Bruins Notebook: Zdeno Chara reaches major milestone, Senyshyn likely to get a look

When the puck is dropped at the Bell Centre Tuesday night, Zdeno Chara will join some elite company. 

In the long history of the NHL, only five defensemen have ever reached 1,5000 regular-season games played — Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios, Scott Stevens, Larry Murphy and Ray Bourque. 

But now, Chara is set to join this small crop of Hall of Famers — as Chara will hit the 1,5000-game mark on Tuesday night as the Bruins close out a back-to-back slate with a matchup on the road against the Montreal Canadiens. 

Chara, the 21st player overall to reach 1,500 games, will also become the the first player from Slovakia and the third born in Europe to log at leas that many games in the NHL, joining Jaromir Jagr of the Czech Republic (1,733) and Lidstrom of Sweden (1,564).

Tuesday’s accomplishment is just the latest in a long list of accolades for the 42-year-old Chara — who already boasts a Stanley Cup championship, two Eastern Conference titles, a Norris Trophy, seven other top-five finishes in Norris voting and six All-Star appearances on his resume. 

But Chara, always fixated on the present, isn’t reading too much into the company he’s set to join.



“To be honest with you, I try not to get caught up in any of the stats. Like I said many times, I'm enjoying playing. I love this game. This game has given me so much,” Chara said Tuesday. “On the ice, obviously, and off the ice. I just enjoy every day, being along with my teammates and going out there and performing. I just love competing and have an extreme passion for the sport."

For many others in the Bruins’ room, Chara’s impact goes far beyond his on-ice talent and his role as the backbone of Boston’s blue line for over a decade.

"The way that he competes and battles and wants to be at his best all the time," Patrice Bergeron said of Chara’s longevity and impact on this club. "Obviously, he's very tough, but it's more than that. It's the way that he handles himself on and off the ice and the way that he leads, but also just the presence that he has on the ice. I think he's got that respect because he does everything right."

While some stalwarts from that 2011 Cup title in Chara, Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask remain, Boston’s roster has largely been completely revamped in the eight-plus years since that title.

With youngsters like Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen and others becoming key cogs in the locker room over the last few seasons, Chara’s influence has loomed large as Boston plans on the next wave of leadership to grab the reins when the old guard finally hang up their skates. 

On the blue line especially, Chara has helped Carlo and McAvoy hit the ground running. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Chara has logged 2,347 and 1,741 minutes of ice time alongside Carlo and McAvoy, respectively. 

"What an unbelievable accomplishment,” McAvoy said. "He's just a special guy and a special player. It's something where I kind of forget and have to remember how lucky and fortunate I am to play with a guy like that who has done so many things throughout his career and has meant so much to myself and this team day in and day out.  I couldn't be happier for him. I will make sure to give him a big hug tonight. What an accomplishment. You really can't overstate it. He puts himself into some special, special company."

For Chara, the top priority on Tuesday will be besting the Habs and boosting the B’s win streak to seven straight games. But still, even the laser-focused defenseman was able to take a step back and give credit to those that helped him reach this major milestone. 

"It's a lot of games," Chara said. "It's very humbling. I have so many people that I should be thanking - obviously starting with my parents. They did such a great job of raising me and so much they sacrificed for me to be able to play hockey. My family, my wife, my children - there are so many people. I've been very lucky.

“ Very grateful that I've been able to be in the right place at the right time and get to know some very special people along the way. "All of my teammates, coaches…they've been tremendously helpful, and I wouldn't be playing the game without them. It's a special, special night."

Senyshyn returns 

After the Bruins brought up Cameron Hughes for Monday’s matchup against the Penguins, Boston is set to utilize another Providence skater on Tuesday in Zach Senyshyn, who has tallied two goals and three points over 12 games in the AHL this season.

While it’s unclear where exactly Senyshyn will slot into the lineup, Bruce Cassidy did note that the 22-year-old forward will most likely play over Hughes, who attempted one shot in 9:53 of ice time against Pittsburgh. 

“He’ll be a game-time decision,” Cassidy said of Senyshyn. “We’re looking at that. Ritchie had that infection. We want to make sure he’s good to go. Looks like he will be. So then it becomes – Senyshyn or Hughes, who’s the better fit? In a back-to-back situation, team with a lot of speed. We’re going to make that decision tonight and there’s a good chance he’ll play.”

Senyshyn’s wheels could come in handy against a Montreal team that loves to play with a very frantic tempo, while Cassidy added that the former first-round pick has managed to really pick up his game over the last couple of weeks, even if it hasn’t exactly translated into points. 

“Better recently. I think he had a slow start, he’s been better lately,” Cassidy said of his impressions of Senyshyn down in Providence. “That’s one of the reasons he got the call. We knew we were playing some faster teams as well — might be a good time for him to go in. We were unsure on Ritchie. Last year, he played really well with Coyle up in Minnesota. Was that a coincidence, I don’t know. It’s one game — small sample size. But might be a good spot for him.”

McAvoy dodges bullet 

Despite clanging his head off the post and exiting Monday’s game against Pittsburgh, McAvoy noted on Tuesday that he’ll be good to go and shouldn’t miss any time. While McAvoy needed a few stitches to close a cut on the back of his head, he did not suffer a concussion or any other major injury on the play. 

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“Yeah I was fine,” McAvoy said. “Had to go get a couple stitches and stuff and just had to recollect myself. I came back out and was back on the bench when we scored the empty netter. But after that I was done. We sealed it, so I went and took the helmet off.”