Zdeno Chara sent shock waves through the hockey world Wednesday when it was announced he was leaving the Boston Bruins after 15 season. The 43-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals for a total of $795,000. According to one report, though he was almost a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
"Told the [Canadiens] were trying to sign Zdeno Chara," said Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. "He liked the way the team was build in Montreal during the off season but decided not to play for a Canadian team because of issues related to COVID-19. His family will stay in Boston during the season."
That makes sense. If Chara had played for a Canadian team, flying back to his family in the U.S. during his downtime would have been pretty much impossible given quarantine rules on the Canadian side of the border. Chara's children are young (one daughter 11 years old and twin sons turning five soon). It's likely he didn't want to uproot his family just for one more season of hockey, a shortened one at that.
Seeing Chara in a sweater other than a Boston one after 15 years is going to be strange enough. Seeing him in a jersey belonging to one of Boston's arch-rivals would have been eye-popping. That said, if this isn't Chara's last year in the NHL, and things are more normal by the time the 2021-22 season is set to get underway, we may see it before he retires.
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