Boston Bruins rumors: Zdeno Chara isn’t done yet

Zdeno Chara is now 42 years old, but the Boston Bruins defensemen doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon.

Once you hit your 40’s you are ancient in professional sports. The fact that we get to watch Tom Brady and Zdeno Chara dominate at their age is impressive. The Boston Bruins captain seems immortal.

There is no doubt that Chara isn’t the player that he used to be. The giant can sometimes look like he is skating through molasses

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Being a 42-year-old defensemen isn’t an easy job. The NHL has become a much faster and skill based game. For a big guy like Chara this makes it harder to do your job.

Still Chara is still able to be a quality defensemen. He is even able to score here and there. His bomb of a slapshot hasn’t gone anywhere.

In 53 games this season Chara has 4 goals and 7 assists. His rating of +11 is 3rd best on the team.

Once you have reached this point in your career, retirement seems like a constant question. Every season could be your last, but it seems like Chara isn’t ready to hang up his skates.

"“I want to play,” Chara recently told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “I want to continue to play. I believe that I have a lot left and I have a lot of passion for the game. I love competing. I love doing all these things, coming to the rink, talking to the guys, doing the routine, working out in the summer, going through that grind.“There’s something about it that you get so attached to it, it becomes your life. And I’ve been playing for so long that it is my life.”"

How does he do it?

There is a method to Chara’s madness. He takes care of his body. Chara seems to love working out and has a very strict diet. I’m surprised he hasn’t created the ZC33 method.

Still it seems like we are just waiting for Chara to retire. Once he does the young crop of Bruins defensemen will take over.

There is no doubt that Chara is a legend of the game. He will go down as one of the best players to ever play his position. No other Bruin will wear No.33.

But it is getting to the point where the Bruins might be better off without Chara. They need to start adjusting to today’s hockey. Chara is a dinosaur.

Now I don’t want to see Chara in another uniform. That would be a tragedy. We don’t need another Ray Bourque situation.

That is why I think Chara needs to retire soon. He is a Boston Bruins legend and should retire with the team.

Even though he is still a quality defensemen he may begin to start hurting the team more than he is helping them. Chara’s major benefit to the team right now is being a policeman on the ice and being a locker room leader.

Sooner or later Zdeno Chara will have to realize that he can’t play forever and that he has already established himself as one of the best defensemen to play the game.