Chara Norris finalist
Nomination caps comeback
Around this time last year, when the 2006-07 Bruins were saying their goodbyes, reflecting on a shoddy season and looking ahead to the following campaign, all parties - Zdeno Chara, general manager Peter Chiarelli, and then-coach Dave Lewis - pledged that the captain would be a different player in 2007-08.
They were correct.
Chara, who struggled in the first season of a five-year contract, rebounded in 2007-08 under new coach Claude Julien, playing like his old surly self. Yesterday, a day after his season came to an end, Chara was recognized for his performance when he was named one of the three Norris Trophy finalists. Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf were the other finalists. The winner will be announced June 12.
According to Chiarelli, a former Senators assistant GM, Chara played better this season than he ever did in Ottawa, playing shutdown defense while enjoying his best offensive season.
Chara, playing strictly on the left side, was matched against the NHL's top forwards all season. While the Bruins aimed to trim his minutes (Chara led the league in ice time in 2006-07 with 27:57 per game), he still averaged 26:50, third in the league behind Florida's Jay Bouwmeester (27:28) and Tampa Bay's Dan Boyle (27:24).
Chara landed 223 hits, most of any Bruin and eighth in the NHL, and blocked 78 shots. An unsightly minus-21 last season, he improved to a team-leading plus-14. He helped Dennis Wideman, his partner for most of the season, reach the next stage of his development as a responsible two-way defenseman.
Offensively, Chara set career bests in goals (17), assists (34), and points (51). Twenty-five of his points came on the power play, where he quarterbacked the No. 1 unit. Chara used his boomer from the point (he was clocked with the hardest shot during the All-Star skills competition for the second straight year), but was also a threat down low when he rotated to the far post for tip-ins.
Chara injured his left shoulder March 8 (a torn labrum, according to the CBC) during the second period of a critical home match against Washington. He returned for the third period - most likely with some form of numbing agent - and buzzed a one-timer past Cristobal Huet for the tying goal. Chara was also on the ice for Marco Sturm's winning goal. He missed the next five games because of the injury.
Chara returned March 20 and played every subsequent game. But after the injury, he scored only one regular-season goal and one in the playoffs, as he couldn't get his usual zip on his slap shot.
After Monday's Game 7 loss in Montreal that eliminated the Bruins from the playoffs, Chara said he might need offseason surgery. Yesterday, Matt Keator, Chara's agent, said they had yet to determine whether he'll undergo surgery.
"You can't really control injuries," Chara said, speaking of the other ailments suffered by his teammates. "It was a chance for other guys to step up and show what they can do. I think a lot of guys did a [heck] of a job stepping in and playing their roles. There are no regrets. Guys really did everything they could."
Play on?
Youngsters Phil Kessel, David Krejci, Petteri Nokelainen, and Vladimir Sobotka were originally placed on Providence's Clear Day roster, meaning they are eligible to join the P-Bruins for the AHL playoffs. The Bruins, however, have yet to determine whether any or all of the players will be sent to Providence. The P-Bruins swept Manchester in the opening round of the playoffs. Kessel could also be tapped for national duty, as he played for Team USA in last year's world championships along with Andrew Alberts and ex-Bruin Brandon Bochenski . . . The Bruins held the Montreal power play, the best in the NHL during the regular season, to a mere three goals on 33 opportunities (9.1 percent). The Bruins, however, scored only three power-play goals (10.0 percent) . . . Montreal's crash line of Steve Begin, Bryan Smolinski, and Tom Kostopoulos combined for 72 hits . . . Canadiens captain Saku Koivu was a force in the faceoff circle, winning 23 of 35 draws (65.7 percent) . . . The Bruins will hold their breakup day at TD Banknorth Garden today.
