Report: Chara to play Game 5 with a broken jaw?!

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HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Report: Chara to play Game 5 with a broken jaw?!
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According to a report from Boston Bruins insider Joe McDonald of The Athletic, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara is “likely” to play in tonight’s pivotal Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues. 

But, what if Chara has a broken jaw!? It won’t be fun… but he’ll play. Again, according to McDonald.

“Good luck telling that guy he can’t play,” said teammate Noel Acciari yesterday. “He definitely can be effective (if he plays) just with his presence. He’s a true leader and he’s not going to want to miss the final two or three games of the Stanley Cup final. I don’t expect him to, but I’m not a doctor.”

“I’ve seen Zee battle through a lot of things,” fellow Bruins defensemen Steven Kampfer said, “and knowing what kind of guy he is, I hope he’s doing well and I hope he’s OK and hopefully we’ll see him (Thursday in Game 5).”

Interestingly enough, McDonald managed to get the opinion of an anonymous NHL trainer, who feels that Chara will suit up tonight at TD Garden. Check out these quotes from McDonald’s latest column for The Athletic: 

“I think he’s playing,” said one Eastern Conference trainer, who does not have direct knowledge of the injury. “I’d be surprised if he doesn’t.”
“Not knowing the severity of it, or how stable or unstable it is, if it is unstable just a little contact to it could make things significantly worse,” said the NHL trainer. “It will depend on the fracture, too. Is it just a crack in the bottom of the jaw? If so, then it’s just a pain issue and if it’s stable you protect it.”


Stay tuned, Bruins fans. But don’t be surprised if Big Z hits the ice tonight with a broken jaw. 


Source: Joe McDonald