Player Profile...Zdeno Chara

Chara swatting flies

It's only appropriate to write a Player Profile in honor of the Boston Bruins.  And who better to cover than the CAPTAIN of your 2011 Stanley Cup Champions: Zdeno Chara.

This man is a literally a monster in the NHL.  At 6' 9" he is the tallest player to ever grace NHL ice.  The Godzilla of the Bruins. 

Chara's gargantuan stature does more than just intimidate any threatening forwards (wink, wink, Sedin twins), it comes equipped with the ability to produce the fastest slap shot ever recorded.  At the 2008-2009 Skills Competition, Chara set a record with a blistering 105.4 mph slapshot.  I'm not sure what defender would even dare throw himself in front of that puck to try to block it.

Chara is from Slovakia, and was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1996 Draft.  He spent time with the Islanders and the Ottawa Senators before making his way to Boston in 2006.  And boy are we glad to have him.  About the time that Chara showed up, this Bruins team started to play with a bit more swagger and confidence.  And it finally paid off.