Former New York Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara was named to hockey’s most exclusive group on Tuesday, as he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on his first ballot. The blueliner is among eight names to be enshrined in Toronto this year.
Chara, a member of the team for five seasons, was selected by the Islanders in the third round of the 1996 NHL Draft. He spent the first four seasons of a historic 24-year career on Long Island, recording six goals and 23 assists for 29 points in 231 games. Following the 2000-01 season, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators, alongside Bill Muckalt and the second overall pick in the 2001 Draft, for forward Alexei Yashin.
After four seasons with the Senators, he joined the Boston Bruins, where he spent the next 14 years of his career. There, he won a Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2009 and a Stanley Cup in 2011. He skated in 1,023 games for Boston, recording 148 goals and 333 assists for 481 points.
The 2019-20 season was his final season in Boston. After his departure, he signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals for the shortened 2021 season, during which time he appeared in 55 games.
Just before the start of the 2021-22 season, Chara completed his odyssey by rejoining the Islanders on a one-year pact, the last of his career. In his second stint, he set the record for most NHL games played by a defenseman with 1,680. His final NHL game came on April 27, 2022, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he lit the lamp on his final shot in the dying seconds of the contest. He announced his retirement on Sept. 30, 2022.
Across his storied career, Chara recorded 209 goals and 471 assists for 680 points. Alongside his Stanley Cup and Norris Trophy, he made six All-Star teams, won the 2011 Mark Messier Leadership Award, and won a pair of silver medals for Slovakia at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship.
Chara will be inducted alongside fellow NHL alums Alex Mogilny, Joe Thornton, and Duncan Keith. Rounding out the class are women’s hockey forwards Jennifer Botterill and builders Jack Parker and Danièle Sauvageau. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 10.
