Signs point to Zdeno Chara’s retirement…

The guy is 45 years old… let’s kick things off with that. Mike Stephens of the Hockey News has put together a piece on New York Islanders’ Zdeno Chara, wondering if, now that the team is officially out of the playoffs, this means that we get to see the veteran blue liner’s last games in the NHL…

In an in-depth article, Stephens reminds fans that Chara has done it all “Chara has reached practically every milestone an NHL defenseman possibly can throughout his lengthy career. The 45-year-old has suited up for well over 1,600 regular-season games, joining only a select few in the league’s history to do so. He’s captained an Original Six team to the Stanley Cup, won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, earned a spot on the NHL’s first All-Star team three times, and even taken home the meaningless Mark Messier Leadership Award that conveniently omits its namesake’s stint as a Vancouver Canuck.
Realistically, Chara has done it all.”

And so… this could mean the end of it all.

While we know about Chara’s love and devotion for the game, sign points to him not being the one making the call. With his deal over with the Islanders, Stephens doubts that teams will line up to sign a 45-year-old third pairing defender to a one-year deal…

Chara has always put his family first to make a decision on where to sign next when he left the Boston Bruins. But the preferred destinations might not be interested in his services. Declining they have been, and come on, at this point, it’s just normal, we are not trying to insult Chara.

As Stephens says it best: what a ride it was if this is the final one for Chara:

“He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And, barring a public tangent about how Good Will Hunting is overrated, Chara will almost certainly get his jersey raised to the rafters by the Bruins at the earliest possible moment. He’s one of the greatest defenders of his generation, deserving of consideration for a spot on any All-2010s team.

“But if this truly is Chara’s last ride, and these final six games of the season serve as his last in the NHL, it will mark the end of a dominant, decades-spanning career that may never be replicated again.”

Enjoy it Chara, if this is indeed the end…