This was going to be an emotional moment no matter how the series wound up: Zdeno Chara going through the handshake line after a series against his former team.
Fortunately for the Bruins, they're the ones moving on. Unfortunately for Chara, he and the Capitals are going home for the offseason.
The Bruins knocked off the Capitals in five games, finishing off a series that was shorter than many expected with a 3-1 win Sunday night.
As is tradition, the two teams came together at center ice after the Bruins' brief celebration to shake each other's hands.
For Chara, that meant wishing many of his former teammates good luck as they move on. Unsurprisingly, the most emotional embraces appeared to be with Patrice Bergeron (his longtime co-leader in Boston and successor as captain) and Charlie McAvoy (his defense partner for his last several years in Boston and now a bona fide star in his own right).
"We’ve had so many battles together," Bergeron said after the game. "It was definitely different to play him in a playoff series. Obviously we played against each other all year, that kind of helped getting used to it, but that being said, it’s always different at that time of year."
Watch Chara go through the handshake line here: