More signs revealed that Zdeno Chara will retire from the NHL!

Come on, let’s be real and honest here. Boston Bruins captain and veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara is 43 years old. 

He has yet to agree on terms or sign a short-term contract. While the past two seasons he has signed one-year deals in March, he has not done so yet this year. He remains unsigned for next season, an impending unrestricted free agent…

On Friday, NHL.com published an article on Chara’s diminishing role amongst the Bruins’ lineup and got the comments of several former blue liners who realized how they couldn’t keep up with the speed, the beat of the NHL towards the end of their careers. They point out what led them to retirement, and it sounds like more signs that Chara will hang up the skates after this season… 

“Your demands of yourself, of always being the No. 1 guy, getting sent out to every shift, no matter what the score is or at the end of the game, if that doesn’t happen anymore that really battles with your confidence,” said retired defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, who won the Stanley Cup with Chara in 2011.

“You have always in your mind, you’re the No. 1 D and when young guys come up, you don’t want to acknowledge that those young guys coming up, maybe they’re a step quicker than you, maybe they have more energy than you. Your mind doesn’t grow older, you’re still the same, but your body does — even if you don’t want to admit it.”

We all know how the Bruins have been bragging that Chara is passing the torch to players like Charlie McAvoy… But that might be what pushes the giant defenseman out the door… 

“What gets tougher is getting old,” Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey said. “You can’t do the things you used to. But a guy like Chara, he’s a good pro. He accepts it. Some guys don’t. The game is too good a game, filled with too many good people, that you can’t make it about you. It’s never about you.”

While Chara says he is not considering retirement for now, it may be getting harder and harder to focus on the present when your team is looking ahead to the future. 

“I think my focus is obviously playing well defensively,” Chara said. “I do my best for the team whether it’s offensive-zone face-offs or defensive-zone face-offs. I can’t really tell you if my role is going to change. I’m always going to do my best, regardless of where I’m put in.”