Overview
- A star-studded exhibition called “Zee’s Final Shift” closed the on-ice chapter of Zdeno Chara’s career at a sold-out Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium in Trenčín on Friday.
- Chara ended the event by removing his skates and leaving them at center ice, then walked off holding hands with his twin sons as players raised their sticks in tribute.
- The game reunited multiple generations of Bruins, including Patrice Bergeron who skated in the event, and featured international stars such as Jaromir Jagr and Anze Kopitar.
- Chara matched his 108.8-mph hardest-shot mark in an on-ice contest, and Team Boston scored 13 goals with Bergeron and Milan Lucic each netting three and David Pastrnak scoring twice.
- Coverage noted Chara’s 24-season legacy — 1,680 games played, a Norris Trophy, a 2011 Stanley Cup as Bruins captain, Hall of Fame inductions — and his current work as a Boston Bruins hockey operations advisor supporting younger players.