Zdeno Chara got a nice applause from the crowd when he broke the record for games played by a defenseman. 0:50
Zdeno Chara is alone.
The New York Islanders blueliner set a record for most games played by an NHL defense after he played in his 1,652nd game.
Chris Chelios had held the record since 2010, when he retired after 26 seasons in the NHL. Chara has played the seventh-most games at any position in the league.
Chara has decided not to speak publicly on the milestone until it is officially passed. It doesn't bother me one bit that a guy like him is the guy, but I'm not going to say I'm happy about it. It is a heck of a feat.
Chara is in his 24th pro season and has put in 18:31 average time on ice while adding eight assists in 43 games. Over the course of his career, Chara has racked up 207 goals and 668 points, and he sits 32nd overall in that span with an average time on ice of 23:34. The intimidating force patrolling NHL blue lines has been Chara. The Islanders drafted the Slovakian in the third round of the 1996 Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 1997.
After four seasons with New York, Chara was traded to Ottawa. After four years there, Chara would leave to start his career in Boston.
The Bruins immediately named Chara a captain after he signed with them as an unrestricted free agent. Through the next 14 seasons in Boston, he held that mantle.
Zdeno Chara won the NHL's best defense in 2009, after posting a career-high 19 goals in the regular season. It is his only win to date, and he has six nominations for the award.
The first Stanley Cup of Chara's career was won by the Bruins in 2011. He became the first Slovak player to captain an NHL club to a Cup victory and the second European skater to do so.
The Boston Bruins lost to the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues in the Cup Final.
In November of that year, Chara became the 21st skater in history to appear in 1,500 games, and he was the oldest active player in the NHL.
After his contract in Boston expired, Chara decided to join Washington on a one-year deal. When Chara rejoined the Islanders in September 2021, his career came full circle.
It is unlikely that Chara will be able to produce another playoff run this season. New York was seven points back of a wild-card playoff spot entering Thursday's game. In addition to his regular-season appearances, Chara has also played in 200 playoff games.
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