Two former Bruins captains, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton, were formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night.
Chara, 48, was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1996 and traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2001 before signing with the Boston Bruins.
Advertisement
The six-foot-nine blueliner played 14 seasons in Beantown — all as captain — from 2006 through 2020. Boston won the Cup in 2011 and made the final two other times.
The second European captain to hoist hockey’s holy grail, Chara competed at three Olympics and seven world championships. He captured the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2009, and finished his career with the Washington Capitals before returning to the Islanders.
“Growing up in small town in Slovakia — Trencin — you don’t dream about nights like this,” Chara said. “You dream about a patch of ice that doesn’t melt before we finish practice. You dream about finding a stick that’s not broken or skates that can still fit for a couple of years.”
Big Zee singled out one teammate, his former co-captain Patrice Bergeron, during his speech.
Selected first overall at the 1997 draft by the Boston Bruins, Joe Thornton’s trajectory really took off after a trade to the San Jose Sharks in 2006.
Advertisement
But Jumbo Joe still took the time to thank the city of Boston during his speech.
He spent 14 seasons in California, winning the scoring title and Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2005-06, and was just the third player all-time to lead the NHL in assists three straight seasons.
“As long as I can remember, my year consisted of going from road hockey right to the backyard rink,” Thornton said of his childhood in a tear-filled speech. “There was only one season for me — it was hockey season.”
Thornton topped San Jose in scoring eight times, including five straight seasons, and helped the Sharks make the 2016 Stanley Cup final.
Advertisement
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW