Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand knows he shouldn’t shake up former teammate Zdeno Chara, although he is now an opponent.
“No, you don’t want to poke the bear,” said Marchand.
Chara faces Bruins on Saturday for the first time since leaving Boston as a free agent, signing with Washington Capitals in the off-season. The Bruins wanted to shorten their playing time in favor of giving younger defenders a longer view.
Chara, 43, felt he could still be a regular NHL contributor, and his 14-year term with Boston ended with a one-year contract in DC
“I love them like my brothers,” said Chara on Friday. “We understand that this is a business. We have to play for our teams and compete abroad. But at the same time, we have something that is very deep, comes from a long time and we will keep those memories.”
Marchand knows that any worship shared between the Bruins and Chara will not be transferred to the ice.
“He’s the kind of guy that, when he’s there, you’re an opponent. He’s not going to have any friends there. He’s going to play, compete and battle,” said Marchand. “I’m not going to poke the bear in any way. The biggest thing I can do is just skate away from him. If you stay within reach or his hands, you’re not going anywhere.”
Chara said he also doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary from Marchand on his first date.
“I don’t think it will be any different,” he said. “He’s a guy who always goes there and competes for his teams. I think we had a lot of training against each other and we both competed a lot. I don’t expect anything more from him or anyone else.”
Chara has an average of 20:29 in ice time per game for Washington. In eight games, he scored a goal and two assists, scoring his first as Capital in the win over the New York Islanders on Thursday. When asked if he proved that he can still be a regular player, instead of a spare part that the Bruins saw him, Chara said: “I’m just trying to focus on trying to help this team in the best possible way.”
There’s more to Saturday’s game (19h ET, ESPN +) than this exciting meeting: capitals are first in the Eastern Division with 13 points from eight games, and Boston is right behind them with 11 points from seven games.
“I don’t think it will be much about me playing Boston Bruins. I think these are two really good teams, playing for two points that will be there tomorrow to grab,” said Chara.
Still, it’s Zdeno Chara against Boston Bruins. The former captain. The defensive star. The man who first raised the Stanley Cup when Boston won for the first time in 39 years in 2011.
“It will be strange to see him in a different uniform,” said Marchand.