The Boston Bruins will retire the number of longtime captain Zdeno Chara on Jan. 15 before their game against the Seattle Kraken.
Chara wore No. 33 from 2006-20 after he was signed as a free agent on July 1, 2006. He was named captain that fall and held the role for 14 seasons, second in team history to only Ray Bourque’s 15.
“It is truly beyond words to see my jersey, No. 33, raised to the rafters at TD Garden,” Chara said. “This honor is greater than anything I could have imagined when I first came to Boston. I am forever grateful to the Bruins organization for trusting me to lead, to all my teammates past and present, to the fans whose passion and energy made Boston feel like home, and to my family who made everything possible. This moment is not just mine — it belongs to all of us.”
The Slovakia-born Chara will be the first European-born player to have his number retired by the Bruins and the 13th overall.
Chara began his career with the New York Islanders, who selected the 6-foot-9 defenseman in the third round of the 1996 NHL Draft. He played in New York from 1997-2001, followed by four seasons with the Ottawa Senators (2001-06) before settling in Boston. He ended his career with single seasons with the Washington Capitals (2020-21) and Islanders (2021-22), then signed a one-day contract in September 2022 to retire with the Bruins.
The Bruins hired the 48-year-old Chara last month as a hockey operations adviser and player mentor.
Chara had 481 points (148 goals, 333 assists) in 1,023 regular-season games with the Bruins. He won the 2009 Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman and helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011 in seven games against the Vancouver Canucks.
He played 1,680 games and scored 680 points (209 goals, 471 assists) over 24 NHL seasons. He holds the record for most NHL games played by a defenseman.
“There is no greater embodiment of what it means to be a Boston Bruin than Zdeno Chara,” Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said. “Zdeno brought a special brand of leadership to the Boston Bruins by challenging and empowering his teammates every day. Over his 14 years as a captain, Zdeno helped define Boston Bruins hockey with his drive for on-ice excellence and sportsmanship, along with his off-ice commitment to serve the greater Boston community.”
