Bruins’ Zdeno Chara, 42, Wants To ‘Continue Playing’ After This Season

Zdeno Chara’s NHL career one day will come to an end — that much is certain. But when the towering Slovak eventually elects to hang up his skates is anyone’s guess.

The Boston Bruins defenseman celebrated his 42nd birthday Monday, a reminder that Chara, in fact, is older than Tom Brady. And like the New England Patriots quarterback, Chara still is at the top of his game, and has no plans of retiring anytime soon.

“I want to play,” Chara recently told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “I want to continue to play. I believe that I have a lot left and I have a lot of passion for the game. I love competing. I love doing all these things, coming to the rink, talking to the guys, doing the routine, working out in the summer, going through that grind.

“There’s something about it that you get so attached to it, it becomes your life. And I’ve been playing for so long that it is my life.”

Of course, Chara no longer is the dominating presence he was during his mid-30s. But the 6-foot-9 D-man remains a vital piece on Boston’s blueline, both in his ability to shut down opposing stars as well as his role in nurturing rising star Charlie McAvoy.

For all Chara has accomplished during his 12-plus years in Boston, it’s hard to not feel like he — and his uncommonly polite nature — is taken for granted. Fortunately, it sounds like hockey fans have at least a couple more years to enjoy and embrace the future Hall of Famer.