There are a lot of things Zdeno Chara was known for during his time in the NHL. His smarts. His success. His leadership. His size. The fact that his size didn’t set him back in other areas of the game.
But there was another thing Chara was well known for: his shot. His size allowed him to create heavier shots off of his stick, one of the hardest shots in the league to stop. It’s what helped him to 10 seasons with 10 or more goals, and it’s what also earned him the record for the hardest shot in NHL history.
On Friday, Chara recreated his record-setting shot during his farewell event, hitting 108.8 miles per hour and showing that even at 49 years old, he’s still got it.
Chara originally set the record in 2012 at that year’s NHL All-Star Game during the hardest shot competition in the Skills Competition. The shot had bested his own previous record of 105.9 mph, which he had set during the Skills Competition the year prior.
While Chara hasn’t played an NHL game in over four years, he had still participated in alumni games and charity events, something he admitted was difficult at times now that his training regimen has shifted to running marathons or completing Ironmans. So “Zee’s Last Shift” served as his official farewell to the game, celebrating his legacy to the sport and his home country of Slovakia, while also being a charity event for schools in Slovakia.
The event featured a charity game played between two teams of hockey players, from active players like David Pastrnak to former Boston Bruins like Patrice Bergeron and Ray Bourque to fellow Slovaks like Jaroslav Halak and Marian Hossa. The two teams were composed of team “Boston”, which contained all the Bruins players, and team “Svet”, which featured all the other international stars who attended the event. And of course, as the cherry on top, Chara recreated his famous, record-setting shot.
Chara spent 24 seasons in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, playing in 1,680 games with 209 goals, 471 assists and 680 points, along with 18 goals, 52 assists and 70 points in 200 playoff games. He won the Norris Trophy in 2009, and captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.