Chara celebrates 42nd birthday by punching Matt Martin in the face a bunch of times

At 42 years old, Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is still one of, if not the, best fighter in the NHL.

Stop fighting Zdeno Chara. Just stop. He’s too big, too strong and has far too much length to be a good match up for anyone in today’s NHL. Even at 42, he’s looked untouchable in his most recent bouts with Evander Kane and, on Tuesday evening, Matt Martin.

Say what you will about fighting in hockey but it’s currently part of the game and until a drastic rule change, it will remain that way. Players use it as a tactic to get their teams fired up or police questionable hits. With less of the true “enforcers” around the NHL, the league’s best fighters have fewer choices in who to fight. With Kevan Miller out injured for the Bruins, these poor guys have to fight Chara.

At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Chara is a monster. His reach alone makes him nearly impossible to beat in a hockey fight. His ridiculous fitness regime and old-man dad-strength seal the deal. No one is beating him up. Martin was the most recent combatant to give the big man a go and it ended just about exactly how anyone would have predicted: Martin on the ice, and probably with a sore face.

Once Chara gets hold of the jersey, it’s finished. His overhand right reaches about a foot farther than anyone else’s and his wide stance makes him almost impossible to pull off balance. The best anyone can hope for in this situation is to punch him in the shoulder a few times and try not to bleed. That’s exactly what happened to Martin.

Kane recently learned the hard way that even with a head start, Chara is a difficult scrap. Kane caught Chara from behind, pulled him down and landed a punch before Chara got up and beat the hell out of him. In the end, Kane left the ice bleeding.

Why is anyone still trying him? There was a period of time during Chara’s 30s when referees immediately stopped every fight he was in before the players even had a chance to drop the mitts. This was done to properly protect the opposing players, as Chara was breaking people’s faces in fights.

Chara has had three fights in 2019, which is one more than he had throughout the entire 2017-18 season. If Chara needed any more motivation to keep brawling, perhaps it came from a recent visit with Conor McGregor, who attended the Boston Bruins St. Patricks’ Day game on March 17.

“Put him through the net!” is right. The Bruins won that game against Columbus and are back on a win streak after last night’s 5-0 thumping of the New York Islanders, in which they only allowed 13 shots on goal. The Bruins are about as unstoppable right now as Chara would be in the UFC Octagon.

To the next player who challenges the big man to a fight, here’s a tip: Don’t.

The Boston Bruins see the ice again on Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET against the New Jersey Devils. The New York Islanders will look to bounce back against the Canadiens at 7:30.