In less than a month, the Boston Bruins will officially raise Zdeno Chara‘s No. 33 to the TD Garden rafters. A Bruin for almost 15 years, and the last Bruins captain to lift the Stanley Cup high above his head, the Jan. 15 retirement night will surely be one to remember for Chara, the Bruins, and everybody at TD Garden.
And Thursday came with the confirmation of some additional details regarding the festivities around Chara and the Bruins that night.
Perhaps the most notable change came with an official time change to the game itself, which will now begin at 8 p.m. instead of its original 7 p.m. start time. The Bruins (and Kraken) made that switch to accommodate the pregame ceremony, and by all means allow people more time to get in the building for the game.
While the game will begin at 8 p.m., the doors will open at 5 p.m. for ticketed fans, with fans encouraged to be in their seats by 6:10 p.m. for the pregame ceremony.
The B’s also announced that the ceremony itself will be hosted by former Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference. Currently the NHL’s Director of Youth Strategy, Ference played with Chara on the Bruins from 2007 to 2013, and was part of the Boston blue line that won the Cup in 2011 and compete for another one in 2013.
Bruins defensemen Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference celebrate following Game Seven of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Getty Images)
All ticketed fans will also receive an exclusive Zdeno Chara bobblehead commemorating his Bruins career. The bobblehead, which comes courtesy of TD Bank, figurine depicts Chara lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time. The base of the bobblehead also highlights some of the many achievements of Chara’s career, including his Norris Trophy win and his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Chara’s No. 33 will be the 13th number retired by the Bruins in their over century-long history, and the first since the club retired Willie O’Ree’s No. 22 in 2022.