voice I think in our room that maybe will push these guys forward.”
Pastrnak and McAvoy, Chara’s former defense partner, welcomed him back to the team and spoke glowingly of him and of the effect he could have on a team in transition.
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“There’s so many alumni here that you can see what it means to them to have been a Bruin, to be a Bruin, and a lot of guys that come back, it’s full circle, right?” McAvoy said. “It’s amazing. Guys like that don’t grow on trees. The experience that he has, the person he is, the leader, to have him here is going to be extremely impactful on all of us.”
Chara, for his part, is ready for the new challenge, working with the team with which he won the 2011 Stanley Cup and with which he solidified his candidacy for the Hockey Hall of Fame, which he will enter this year.
“Definitely I’m excited,” he said. “I’m honored to be back with the team and working with the coaching staff, management and players. It’s definitely something new, something that I know I can bring a lot, but at the same time I’ll be learning a lot too.”
One area in which the Bruins are anticipating Chara helping is on the leadership side. With the trade of Brad Marchand before the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, the Bruins are without a captain now and potentially through the season.
Pastrnak and McAvoy jointly are filling the void.
“I’m just another asset they can use, to pick the brain, to help, to give them the advice on certain situations,” Chara said. “First and foremost I think they are just really good people. They care. Everybody knows they’re amazing players. I think they have good intentions and it just takes a little bit of time to grow into that role, to feel comfortable, and we all went through it. Just if I can be a help, maybe guidance, or a little bit of mentorship in that department to help them grow as people and as [men] and as leaders, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Chara spent last season around the Bruins in an informal role, attending meetings, interacting with players, listening in, figuring out ways in which he might be able to aid the organization.
Now his role is defined in a way he believes he can contribute the most.
“This is all about communication, being open with each other and having the transparency with players and the coaches and we all work for the same goal, just to improve and get the maximum potential and performance from our team, from the hockey club,” Chara said.
On a team making the jump from its past starts to its future core, that could be all the more important.
“He loves the game, he loves the Bruins culture, I would say, and we just want to take advantage,” Sturm said. “So it’s nice to have that back.”
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