Towering D-man Zdeno Chara signs one-day contract to continue NHL career with the Bruins | to quit CBC Sport

The player, known to the NHL as “Big Zee,” calls it a career.

Zdeno Chara has signed a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins and on Tuesday announced his retirement after 24 seasons in the NHL and leading Boston to the 2011 Stanley Cup.

The 1.90 meter defender from Slovakia calls it a career at the age of 45. He returned to TD Garden in Boston to make the announcement two years after his 14-season breakup with the Bruins.

He returned to TD Garden to end his pro career two years after leaving the Bruins after 14 seasons with the team.

The proclamation printed on his ceremonial signing contract spoke of that longevity in the sport.

“Do you want to know what it says?” he asked the assembled crowd for the signature. “Zdeno must agree to keep himself in good shape and physical condition at all times after his retirement.”

Chara called returning to the city of his greatest NHL triumphs to mark the end of his time on the ice “surreal.”

But he said he’s happy with a decision made primarily to devote more time and energy to the family that has supported him throughout his career.

“I have no regrets. I wouldn’t change anything,” said Chara. “We’re in a business where we’re ultimately judged on victory and we’ve had our ups and downs with that. But I walk away knowing that all along I gave everything I had.”

Chara won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2009 and has also spent time with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals.

Record games for Blueliner

Chara, better known for his ability to keep the puck out of the net than get it in, still scored 237 goals and added 523 assists for 760 points in 1,880 regular season and playoff games.

His 1,680 regular season games is a record for a defenseman. Chara also leaves sixth in Bruins history in games played (1,023) and third in points by a defender (481), behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque (1,506) and Bobby Orr (888).

Chara is a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee not only for his consistency but also for his size in the game from Slovakia to North America. In 2000 and 2010, he won two teams for his home country that won the silver medal at the World Cup.

The affinity that Chara’s previous Boston teammates and coaches have for him was evident Tuesday when several of them including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, Brandon Carlo, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy and others , were available for his news conference.

Chara became the second European captain with Detroit to win the trophy after Sweden’s Nicklas Lidstrom. He was one of the faces of a successful era for the Bruins that also included trips to the Finals in 2013 and 2019, the latter of which he ended with a broken jaw.

Drafted in the third round by the Islanders in 1996, he played his first four seasons on Long Island before being traded to the Senators. Boston’s signing in 2006 remains one of the most impactful free agency signings of the 17 years of the NHL’s salary cap era.

Chara made five of his six All-Star Game appearances with the Bruins and was one of the most popular athletes in town during that time. He left in 2020 when the team didn’t guarantee him a full-time, full-season job, and signed a one-year contract with Washington before ending his playing career with the Islanders.

But he said building a championship culture in Boston, which hadn’t won a Stanley Cup Finals since the 1971-72 season of Orr’s heyday until 2011, is one of the things he values ​​most.

“Because without that you can’t win. You need a culture. You need players who want to follow,” said Chara. “And it wasn’t just me. It was a team effort. I would never have made it without Patrice. I never would have made it without Brad coming in and following Patrice’s lead.

“We had people who were willing to come from different teams and adapt to that culture. We pushed each other. We set goals and slowly but surely we climbed and took the steps.

“It was difficult in the beginning,” added Chara. “It probably wasn’t easy and not everyone wanted to change in any way. But it was necessary.”

NHL Ironman Yandle retires at 36

Defenseman Keith Yandle, whose streak of 989 straight games is an NHL record, said Tuesday he was retiring after 16 seasons.

“Last year it was one of the things I thought about,” Yandle, 36, said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “If that’s all you know about your life, ending it, ending it is nerve-wracking. You worry about what you’re going to do. Especially at this time of year you are preparing for the training camp.

“I’ve felt comfortable with it for the past few weeks. I really enjoyed spending time with family. … I think for me I’m really comfortable with it and looking forward to the next chapter.”

Yandle, a fourth-round pick by the then-Phoenix Coyotes in 2005, played for the franchise from 2006–15, then for the New York Rangers (2015–16), Florida Panthers (2016–21), and the Philadelphia Flyers ( 2021-22).

With the Flyers, he set up the NHL Ironman streak against the New York Islanders on January 25, breaking Doug Jarvis’ record of 964.

Yandle played 25 more games until the streak ended on April 2 when the Flyers gave him a healthy scratch and preferred to play younger players. He had one goal and 19 points in 77 games with the Flyers last season.

“My only hope is that he just realizes how great it is what he’s done,” then-interim Flyers head coach Mike Yeo said of the day. “It’s certainly disappointing for him, no question. But not many can say they’ve done something that nobody in NHL history has done.”

In 1,109 career games, Yandle has 103 goals and 619 points with 16 game-winning goals.

Yandle’s Ironman record probably won’t last long. Vegas Golden Knights forward Phil Kessel has played in 982 consecutive games.

Leaves add the Dairy Farmers of Ontario logo to jerseys

The Toronto Maple Leafs will wear a “Milk” patch on their jersey this season after reaching a partnership with Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

The multi-year agreement comes into effect when the NHL implements a sweater partner branding program, allowing teams to sell advertising on their jerseys starting next season.

The patch, which features the longtime Dairy Farmers of Ontario logo—the word “Milk” in stylized cursive—is placed on the upper-right corner of the Leafs’ jerseys.

The patch will appear in blue on the Leafs’ white street jerseys, with the reverse on their home jerseys.

The Leafs will debut the jerseys in a preseason doubleheader against Ottawa on Saturday.

Toronto is the second Canadian team to add a promotional patch for the upcoming season after the Montreal Canadiens reached an agreement with the Royal Bank of Canada last week.

Blues’ Scandella is out months after hip surgery

Days before training camp opens, the St. Louis Blues need to fill a hole on their blue line.

Defenseman Marco Scandella is expected to miss most of the upcoming NHL season after undergoing surgery on his right hip joint. He was injured during off-season training in late August and will be re-evaluated in six months.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong announced the schedule for Scandella’s absence on Tuesday. The first on-ice camp sessions are scheduled for Thursday, with the season opener scheduled for October 15.

Scandella’s injury is another change at a position that has seen an almost total overhaul since St. Louis won the Stanley Cup in 2019. Only top defender Colton Parayko and veteran grinder Robert Bortuzzo are left of that group, which is now in, with Torey Krug and Justin Faulk in prominent roles.

Scandella, 32, is expected to go on long-term injury reserve, bringing relief to the Blues on his $3.275 million salary cap. Nikko Mikkola was already considering taking on a full-time role at 26, and it wasn’t immediately clear if Armstrong could bring another veteran to compete for a roster spot.

The injury could offer a chance for 24-year-old youngster Scott Perunovich, who played 26 NHL games last season. Perunovich, who won the 2019-20 Minnesota-Duluth Hobey Baker Award for the nation’s top varsity hockey player, impressed his teammates in his freshman year with the pros, particularly on the power play.

Scandella joined the Blues in a trade from the Canadiens before the 2020 deadline. He has played in 755 games with Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal and St. Louis.