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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2021 12:48:15 GMT -5
I’ve always enjoyed studying the athletes that stay in their professional sport of choice for long periods of time - Robert Parish, Kareem, Nolan Ryan, Eckersley, Brady, Julio Franco, Ricky Henderson, etc. The longest-lasting current NHL player goes back to 1997, Zdeno Chara. I don’t generally follow hockey, but this guy is a Slavic warrior. Intense, can skate artistically, score, and is incredibly aggressive on defense. Anyone follow this guy? What an athlete.
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Post by sonstuds on Apr 23, 2021 13:14:59 GMT -5
Patrick Marleau laughs at your attempt to praise an NHL player for staying power.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2021 13:40:07 GMT -5
Patrick Marleau laughs at your attempt to praise an NHL player for staying power. Both entered the NHL the same season, good sir.
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Post by bWo on Apr 23, 2021 20:26:58 GMT -5
Chara was absolute trash when he broke in with the Isles. He couldn't skate and didn't know how to use his size. He was fun to watch though because he was a giant and looked like such an oddity. He accomplished nothing in Long Island and was traded to Ottawa for a gifted but lazy Alexei Yashin. Islanders were looking for help "right now" so they let the work in progress go.
In Ottawa his development hit it's stride and he was starting to turn into the force he would be. Adding Chara to the Battle of Ontario was fun. He added some nastiness that Ottawa lacked. Didn't help though. HAHA Ottawa fans. Anyways, Ottawa also had another defenseman named Wade Redden whose contract ended at the same time as Chara's. Ottawa decided to let Zdeno Chara walk and re-signed Redden. A ridiculous decision.
Wade Redden was good/average. He was a replaceable player though. Nobody like Chara had ever come along before and demonstrated the kinds abilities he had. 6'9" 250 pounds, a 7 foot wingspan, 100mph slap shot, and a mean streak. They let that rarity go. A ridiculous decision.
Chara signed in Boston and became the dominant player he would be for over a decade. With a Stanley Cup and a Norris Trophy in his pocket, he cemented himself as a force. He couldn't escape Father Time though. The game was getting faster as Chara was getting slower and Boston decided after 14 years to let him walk.
He signed in Washington in the off-season at 43 years old, and he's played and looked like he's 43 years old. He signed for the league minimum (or somewhere around it) so the experience he brings is probably worth it either way.
Zdeno Chara was always an enigma when it came to dropping the gloves. His size and strength should have made him a beast, but he was more often than not a complete letdown. He could punch, but his bear strength and balance would suddenly morph into Bambi Legs and he would have no balance and fall. It was a spectacle every time he would drop the gloves with another team's tough guy though. They were mostly all better fighters, but Chara was a JUGGERNAUT.
His most talked about fight was against Tampa Bay's 6'6" 245 pound David Koci. Chara turned Koci's face into Hamburger Helper, but Koci actually went into the fight with an already broken nose suffered in a fight against (Maple Leafs) Wade Belak a few nights earlier. Still though, Hamburger Helper.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 24, 2021 10:29:18 GMT -5
Chara was absolute trash when he broke in with the Isles. He couldn't skate and didn't know how to use his size. He was fun to watch though because he was a giant and looked like such an oddity. He accomplished nothing in Long Island and was traded to Ottawa for a gifted but lazy Alexei Yashin. Islanders were looking for help "right now" so they let the work in progress go. In Ottawa his development hit it's stride and he was starting to turn into the force he would be. Adding Chara to the Battle of Ontario was fun. He added some nastiness that Ottawa lacked. Didn't help though. HAHA Ottawa fans. Anyways, Ottawa also had another defenseman named Wade Redden whose contract ended at the same time as Chara's. Ottawa decided to let Zdeno Chara walk and re-signed Redden. A ridiculous decision. Wade Redden was good/average. He was a replaceable player though. Nobody like Chara had ever come along before and demonstrated the kinds abilities he had. 6'9" 250 pounds, a 7 foot wingspan, 100mph slap shot, and a mean streak. They let that rarity go. A ridiculous decision. Chara signed in Boston and became the dominant player he would be for over a decade. With a Stanley Cup and a Norris Trophy in his pocket, he cemented himself as a force. He couldn't escape Father Time though. The game was getting faster as Chara was getting slower and Boston decided after 14 years to let him walk. He signed in Washington in the off-season at 43 years old, and he's played and looked like he's 43 years old. He signed for the league minimum (or somewhere around it) so the experience he brings is probably worth it either way. Zdeno Chara was always an enigma when it came to dropping the gloves. His size and strength should have made him a beast, but he was more often than not a complete letdown. He could punch, but his bear strength and balance would suddenly morph into Bambi Legs and he would have no balance and fall. It was a spectacle every time he would drop the gloves with another team's tough guy though. They were mostly all better fighters, but Chara was a JUGGERNAUT. His most talked about fight was against Tampa Bay's 6'6" 245 pound David Koci. Chara turned Koci's face into Hamburger Helper, but Koci actually went into the fight with an already broken nose suffered in a fight against (Maple Leafs) Wade Belak a few nights earlier. Still though, Hamburger Helper. Good info and fascinating breakdown, wow. So it took him a while to become the dominant player he’s remember as being. How much longer do you think he’ll go? Done after this season? Also, when was the fight where he threw the opponent into the rail and gave him a concussion?
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Post by Grenouille on Apr 24, 2021 21:54:15 GMT -5
I'll fully admit to not being a fan of the signing and giving him the C immediately back in 2006. Chara grew on me pretty quickly and I now own a Chara jersey. It still disappoints me the Bruins didn't finish the job in 2019 and he could have retired with a Cup. It won't be long after he does hang them up I look forward to seeing the #33 hang in the rafters of the Garden.
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Post by bWo on May 2, 2021 23:00:22 GMT -5
Chara was absolute trash when he broke in with the Isles. He couldn't skate and didn't know how to use his size. He was fun to watch though because he was a giant and looked like such an oddity. He accomplished nothing in Long Island and was traded to Ottawa for a gifted but lazy Alexei Yashin. Islanders were looking for help "right now" so they let the work in progress go. In Ottawa his development hit it's stride and he was starting to turn into the force he would be. Adding Chara to the Battle of Ontario was fun. He added some nastiness that Ottawa lacked. Didn't help though. HAHA Ottawa fans. Anyways, Ottawa also had another defenseman named Wade Redden whose contract ended at the same time as Chara's. Ottawa decided to let Zdeno Chara walk and re-signed Redden. A ridiculous decision. Wade Redden was good/average. He was a replaceable player though. Nobody like Chara had ever come along before and demonstrated the kinds abilities he had. 6'9" 250 pounds, a 7 foot wingspan, 100mph slap shot, and a mean streak. They let that rarity go. A ridiculous decision. Chara signed in Boston and became the dominant player he would be for over a decade. With a Stanley Cup and a Norris Trophy in his pocket, he cemented himself as a force. He couldn't escape Father Time though. The game was getting faster as Chara was getting slower and Boston decided after 14 years to let him walk. He signed in Washington in the off-season at 43 years old, and he's played and looked like he's 43 years old. He signed for the league minimum (or somewhere around it) so the experience he brings is probably worth it either way. Zdeno Chara was always an enigma when it came to dropping the gloves. His size and strength should have made him a beast, but he was more often than not a complete letdown. He could punch, but his bear strength and balance would suddenly morph into Bambi Legs and he would have no balance and fall. It was a spectacle every time he would drop the gloves with another team's tough guy though. They were mostly all better fighters, but Chara was a JUGGERNAUT. His most talked about fight was against Tampa Bay's 6'6" 245 pound David Koci. Chara turned Koci's face into Hamburger Helper, but Koci actually went into the fight with an already broken nose suffered in a fight against (Maple Leafs) Wade Belak a few nights earlier. Still though, Hamburger Helper. Good info and fascinating breakdown, wow. So it took him a while to become the dominant player he’s remember as being. How much longer do you think he’ll go? Done after this season? Also, when was the fight where he threw the opponent into the rail and gave him a concussion? Chara is year to year at this point. If Washington wins the Stanley Cup this year I would think there's a better chance of him retiring as a champion. If not he might come back if there's interest. He's always in great shape so he'd be able to keep going. There are pics of his physique online that are a few years old, but they give you an idea of how he carries himself as an athlete. ![](https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2009/1014/boston_chara_300.jpg) The incident you're thinking of was a body check against a player on Montreal named Max Pacioretty. There's an area where the glass that protects the fans ends at the players bench. It's often referred to as "the turnbuckle" because players essentially use it like wrestlers do in wrestling. It's EXTREMELY dangerous, but it happens. When Chara did it to Pacioretty they were moving fast and Chara has monster strength. Pacioretty hits the corner of that glass like a missile and the glass wins. You'll see and HEAR this hit. The replays at 1 minute show the slow-mo brutality. Pacioretty suffered a fractured vertebra and concussion. This hit happened in Montreal where they are crazy about hockey, so the police ended up investigating the hit. No charges were laid. Chara was kicked out of the game for the hit but wasn't suspended or fined. Pacioretty recovered and was fine. It's a hit that happens and will continue to happen because of the layout. Here's the same thing happening to Ryan Smyth. This one is as nasty, ====== Cody Franson, ===== Brandon Dubinsky,
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Post by Nivro™ on May 2, 2021 23:15:52 GMT -5
Wasnt 134yo Jaromir Jagr still playing in the NHL last year or two years ago? Its about time for his 3rd or 4th come back
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Post by bWo on May 3, 2021 19:27:50 GMT -5
Wasnt 134yo Jaromir Jagr still playing in the NHL last year or two years ago? Its about time for his 3rd or 4th come back He's still playing in the Czech Republic at 49. Scored this beauty recently,
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Post by Grenouille on May 4, 2021 0:26:41 GMT -5
Jagr's performance in '13 playoffs still annoys me. Between him and Tyler Seguin 1 goal.
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Post by Mongo Bears on Aug 3, 2021 19:44:27 GMT -5
Ugliest player ever. Jagr was better.
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Post by TWJT on Feb 15, 2022 13:09:46 GMT -5
Is Chara playing again this year? Thinking of the longevity guys in pro sports still going, I know Haslem is still with the Heat (career in publicized basketball goes back to his freshman year with Florida in '98), and Albert Pujols is still active, though a free agent.
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