NHL Notebook: Zdeno Chara is still willing to fight when needed

Even at age 40, captain Zdeno Chara is still one of the most important players on and off the ice for the Boston Bruins. Again this season he’s averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time per game. There is one aspect of his game that has changed in recent seasons, but it could be increasing in 2017-18.



Chara’s ability to fight is well documented. However, the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder hasn’t had to drop the gloves too often the last few seasons. Fighting has decreased throughout the league but it can still be an important component for a team’s success.

Case in point: On Monday in Columbus, the Bruins had played their worst period of the season and the Blue Jackets physically dominated Boston in the final 26 seconds of the first. The Bruins were on the receiving end of five hits, two of them against Chara.

During the first intermission, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy made it known to the players he wasn’t happy with the subpar effort. Something needed to be done and Chara stepped up and did what he needed to do when he dropped the gloves with Josh Anderson only 40 seconds into the second period.

It was Chara’s first fight of the season and he won. It also woke up the team and the Bruins erased a three-goal deficit before losing 4-3 in the shootout. Chara’s pugilistic efforts sent a message to the younger players on the team.

“It’s my job. I’m the captain of this team and I want to lead this team,” Chara told BostonSportsJournal.com. “There were a lot of things being said before the game and after the first period, but the best way is to go out there and show it and play with that fire and show the emotions and play with the energy that we needed. That’s what I try to do.

“ I always try to create that momentum, that energy and I believe that was the turning point because we started to play with a lot more energy and a lot more jump. It was a realization that some nights you can’t win only on skill. There will be nights where you have to play with your grit and physicality and then the talent will take over. That was a great example for us because we were trying to play a skilled game and we got run over, so it needed to be changed and I’m glad we responded the way we did. We came back and it was a character point for us.”

Last season, Chara registered only three fights. In 2015-16, he only had one. Since this is a bridge season for the Bruins, and the organization is loaded with youth, Chara will likely increase those numbers.

“That’s my job. I’m the leader of this team and that’s what I do,” he said.

Chara understands his value is best suited when he’s on the ice and not in the penalty box for five minutes. He’ll pick and choose his spots but he won’t allow the Bruins to get pushed around without any response.

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Hockey fans, especially in New England, were devastated when the New Jersey Devils announced in September that veteran forward Brian Boyle, a native of Hingham, Mass., was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. After a month away from the game, he returned to the lineup on Wednesday. It was fitting that teammate, and fellow Massachusetts native, Cory Schneider registered 37 saves en route to a 2-0 shutout against the Vancouver Canucks. It was tremendous to see Boyle back in action.

“I’ve loved this game, it’s given me so much,” he told reporters after the game. “The relationships, the people, some of my closest friends I have met through hockey, some of my best memories with my family, my parents, my dad were at hockey games, whether I was playing or watching. I am so blessed to be able to do this, and we all are.”

The next game in Edmonton, Boyle and Oilers captain Connor McDavid participated in the ceremonial puck drop as part of Edmonton’s Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

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Former Boston University standout Clayton Keller continues to dominate as a rookie for the Arizona Coyotes. The 19-year-old forward leads all NHL rookies with 10 goals and six assists for 16 points in 15 games. He became the second rookie in Coyotes/Jets franchise history to reach the 10-goal mark within the first 15 games of the season. Teemu Selanne registered 10 goals in his first 11 games with the Jets in 1992-93. Keller has impressed everyone in the hockey world with the start to the season and no doubt he’s one of the best young players to watch in the NHL. ... San Jose Sharks veteran forward, and former Bruins captain, Joe Thornton became the 20^th player in NHL history to record 1,400 career points. He has 386 goals and 1,014 assists and is only the second active player to reach that milestone, joining Flames forward Jaromir Jagr, who has 765 goals and 1,151 assists for 1,916 points. . . There have been 16 hat tricks already in 2017-18, which is the most through the first 212 games of a season since 1996-97 when there were 18.

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This edition of Drill of the Week focuses on speed and work ethic. It's a simple drill we call "two-cone drill." Put the players in lines of two across the goal line. Set up two cones about 10 feet apart. On the whistle the first group of players skate as hard as they can for 30 seconds (a good shift length) from cone to cone. On the next whistle, they sprint to the blue line, while the next group engages in the drill. It's important to tell the players this is how hard they should skate when on the ice during a shift.