Zdeno Chara is a legend of the game.
He finished his career after the 2021-22 season after a marvelous 24-year career, and he is sure to earn a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame in the near future, given his incredible record of games and honors.
Not many players last as long in the league as Chara did, and he was great until his very last game.
Playing for so long, Chara was able to play against some of the biggest legends ever, one of whom happens to be Wayne Gretzky.
When Chara started playing in the NHL, Gretzky was nearing the end of his career, playing with the New York Rangers.
As Chara began his career with the New York Islanders, he and Gretzky played each other quite often. Gretzky has a hilarious story about those days.
Gretzky said that he always wanted to be on the ice at the same time as Chara due to his skating abilities.
”The very first game we played against him, we watched him in warmup, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow,’” Gretzky said on a TNT broadcast.
”And I went into the coach’s office, and I don’t really say a whole lot, and I said to Colin Campbell, ‘Listen, every time that No. 3 is out there, get me out there.’ The first year, he’s a little bit like Bambi.”
But that would soon change. It didn’t take long for Chara to learn how to play in the big league, and Gretzky didn’t want to be near him.
”By the second year, I said, ‘Every time he’s out on the ice, be ready. I’m coming off.’ It took him six months, and he figured it out and became one of the best defensemen we’ve ever had.”
