Chara: 'I Want to Stay in Boston. I Want to be a Boston Bruin'

BostonBruins.com - As uncertain as his future appeared to be following the Bruins' loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning earlier this week, Zdeno Chara sure seemed to firm up his intentions on Thursday afternoon.
Boston's captain made clear that he intends to play in 2020-21 and would like nothing more than for it to be as a member of the Black & Gold. The 43-year-old acknowledged that discussions and negotiations with the Bruins are still to be had, but if it is solely up to him, he'll be back for his 15th season in the Spoked-B whenever a new campaign begins.
"I feel strong physically…I'm positive and I believe I can still play this game and contribute to the team and I want to stay in Boston," said Chara. "I want to be a Boston Bruin. I want to continue to lead by example and share my experiences and my game skills with the younger players and my teammates. That hasn't changed. I'm committed. We'll see what's gonna happen next."

Chara noted that he might have fed into the speculation about his plans when he said after Boston's double-overtime loss in Game 5 that he had not yet made a decision on whether his career would continue. There were also inferences to his Bruins career coming to an end on the NBC broadcast that caught many by surprise.
"I'm committed to the Boston Bruins. I'm committed to the Boston fans and the City of Boston," said Chara. "I think I expressed that a number of times. I'm excited about the future of this team. We are gonna do whatever we can to win another Stanley Cup. I can't really reflect on some of the rumors. I have not heard any of these rumors directly and I dismissed any comments or conversations about this matter [during the season] because it might cause unnecessary distractions to my teammates and the organization.
"I expressed to my agent that I would like him to meet with management and make that my priority, the sooner the better, and see what the future holds."

While he is confident that a new contract can be worked out, Chara knows that it takes both sides to formulate a deal and that nothing is a guarantee. It is a process he has become accustomed to in recent years, having signed separate one-year extensions in March 2018 and March 2019.
Chara added that he is not yet prepared to think about whether or not he would continue to play if he and the Bruins are unable to come to an agreement.
"I am confident, but at the same time, you've been in the business and around hockey for so long that you know there are different circumstances and possibilities," said Chara. "But as of right now, I'm excited. I want to be a Boston Bruin. I want to play for the Boston Bruins. Again, we will see what decisions are gonna be made. That's something up to my agent and senior upper management to go over it.
"If it comes down to [having to play elsewhere], then that's something we can talk about later. I love Boston. I love the city. I think we have the best fans in the world. I have no plans to move or go anywhere else. We will see what the future holds."
It was a milestone season for Chara, who played in both his 1,500th NHL game and 1,000th game with the Bruins. He was the 21st player and sixth defenseman in league history to reach that 1,500-game plateau and is now just 214 games shy of Gordie Howe's all-time record of 1,767. It would take a significant commitment for Chara to reach that number, which he says he is aware of but not striving for.
"There are only a few players who are still active like Joe [Thornton] and Patrick [Marleau], you kind of can't avoid to know [that number]," said Chara. "But at the same time, I think my emphasis and my focus is on the team. I want to just continue to play, not because I want to get the games in - I want to play because I believe I have a lot to offer, I have a lot to bring to the team.
"I think that I believe in my abilities and I continue to go after my dreams. My dreams are not reaching stats. My dreams are to compete and be on the ice in crucial situations and defend when it matters, making strong defensive plays. For me, it's always being out there and being on the ice, doing my thing, and in the offseason being ready and being in the best possible shape, helping my teammates, be a good leader and do whatever I can to help the team win.
"To me, I'm more driven, more dedicated to that than just going out there and just basically being OK and putting the uniform on and going through the motions and not being involved, not being engaged."

Chara finished the 2019-20 season by playing in 68 of Boston's 70 regular-season games and all 13 playoff contests - which moved him into second (150) on the Bruins' all-time postseason games list behind Ray Bourque (180). But the Bruins' second-round exit was not the end result he envisioned, particularly after how well the Bruins rebounded from their Stanley Cup Final loss to be the top team in the league at the time of the pause.
"I think that we all shouldn't be hanging our heads," said Chara. "I think that we had a strong regular season. I think we proved that we are one of the top contending teams in the league and played very strong hockey. Obviously, the pause was effecting all of us. You can't really make it up.
"The future, I'm still very passionate about playing this game and I think most of us are. I think there is some very positive signs of this team. We're gonna continue to work very hard to get better and play stronger.
"I think that we have a very strong bond with our teammates and just try to do our best to be committed to this organization and to winning another Stanley Cup."