Capitals, Bruins not focused on Zdeno Chara reunion for Game 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Just a few months ago, the mere thought of Zdeno Chara in a uniform other than the black and gold in Boston seemed impossible. The longtime Bruin seemed destined to end his playing career as a hero in New England and ride off into the sunset with his No. 33 jersey in the rafters.
Now he’s set to face his former team in a playoff series.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Chara, 44, spent 14 seasons of his 23-year career in Boston as the team’s captain. He won the Stanley Cup in 2011 and was a Norris Trophy winner in 2009. He’s one of the most beloved Bruins ever, but now will have to play the part of rival in a seven-game set.
As for the impact on that series, though, there doesn’t appear to be much.
“We’re playing the Washington Capitals, we’ve played them so many times this year,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “It’s always fun to line up against Z and obviously we have a special bond, but this is the Bruins vs the Capitals, and that’s really it."
The Capitals have already faced the Bruins eight times this season and have had their fair share of dustups already. If the series is lacking one thing, animosity certainly isn’t it.
The reunions have been had, too, as there have been (limited) ovations for Chara and the usual questioning as he faced the team he once led.
But over the last few days, there’s been talk of Chara’s impact on relaying Bruins information to the Capitals to help them out on the ice. Information like what different words mean, how certain players play and how the Bruins attack certain schemes or players on the Capitals.
“I think there’s no secrets in this league, we’ve played these guys a number of times through the years, we’ve seen them a number of times over the years, we played them eight times this season, there’s not really any schematic secrets you can try,” Capitals defenseman John Carlson said. “The coaches and video coaches dig deep for any play across the board, there’s certainly a lot of them, but there’s nothing that will sneak up on you that you don’t know is a possibility.”
McAvoy, when asked about that possibility, had a similar answer.
“Hasn’t even crossed my mind,” McAvoy said. “We play hard, we play a certain way, I think that what they’d be able to watch from studying from us on film is probably the same that Z could tell them anyway. I don’t know if there’s really like a cheat sheet or anything.”
Whether or not the Capitals get a type of cheat sheet from Chara, he’s been more than anyone could have reasonably asked for from a defenseman that’s nearly played as long as some players on the team have been alive.
He signed late in the offseason, played all but one game this season and tallied two goals on eight assists while averaging 18:19 in time on ice per game. He’s mostly been paired with right-handed shot Nick Jensen, as the duo has solidified the bottom pairing for the Capitals’ defense.
His leadership hasn’t gone by the wayside either, as his veteran presence has given the Capitals another voice in the room that has hoisted the Stanley Cup.
“I’ve never heard a bad thing about the guy, whether that’s on the ice, off the ice, whatever,” Carlson said. “He’s just a true professional, one of the greatest guys that’s been through this locker room. I think right away, you saw that both on and off the ice in just how well I know him after a very short year, a challenging year. He’s just a special dude that everybody looks up to for what he has done in his past, but also just who he is makes him just the best.”
When Chara left the Bruins, who decided to go younger on their blue line this offseason, he came to Washington with no guarantees and no defined role on the team. He just wanted a chance to play and a chance to compete for the Cup once again. He found that in Washington seamlessly.
He was recently nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award given for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey as one of the most influential members of the Capitals. Surely just a few months ago, no one saw that coming either.
“I don’t think you could use two better words to describe a player or a person than dedication and perseverance,” Laviolette said. “Dedication for sure. Perseverance to keep pushing and playing the way he does at this point in his career.”
