Boston Bruins
“I’m speechless. Literally, I am speechless.”
For the 13th time in Bruins franchise history, a legend’s number has been raised to the Garden rafters.
Former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara had his No. 33 officially retired by Boston on Thursday night, with the Hall-of-Fame blueliner celebrating the festivities with many of his former teammates and friends in an extended ceremony on Causeway Street.
Here are seven highlights from Chara’s retirement ceremony:
Andrew Ference gets in the zone
Before Thursday’s ceremony began in full, the TD Garden video board showcased a video of the MC on the night — former Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference — making the rounds in the North End in an attempt to get in the zone before running the show.
There were plenty of cameos and easter eggs during the video, be it running into Patrice Bergeron at Mike’s Pastry on Hanover Street, Adam McQuaid playing a firefighter, and Ference — who gave the bird to the fans at Montreal’s Bell Centre during the 2011 playoffs — flipping off a honking car while navigating the narrow streets around TD Garden.
Bruins legends take to the ice
Thursday’s ceremony kicked off in earnest with several other Bruins legends making their way to their seats in the middle of the TD Garden ice.
Seven Bruins greats who already have their numbers enshrined high above the frozen sheet were recognized on Thursday: Bobby Orr, Cam Neely, Johnny Bucyk, Rick Middleton, Willie O’Ree, Terry O’Reilly, and Ray Bourque.
Bucyk, 90, received an assist from David Pastrnak, who helped him make his way to center ice as he used a walker. Pastrnak and the rest of the current Bruins roster watched the ceremony from Boston’s bench.
After Ference — donning a tuxedo — made his way out of the tunnel to begin the show, Chara and his family were introduced to a thunderous applause.
Ference on the mic
Before beginning his speech, Ference shouted out several other guests of honor for Chara’s ceremony, including some of his former Bruins teammates in Tim Thomas, Shawn Thornton, McQuaid, and Daniel Paille.
Former Bruins play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards was also on site, with the longtime NESN broadcaster receiving an ovation after being featured on the video board.
Ference, who competed against Chara as teenagers in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before playing alongside him for seven seasons in Boston, chronicled Chara’s hockey journey from raw prospect to Hall-of-Fame defenseman during his opening speech.
But for Ference, Chara’s lasting legacy is rooted in his leadership and impact on those around him.
“My mom and dad, growing up, they taught me some incredibly valuable lessons,” Ference said. “But probably none of them stuck with me more than when they said, ‘You become who you surround yourself with.’ … Through the countless years on the road, drives to practice … I did become a better athlete, more professional, better dad, and a better person [with Chara].”
“Zee’s greatness isn’t just about individual awards, his on-ice statistics, or even his Stanley Cup victory. Zee’s true greatness is the collective, consistent, and positive impact he’s had across teams, teammates, and communities.”
Chara’s teammates bring out his banner
After Ference’s speech, another video tribute was broadcast on the TD Garden video board showcasing Chara’s highlights over his 14 seasons in Boston, including his bone-crunching hits, booming slap shots, and the sight of Boston’s captain hoisting the Stanley Cup in Vancouver on June 15, 2011.
After that video — featuring commentary from Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Claude Julien, and others — wrapped, Chara’s No. 33 banner was brought out on the ice by some of his former Bruins teammates: Bergeron, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Dennis Seidenberg, and Mark Recchi.
Chara thanks his teammates
When the time came for Chara to finally step up to the mic, the former Bruins captain left no stone unturned when it came to expressing gratitude for those who helped him achieve his hockey dreams.
Beyond thanking his family, friends, trainers, coaches, and support staff across his 24 years in the NHL, Chara also made sure to individually shout out every single player who was part of the 2010-11 Stanley Cup championship roster.
Speaking after the ceremony, Chara said that it was important that each player on that roster received his due on a night where the collective success of the franchise should have been celebrated.
“They deserved to. Without championships, you are not going to be successful. You are not going to be recognized,” Chara explained. “The championships — that’s what they do. They rise everyone, they extend careers for everyone. Everybody does better with the championships. You create dynasties, you create stories, you create memories, you create what we experienced tonight.
“It’s very simple. Once you win championship, everything gets so much better and greater and better for everyone. You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now sealed forever.”
A salute to the fans
Chara closed out his address by recognizing the fans who helped cheer on him and his teammates through their prolonged stretch of contention.
“Since day one, I knew we had the best fans. Not to disrespect any other cities around the world, but in my mind, there is no other place like TD Garden when it gets loud,” Chara said. “You showed up every night with passion and love for this game and this team. You followed us on the road and cheered us on no matter where we played.
“I will never forget your cheers when the Boston Marathon bombing happened. We all [bonded] and became Boston Strong. … But I mean nothing will ever beat the moment during the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, when I stood here — half-broken — and you guys had my back. So thank you.
As Chara saluted the crowd once again, cheers of “Thank You, Chara!” rang out across the arena.
“I was very close to getting very emotional, especially when the fans started chanting, ‘Thank you, Chara.’ That was, for me, I almost cracked right there,” Chara said after the ceremony. “I was very close.
“You do what you love to do, and when you’re getting appreciated and people are realizing what you do and how much you’re giving back through your efforts and tries — sometimes it works, sometimes doesn’t. But I think the fans, what they most appreciate is the effort and that you keep trying to win and make everybody happy.”
No. 33 is raised to the rafters
To close things out, Chara and his family made their way over to his banner — with Chara largely looking on with his wife, Tatiana, as their children — Elliz, Ben, and Zack — raised No. 33 high above the ice.
“I think that’s the biggest award for me — to see my children, my family, doing it instead of me,” Chara said. “I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it, because it’s so much more meaningful.”
Nearly 20 years after he first put pen to paper on a contract with the Bruins, Chara took in the cheers on Causeway Street once again as his No. 33 was finally lifted into hockey immortality.
“I’m speechless. Literally, I am speechless,” Chara said. “It’s one of those things that no matter how many times you picture it or imagine it — when it’s actually happening, it’s so much better and so much nicer.
“It’s emotional, it’s satisfaction. It’s a place where you are standing and you are there with your family, but I felt like I was standing there with so many other people who helped me to get there.”
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