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Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand knows better than to shake former teammate Zdeno Chara even though he’s now an opponent.
“No, you don’t want to sting the bear,” said Marchand.
Chara will face the Bruins on Saturday for the first time since leaving Boston as a free agent, signing with the Washington Capitals in the offseason. The Bruins wanted to cut his playing time to give young defensemen a longer look.
Chara, 43, believed he could still be a regular contributor in the NHL, and his 14-year tenure with Boston ended with a one-year contract in Washington.
“I love them like my brothers,” Chara said on Friday. “We understand that this is a business. We have to play for our teams and compete there. But at the same time, we have something very deep, which goes way back and we will cherish those memories.”
Marchand knows that the worship shared between the Bruins and Chara won’t transfer to the ice.
“He’s the kind of guy where when he’s over there you’re an opponent. He’s not going to have any friends there. He’s going to play the game and compete and fight,” Marchand said. “I’m not going to push the bear under any circumstances. The greatest thing I can do is just skate away from it. If you get within reach or reach, then you’re not going anywhere.”
Chara said he doesn’t expect anything from Marchand when they first meet either.
“I don’t think it will be any different,” he said. “He’s a guy who will always go out there and compete for his teams. I think we’ve had a lot of training against each other and we’re both competing pretty hard. I’m not expecting anything else. from him or anyone else. “
Chara averages 20:29 in ice time per game for Washington. In eight games, he has scored one goal and two assists, marking his first as a capital in their victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday. When asked if he has proven he can still be a regular player rather than the spare the Bruins saw in him, Chara said: “I’m just trying to focus on trying to help. this team the best I can. “
There’s more to Saturday’s game (7 p.m. ET, ESPN +) than this moving reunion: The Capitals are first in the East Division with 13 points in eight games, and Boston is right behind them with 11 points in seven games.
“I don’t think it’s going to be so much about me playing against the Boston Bruins. I think they’re two really good teams, playing for two points that will be available tomorrow,” said Chara.
Still, it’s Zdeno Chara against the Boston Bruins. The old captain. The defensive star. The man who first won the Stanley Cup when Boston claimed the first victory in 39 years in 2011.
“It will be weird to see him in a different uniform,” Marchand said.
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