MONTREAL — There’s something utterly strange, if not incredibly ironic, about a man who’s 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds being in the background of anything, but that’s exactly where Zdeno Chara finds himself this season; in the shadow of Boston Bruins rookie sensation Charlie McAvoy.
To see the mob of reporters for a Montreal-Boston matchup surge towards the 20-year-old McAvoy is no surprise. He’s got five goals, 25 points and a plus-18 rating this season, and is making a strong bid for a Calder Trophy nomination. That they aren’t paying much attention to what his 40-year-old partner is doing is somewhat perplexing.
“To have Chara out there with me has really meant everything to my success,” said McAvoy a week ago, ahead of the first of three meetings with the Canadiens—the last of which will be played at the Bell Centre Saturday. “He’s made my life so much easier defensively, he’s so responsible. He’s so good at ending plays so I really don’t get into the danger areas very much. He communicates so well on and off the ice and he’s been teaching me life lessons along with hockey lessons. I’m just very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from him.”
It’s been an indelible experience for McAvoy, no doubt.
It’s not by fluke that Chara, who turns 41 in March, has put up four goals and nine assists and a plus-24 rating in spite of seeing barely any time on the power play this season and having to play against the opposition’s best players night in, night out.
“I just like to stay fit, I like to be out there,” Chara said before the Bruins beat the Canadiens 4-1 on Wednesday.
It’s a good thing he does, because he’s leading the Bruins in ice time this season, averaging 23:24 per game. They’re hard minutes, due to the aforementioned matchup game he’s involved in, but also because of how many of them he spends leading the NHL’s sixth-ranked penalty kill.
On Wednesday, Chara was on for a shift that lasted 4:18, helping the Bruins kill off a five-on-three advantage after McAvoy and defenceman Brandon Carlo were called for successive infractions.
“I was tired,” Chara told the Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa. “Nothing that didn’t happen before. You feel you’ve been there for a while. It takes some energy out of you.
“At the same time, that’s my job. I train to do that. Those are times and moments where I absolutely love to be on the ice. Whatever the team needs, I’m willing to give.”
That’s what Chara’s done since coming to the Bruins and becoming their captain in 2006. Though he’s not producing 50-point seasons anymore, his level of play hasn’t really tapered off much since then.
“On a night in and night out basis, I always say that I’m glad that I’m on his D pairing,” said McAvoy. “He plays such an effective game. He’s so hard to get around, his stick is always in your way. People say the game’s about the speed and all that stuff, but he’s still doing it and he has a lot more positives than negatives every single game. We all make mistakes, and people can be harsher on him because of age bias, but I probably make double the mistakes and don’t get the heat.
“We aren’t the team we are without him. And if you ask players on other teams how they feel playing against him, they’ll tell you it’s not easy because he’s got that long-ass stick and he’s physical and smart with the puck. He’s got it, and I’m curious what he’s going to do next year because he’s such a pivotal part of this team.”
The Bruins aren’t too concerned about Chara’s ability to be on the same level for another year or two. A member of the team’s upper management told Sportsnet this week that they’d have no reservations about re-signing him after his contract expires this season.
Those conversations haven’t been entertained quite yet, but barring any radical reversals in quality of play or major injuries for Chara between now and season’s end, there’s no reason to believe a new deal won’t be forged between both parties.
We know how Chara feels about it.
“I really enjoy playing the game, I’m very competitive,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that I love the game. Anytime I can be out there, I want to stay out there and play, and that’s most important for me. I try to be ready and do whatever I can to be out there for the next game and every game after that.”
Surely that kind of passion can’t be ignored.
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