Zdeno_Chára
Zdeno Chára
Playing career
Zdeno was drafted 56th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. After four seasons with the Islanders, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators during the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Chára was part of a package deal with Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick in that year's draft (Jason Spezza) that sent Alexei Yashin to New York.As a Senator for four years, Chára found his game and more than doubled his previous offensive totals in his first season with Ottawa. In his second season with the team, 2002-03, Chára made his first All-Star Game appearance and recorded the second hardest shot behind Al MacInnis in the skills competition.
The next season, in addition to posting 16 goals and 41 points, Chára recorded the league's third highest plus-minus, behind Martin St. Louis and Marek Malik, culminating into his first Norris Trophy nomination. Although he would lose to Scott Niedermayer as the league's best defenceman, he would join Niedermayer on the NHL First All-Star Team.
After the 2004-05, in which Chára played in the Swedish Elite League for Färjestad, he increased his offensive numbers to 16 goals and 43 points, being named to the NHL Second All-Star Team. As Chára's would not come to terms to a new contract with Ottawa, he became an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2005-06.
Subsequently, on July 1, 2006, he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the Boston Bruins and was named the team's captain, a role left vacant since Joe Thornton's departure, before the beginning of the 2006-07 season. On January 13, 2007, Zdeno was named to 2007 All-Star Game in Dallas and won the hardest shot competition, clocking a shot at 100.4 mph (161.6 km/h).
In 2008, he was voted in as a starter in the All-Star Game for the first time in his career and repeated as the winner of the hardest shot competition, recording an even-faster 103.1 mph (166 km/h) on the radar gun. On March 8, 2008, during a game against the Washington Capitals, Chara suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. However, after missing five games, he played the remainder of the season including the playoffs. Upon a first round elimination at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens, he underwent a shoulder operation on April 29.
At the end of the season, Chara received his second nomination for the Norris Trophy after tallying a career-high 17 goals, 34 assists and 51 points, marking the fifth straight season he had either matched or increased his previous season's points total.
Personal
Zdeno Chára married his long-time girlfriend Tatiana Biskupicova on July 14, 2007 in a Catholic church in Nemšová, Slovakia. His father, Zdenek, was a Greco-Roman wrestler who competed for Czechoslovakia in the 1976 Summer Olympics.Chára is an Athletic Ambassador for Right to Play. In July, 2008, he spent two weeks in Africa, going Mozambique in support of the charity, and then climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | Prince George Cougars | WHL | 49 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 120 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 45 | ||
| 1997–98 | Kentucky Thoroughblades | AHL | 48 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 125 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | New York Islanders | NHL | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 23 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | New York Islanders | NHL | 59 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 83 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999–00 | New York Islanders | NHL | 65 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 57 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000–01 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 157 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001–02 | HC Dukla Trenčín | SVK | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 32 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001–02 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 75 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 156 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2002–03 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 74 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 116 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 79 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 147 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | Färjestads BK | SEL | 33 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 132 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 82 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 71 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 135 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 23 | ||
| 2006–07 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 80 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 100 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2007–08 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 77 | 17 | 34 | 51 | 114 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| AHL Totals | 71 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 172 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
| NHL Totals | 687 | 85 | 184 | 269 | 1115 | 52 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 69 | ||||
International play
Chara has played for Slovakia in the following international competitions:- 1999 World Championships
- 2000 World Championships
- 2001 World Championships
- 2004 World Championships
- 2004 World Cup
- 2005 World Championships
- 2006 Winter Olympics
- 2007 World Championships
See also
- List of NHL seasons
- List of NHL players
- List of WHL seasons
- List of AHL seasons
- List of Boston Bruins players
- List of current NHL captains
References
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday September 24, 2008 at 19:08:03 PDT (GMT -0700)
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