Bruins Hire Franchise Great Zdeno Chára to Front Office Role

Chára returns to the organization where he spent 14 years of his 24-year career.

Zdeno Chara will join the Boston Bruins as a hockey operations advisor and mentor. / David Berding-Imagn Images

The Bruins are welcoming back a franchise legend who was gigantic, both in stature and impact on the franchise.

On Thursday, the Bruins announced former defender Zdeno Chára would join the franchise as a hockey operations advisor and mentor.

The 6' 9" Chára spent 14 years in Boston, all of them as the team's captain, as part of an incredible 24-year career. He was a six-time All-Star during his career, and was named to the first All-Star team three times and the second All-Star team four times. As a member of the Bruins in 2009, he won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman, and in 2011, he captained Boston's Stanley Cup-winning squad.

Chára retired after spending the 2021–22 season with the New York Islanders. He signed a one-day contract with the Bruins to officially retire as a member of the team.

In all, Chára appeared in 1,680 NHL games, 1,023 of them came with Boston.

"The Bruins organization is excited and proud to welcome back Zdeno," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "In his role as an advisor and mentor, Zdeno will share with our players and coaches his experience as a dedicated athlete, a respected leader, and one of the NHL’s all-time greats."

The 48-year-old Chára's duties will include working closely with players and staff to advise the organization in key areas.

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