Bruins to retire No. 33 of former captain Chara

BOSTON -- The Bruins volition discontinue erstwhile skipper Zdeno Chara's No. 33 connected Jan. 15 anterior to their crippled against Seattle.

Chara is acceptable to go the 13th subordinate successful franchise past to person his fig raised to the rafters and the archetypal since Willie O'Ree successful 2022. Chara precocious rejoined the enactment arsenic a hockey operations advisor and mentor.

"There volition ne'er beryllium different Zdeno Chara," proprietor Jeremy Jacobs said. "From his skill, size and carnal dominance connected the ice, to his enactment successful the locker country and interaction connected the Boston community, 'Zee' is simply a fable of the game."

Chara captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup successful 2011 arsenic portion of his 14-year tally successful Boston. The 6-foot-9 Slovakian defenseman won the Norris Trophy for being the NHL's champion astatine his presumption successful 2009 and helped the squad scope the last successful 2013 and 2019.

"This grant is greater than thing I could person imagined erstwhile I archetypal came to Boston," said Chara, who joined successful 2006 and turned retired to beryllium arguably the astir impactful unrestricted escaped cause signing successful league history. "I americium everlastingly grateful to the Bruins enactment for trusting maine to lead, to each my teammates past and present, to the fans whose passionateness and vigor made Boston consciousness similar home, and to my household who made everything possible."

It's the latest grant for Chara, who was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame successful June and is acceptable to beryllium inducted successful November.

"Zdeno Chara brought with him an unmatched presence, combining size, spot and accomplishment with a enactment benignant that elevated everyone astir him," said Bruins president Cam Neely, who had his No. 8 retired by the Bruins successful 2004. "Zdeno acceptable the modular with his professionalism, his legendary enactment ethic and his fierce competitiveness and helium did it each portion representing our enactment with the utmost class."