Zdeno Chara combined exceptional size, elite physical tools and remarkable durability across a 24-year NHL career. He posted the hardest recorded shot in league history, played 1,680 regular-season games (the most by a defenseman) and captained the Boston Bruins for 14 seasons, helping deliver a Stanley Cup as the second European captain to do so. He speaks seven languages and modeled relentless work ethic and team-first mentality. Post-retirement, Chara completed marathons and an Ironman, took business courses at Harvard, launched an app called Castable, and assumed an advisory role with the Bruins.
"Over a 24-year career, the Slovak-born defenseman was the tallest player in NHL history at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. He boasted the hardest shot the league had ever seen (108.8 miles per hour, recorded at the 2012 NHL All-Star Game) and his longevity is hard to comprehend. When Chara retired at age 45, he had played in 1,680 regular-season games, the most ever for an NHL defenseman."
""Growing up in a small town in Slovakia, Trencin, you don't dream about nights like this," Chara said in his induction speech. "You dream about a patch of ice that doesn't melt before we finish practice. You dream about finding a stick that's not broken or skates that can still fit for a couple of years." Three years removed from the game, Chara's pursuit of excellence hasn't stopped. He crushed his first Ironman triathlon in August in less than five hours -- upping the ante from his nine completed marathons in a 15-month span."
Read at ESPN.com
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