Boston Bruins

Zdeno Chara had one thing in mind when he signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006: Creating a winning culture.

After all, it’s clear the culture and the impact [still resonates with the current roster](https://nesn.com/2022/10/nick-foligno-recalls-playing-with-against-bruins-legend-zdeno-chara/) and he only would be able to add to that if he were part of the team again. Chara also [dropped the puck](https://nesn.com/2022/10/watch-zdeno-chara-drop-puck-ahead-of-bruins-wild-game/) ahead of the Bruins-Minnesota Wild game with his kids alongside him. 33 is retired to the TD Garden rafters](https://nesn.com/2022/09/will-bruins-retire-zdeno-charas-number-cam-neely-weighs-in/). “He gave the Bruins the identity that they’ve been playing with for the last 14 years he was there,” Seidenberg told Benjamin in 2020. [to replace Chara](https://nesn.com/2022/02/bobby-orr-congratulates-zdeno-chara-for-remarkable-achievement/), both in terms on size, leadership and physicality, was no easy task. After all, he came to Boston with the idea of giving the team an identity. Chara never had a “me first” mentality, but rather a “team first” one, that really stuck with his current and former teammates. Chara and the Bruins would go back to the Cup Final two more times — 2013 and 2019 — and lose both to the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Chara was more than just the captain, he [they finished 35-41-6](https://records.nhl.com/franchises/boston-bruins/season-by-season-record) and missed the playoffs. Taking away their passing lanes and positioning their sticks worked, and the Bruins ended up winning the Stanley Cup in enemy territory in Game 7. Tim Thomas had to stop several breakaways, so Chara and company readjusted and prevented the Canucks from getting to the net.