[ad_1]
Related: Game Photos 4
A puck in the face made Chara a little more than a glorified doorman in the final 20 minutes of Boston's 4-2 defeat, a terrible collision making the veteran captain unable to do more than salute his teammates who skated on the ice and off the ice. . It was probably easier to find high fives than words, not just because the local Blues crowd made the atmosphere as boisterous as the Bruins in this season. The personal protection shield sitting on Chara's face was there in case another wandering washer would fly towards him, a protective layer that he did not have at 3:07 of the second period, when the Brayden's shot Schenn slipped Chara's stick and grabbed him squarely. in the region of the chin / jaw.
As presenter Pierre McGuire described the carnage to the public television: "He flees. He is going to need some serious repairs. "Chara was already playing the role of the indestructible giant that fans of the giant Bruins know so well. He barely reacted, bending only to the waist as blood ran down his skates, quickly unfurling his 6-foot-9 frame to get out of the ice on his own. Only the blood stayed, with Chara gone for the rest of the period and eventually out of action for the rest of the match.
Related: Dupont: If Zdeno Chara misses the fifth game, can the Bruins fill his huge skates?
"He's just giving the example. You do not stay down. You're doing well. The legs are still going, "his teammate Charlie Coyle will later say in a muffled locker room, hoping that the loss of another defender will not be hard to beat in a tied series at two games each, in Boston on Thursday. and once again. Potential game 7. "That's Zee for you. It's a warrior. "
A few minutes later, in a different corner of the room, another veteran teammate and a captain himself (with those same St. Louis Blues) used the same description.
"He is a warrior," said David Backes. "He does not let anything hold him back. Yeah, it was huge to have him back in the pack to provide moral support. "
It's hard to quantify, but it's impossible to underestimate how much Chara on the ice missed Chara on the ice While the Blues players followed each other in waves, the remaining defenders did their best to keep up the pace, and the young Brandon Carlo, who played for the first time in the playoffs, played an enviable role.
Related: Shaughnessy: The Blues Beating Continues To Beat, Make It A Series
At 6 feet 5 inches, Carlo is the only Bruin to be able to resemble that of Chara by far. On the ice, he did his best to anchor the defense for more than seven minutes when the Blues completely smothered the Bruins. with their failure before. The tension was finally broken when Connor Clifton was sent off for a strike on Vladimir Tarasenko's head. It was Carlo who shocked the home team with a shorthanded goal soon after – a goal that could have been too, since that was his first goal. playoffs.
But that proved to be a last breath for Boston, who – like the home defeat of match 2, which they were forced to finish without a commusive, Matt Grzelzyk – was too thin for the defense to stop the Blues. With Chara gone, their hearts and souls were gone too.
"He was advised not to return to the game, he had some stitches, probably dental work in the near future, but he wanted to be with his teammates, which is why he was there. [on the bench]"Said head coach Bruce Cassidy.
"Advised not to play", one wonders if Chara tried to fight his way. But, can anyone even imagine what could be a puck in the face?
Related: "We did not stop for 60 minutes." The Blues were determined to be relentless in the fourth game.
"I did it, it's awful and I do not want it to anyone," said Backes, "Zee understands it, but you know what, that's part of the risk of playing this game." if there is a chance, a snowball chance in hell, he will be back in training and will fight for us without a doubt. "
Cassidy left this question open.
"I do not know his status for the fifth match. It will have to be reevaluated at home. I can not tell if he will play. . . . The conversation [Monday] was short. He was working, we were going on the ice, the coaches came to tell me, "It's done for the night." He was asked to sit with his teammates. I said to myself: "If he is medically able to do it, then it is good".
So, he was seated the same way on the ice after the Bruins won the Eastern Conference title – in full uniform despite the fact that he missed the match due to an injury, congratulating the Hurricanes defeated.
In the same way, during the layoff that lasted 11 days between Carolina's sweep and the start of the Stanley Cup, he described a leadership approach that leaves no one indifferent, even refusing to use the word "rookie", not to mention new players, choosing to be inclusive instead.
In the same way, he drags his 42-year-old body every day at the gym, a love of the game fueling his desire to play as long as he can.
In another world, the "C" sewn in the upper left corner of his sweater could be mistaken for a monogram. His last name actually begins with C. But for that to be true, Zdeno Chara should have done that about himself.
And as we had reminded him in the most painful way possible on Monday, that's something he will not do.
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @ Globe_Tara.
[ad_2]
Source link