The Boston Bruins renew their historically greatest rivalry tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. While some, or rather said all of the Canadiens’ fans still cannot forget Zdeno Chara hitting Max Pacioretty, Big Z will be the focal point yet again.
Chara, in his 22nd NHL season, will play in his 1,500th regular-season game. Fittingly, it will happen at Bell Centre facing the Canadiens. Last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 42-year-old defenseman skated in his 1,499th NHL contest.
In the special tilt versus the Habs at tonight, Chara will skate in his 97th regular-season game facing Montreal. Chara has been considerably productive in his career meetings with the Canadiens, as he’s collected 41 points. Only against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres has Chara recorded more points.
Only against the aforementioned teams has Chara skated in more matches than against Montreal. His last game against the Maple Leafs was also his 100th NHL game facing them. It’s unreal that some players celebrate playing in their 100th NHL game, while Chara already played his 100th game against an opponent.
If healthy, Chara will play his 100th NHL game versus Montreal in January at TD Garden. In his 96 career games versus the Canadiens, the Bruins captain averages approximately 25 minutes of the ice-time per game. He doesn’t average more minutes of ice-time per game against any other opponent in the League.
The Bruins carry their overall six-game winning streak, combined with the five-game winning streak at Bell Centre. Last time the Canadiens beat the Bruins at Bell Centre, Donald Trump became the president of the United States that night.
For Zdeno Chara, playing in his 1,500th NHL game as a member of the Bruins organization facing Montreal, it’s a terrific honor. Chara will surpass Mike Modano on the 21st place on the NHL’s all-time list. Can the 42-year-old rearguard anyhow reach 1,767 NHL games played by Gordie Howe, which is the NHL’s best-ever number?
