Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara got a sendoff worthy of the size of his legacy on Friday night in Trencin, Slovakia, where NHL players past and present gathered for an exhibition game in his honour.
The event, called “Zee’s Final Shift," was built around Chara’s last appearance on the ice, and it brought together a heavy mix of former Senators and ex-Boston Bruins, the franchise where he became a star after leaving Ottawa 20 years ago this summer. Chara spent four seasons with the Senators before signing with Boston, where he played the next 14 years.
The game was staged at a rink named after former Senator Pavol Demitra in Chara’s hometown. When the night ended, Chara skated to centre ice, took off his skates, left them on the faceoff dot, and walked away with his twin sons, Zack and Ben.
That gesture carried real meaning. It was a tribute to his father, Zdenek, a Greco-Roman wrestler who represented Czechoslovakia at the Olympics. In wrestling, leaving shoes in the middle of the mat or ring is a sign that the competitive chapter is over.
His former Bruins teammates helped turn the moment into a proper farewell, lining up to form an improvised tunnel as the Charas made their exit. Even in socks, Chara still stood above most of the people around him.
The night’s lineup reflected just how wide his hockey circle is. Among the former Senators involved were Marian Hossa, Chris Kelly, Peter Bondra, and Radek Hamr.
The Bruins side included Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Jaroslav Halak, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Adam McQuaid, David Pastrnak, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Dennis Seidenberg, Josef Stumpel, and Marco Sturm.
Other players taking part were Peter Bondra, Petr Cech, Marian Gaborik, Radek Hamr, Michal Handzus, Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Tomas Kaberle, Anze Kopitar, Ziggy Palffy, Robert Reichel, Miroslav Satan, Andrej Sekera, Tomas Vanek, Jakub Voracek, and Aaron Ward.
The celebration also featured a hardest shot contest, and Chara matched his 2012 NHL All-Star record by uncorking a 108.8 mph slap shot.
The crowd was ready for every bit of it. The building was filled with too much love to do anything but cheer.
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