Even at age 41, Bruins captain, Zdeno Chara has exceeded expectations so far this season.
With a two-goal game on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, Chara pushed his point total to four points in 11 games, three of those points being goals with a plus-one rating.
Chara told reporters he enjoys contributing to the offense when he can.
"If I can contribute offensively it's always nice,” said Chara. “I think we are more proud of taking pride in our defense."
The 6-foot-9, 250 pound defenseman is clearly slower than the game today, but he plays very smart. He understands his role and embraces it. The captain put up 24 points last season and could very well see those point totals again while playing defense behind the Bergeron line.
Chara’s success should be attributed to his offseason training. When he joined the Instagram world, Chara showed how intense his training sessions were and what he went through during the offseason. The 41-year-old still trains like he’s half his age.
The big man recently hit a milestone with the Bruins, playing in his 900th NHL game for the organization and he hopes it won’t be his last milestone. He told WEEI.com's Matt Kalman that he doesn’t pay attention to people saying he won’t play past the 2018-19 season.
“I haven’t seen it. To be honest with you, it’s everybody’s personal opinion,” Chara said. “I’m trying to really focus on my game and play my best hockey and compete, and I’ve said before I love this game and I want to keep playing so we’ll see.”
The longest tenured captain in the NHL turns 42 in March and we should continue to see him play well in all aspects of the game. He's also a great mentor for young defenders like Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, so it’ll be key to have him stick around for a while.