Watching Zdeno Chara playing for Washington Capitals was weird.
Do you know what will be stranger? Watch him play against Boston Bruins.
“I respect these guys a lot. I love you like my brothers. We managed to win a Stanley Cup together, ”said Chara of the Bruins on Friday at Zoom. “We understand that this is a business and we have to play for our teams and compete abroad. But, at the same time, we have something that is very deep and that goes back a long time, and obviously we will value these memories. “
Chara, of course, was the captain of the 2006 Bruins until he went to Caps at a free agency last season. So far, both sides have done well. The 43-year-old has fit well into the Washington system, while the Bruins youths, Jakub Zboril and Jeremy Lauzon, have done a good job replacing Chara and Torey Krug.
And after so many years of watching Chara with the Bruins, it will be weird to see him go up against Brad Marchand, who has no intention of chirping his former teammate.
“I don’t think it will be any different,” Chara said of facing Marchand. “He’s a guy who always goes there and fights and tries to win for the team. I think we had a lot of training against each other and we both competed a lot, so I don’t expect anything more from him or anyone else. “
Even the potential for awkwardness is not going to diminish the profound impact he had on many guys – which was a highlight for Bruce Cassidy on Thursday and others on Friday.
“There were so many (things he taught me),” said David Pastrnak, who hopes to make his season debut on Saturday. “Especially when I was 18 and I entered the room. Obviously, a little (a benefit) because we speak the same language, so he helped me a lot, he gave me a lot of time and invited me to a lot of dinners.
“I can’t thank him, he taught me how to be a professional, to be honest. It seems like one of the simplest things, but for a young player to become a professional and act like a professional, it is not always easy. “
When Brandon Carlo joined the NHL in 2016, he was christened with fire, being played in the top pair with Chara. The captain did a great job putting his defensive partner in a position of success in both the short and long term.
In the following years, Chara broke up with Charlie McAvoy, while Carlo went with Krug (and now Matt Grzelcyk). Carlo became one of the best standstill advocates in the East, while flourishing as a leader.
This is partly because he takes notes on how Chara operated.
“When I had the pleasure of playing with him for the entire first year, I recognized that communication on the ice was the biggest component of having a successful team,” said Carlo. “Out of the ice, he definitely led by example. You would see him at the gym more than anyone else, so he was always there taking care of his body, doing the work to be able to support himself and play with the time he has. “
The Bruins and Capitals will face each other eight times this year, so in due course we will be used to Chara facing his old team.
Until then, it will be a little different.
Miniature photo via Geoff Burke / Images USA TODAY Sports