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Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara joins extremely exclusive club

By Dave Stevenson

Mar 28, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates with teammates during the third period of the game against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) celebrates with teammates during the third period of the game against the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Future Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara of the Washington Capitals reached yet another impressive milestone by playing in his 1,600th NHL game.

Zdeno Chara is a dinosaur, both figuratively and literally, in today’s NHL. Not only is he the oldest player in the league by over two years, but he’s also the tallest (6’9″) and the second heaviest (250 pounds). Today’s game is quicker and faster than it was even 10 years ago. Yet Chara has been able to adjust. Against the New York Islanders on Saturday, the Washington Capitals defenseman joined a very exclusive club by playing in his 1,600th NHL game.

Chara is the 13th player in NHL history to join that club. Everyone else in the club is either a Hall of Famer or, in the cases of Jaromir Jagr, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau, will be Hall of Famers whenever they decide to retire. Chara is just the fifth defenseman in the group, joining Scott Stevens, Ray Bourque, Larry Murphy, and Chris Chelios.

Ironically, his 1,600th game came against the same team that drafted him way back in 1996. He was traded from the Islanders to the Ottawa Senators, along with the first overall pick (who wound up being Jason Spezza) for Alexei Yashin. It was in Ottawa where Chara began to flourish, as he finished his four-season tenure with the Senators by being named to the first All-Star team in 2003-04 and the second All-Star team in 2005-06.

Chara is, of course, best known for his time with the Boston Bruins. He became the captain of the Bruins the moment he signed with them. Chara spent 14 seasons in Boston, winning a Norris Trophy in 2008-09 and helping the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011.

With the Capitals so far, Chara has once again managed to deftly dodge Father Time. He’s no longer playing over 20 minutes per game as he has in each season since the 1999-00 season, but he’s doing quite well in a third-pairing role with time on the penalty kill.

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Chara’s inclusion in the 1,600th game club all but ensures his spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was already heading there anyway, but when you consider his resume now, it’s hard to argue he shouldn’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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