Zdeno Chara Reveals ‘Best Decision’ He’s Made After Bruins Retire Jersey

The Boston Bruins retired Zdeno Chara’s number 33 on Thursday night.

Chara was an impactful player for the Bruins, as he played 14 seasons in Boston and was the captain for all 14. He helped lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011 and was an impactful player on and off the ice for the team.

When Chara became a free agent in 2006, he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the team. Reflecting back on his career at the jersey retirement, Chara called that the best decision of his life.

“It ended up being the best decision I ever made,” Chara said of coming to Boston during the ceremoney on Thursday. “I played with fear. I played with fear of failing every game. That pushed me to be playing with determination not to fail.

“I didn’t want to fail my teammates, my team. I kind of went into every game, and pretty much every day, to just prove, do your job and do your best. That was my mentality.”

Chara recorded 148 goals and 333 assists for 481 points in 1,023 career games with the Bruins. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November and now has his jersey retired by Boston.

“I think that’s the biggest award for me – to see my children, my family doing it instead of me,” Chara said about his jersey retirement. “I think I get better joy watching them do it than the joy of me doing it. It’s so much more meaningful.

“I am speechless. Literally, I am speechless. It is one of those things that no matter how many times you picture it or imagine it, when it’s actually happening, it’s so much better and so much nicer. It’s emotional, it’s satisfaction.”

Chara is the 13th player in franchise history to have their jersey retired.