Chara of Islanders to tie Chelios for most NHL games played by defenseman

Zdeno Chara will play his 1,651st NHL game and tie Chris Chelios for the most by a defenseman when the New York Islanders play the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).

Chara, who turns 45 on March 18, has seven assists and a plus-3 rating in 42 games for New York this season and has scored 673 points (207 goals, 466 assists) with the Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, he won the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL with the Bruins in 2009 and the Stanley Cup with them in 2011.
"[It's remarkable], especially for a guy his size (6-foot-9, 250 pounds), how long he's lasted and how effective he's been throughout his career," Chelios told NHL.com. "I've met Zdeno a couple of times and spoke with him, but you talk with anyone around the League, he's just a great guy, great team guy.
"I'm not going to say I'm happy, but it doesn't bother me one bit that a guy like him is the guy breaking the record. Congratulations to him, it's a heck of a feat."
Chelios, who turned 60 on Jan. 25, played 26 seasons in the NHL. His last game was with the Atlanta Thrashers on April 6, 2010. The Hockey Hall of Famer scored 948 points (185 goals, 763 assists) in the regular season for the Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Thrashers. He scored 144 points (31 goals, 113 assists) in 266 Stanley Cup Playoff games and won the Cup once with the Canadiens (1986) and twice with the Red Wings (2002, 2008).
Chara can pass Chelios, a Chicago native, when the Islanders play the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose on Thursday. He is honoring Chelios' record by not discussing it until then.
"Honestly, I don't think about it," Chelios said. "When someone told me about it, I wasn't even aware of it that he was even that close. But records are made to be broken, right? I've still got the record for the Americans, so that's one thing I could say, which is cool.
"There's a lot of luck involved, being in the right place. I was on a team in Detroit for the last 10 years of my career where I didn't have to move, uproot my family. I just kind of fit in, didn't have to carry the load like I did when I was 25, playing 30-plus minutes a game. I was very fortunate that I went to Detroit when I did (1998), and that's what really prolonged my career, quite honestly."
Chara was selected by the Islanders in the third round (No. 56) of the 1996 NHL Draft and made his debut Nov. 19, 1997, a 3-2 victory against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
Former Islanders defenseman Bryan McCabe said the impact Chara made was instant.
"I'd never seen a hockey player that big in my life," said McCabe, now director of player personnel for the Florida Panthers. "Not only his size, but his strength. Even at that age, he was like stronger than anyone in the room. Like, grown men. I was still figuring out how to work out, but he was a specimen. He was dialed in to on- and off-ice habits even as a rookie, which is pretty crazy. It's probably why he's stuck around this long.
"The big thing that I've noticed watching him play since he was that age and now is all that hard work and how much better he got. He was such a big guy, he was kind of like Bambi on skates his first couple of years. To see how he is now and obviously win the Norris Trophy, all the accolades he'd have at the end of his career here, it's just amazing what he's turned himself into with sheer hard work."
Rick Bowness was Chara's first NHL coach. Chara played 25 games for the Islanders during the 1997-98 season and had one assist and 50 penalty minutes.
"I remember I heard he was living in his agent's basement, I believe, so of course [my wife] Judy heard that, we had to have him over for dinner," said Bowness, now coach of the Dallas Stars. "We bring him over for dinner and his knees are above the table. My kids were all smiling, here's this giant, right? But he's such a gentle, genuine person. Then you get him on the ice he's an unreal competitor.
"I'm not surprised that he's lasted this long. He was never going to be quick, but when you're 6-foot-9, you've got that reach, you don't have to be quick, right? There's still going to have a tough time getting around you, so I'm not surprised. He's one of the greatest guys I've coached in terms of being a good teammate, his work ethic and everything else. He's a wonderful, wonderful man. I'm happy for him."
Noah Dobson, who was born during Chara's third NHL season, said he's learned a lot from Chara, his partner for the majority of this season. The 22-year-old leads Islanders defensemen in goals (eight), assists (14) and points (22).
"He's definitely someone that as a young defenseman you can learn lots from," Dobson said. "He's obviously played in the League for a long time. I mean, he's done everything. … He's a great guy for me. He's always talking to me. He's key on communication. I think that's really helped me; obviously, it's important out there. I think it's allowed me to communicate more and work on that side of my game as well.
"He's great. He's always there supporting, talking to me. I think it's been huge for me."
Islanders coach Barry Trotz marveled about Chara's "old-school" approach and the respect he has shown for everyone throughout the organization over the course of this season.
"When it comes to work ethic, he doesn't cut any corners," Trotz said. "I mean, there are no corners cut. He doesn't take a day off unless I force him to take a day off. He's not taking a day off. There will be times that he will go (home) from practice and I'll say, 'What'd you do last night?' and he'll say, 'I got a little treatment, I did this, I had a real good supper and then I worked out and I did some stretching.' You hear about him doing two-a-days, the work ethic is undeniable.
"He always calls me Coach, and I'd say, 'You can call me Barry, that's fine.' He will not. He will call me Coach. He's extremely respectful of everybody around him -- teammates, trainers -- but what's more impressive is that he really takes the time for the people in that secondary, third layers away from the team. You should always be respectful, but he goes out of his way to make sure that everybody's included. It's unique to watch, especially in this day and age."
It remains to be seen whether Chara's 24th NHL season will be his last. But with his 45th birthday approaching, he's averaging 18:29 of ice time per game.
"I think back when I was starting and guys like Bob Gainey, Guy Lafleur, they looked like were in good shape but they were done when they were done at 32, 33," Chelios said. "So obviously training has improved so much, guys train all year round. There's no question guys are still in their prime at older ages and still very effective. I mean, look at (Jaromir) Jagr, he's 50 years old and still playing over in [the Czech Republic], so yeah, it's not a surprise. It's just the evolution of training and guys just being in so much better shape they could last longer.
"You wish you could play forever. But I can quite honestly say I loved every minute of it. I got my money's worth for sure."
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this story