It was a subtle subplot during the normal times, but the whispers grew louder during the Return to Play: “Is this Zdeno Chara’s last ride?”
While the speculation was never fueled by comments from Chara himself, it’s certainly not unfair to wonder. After all, Chara is 43 years old, and while he’s arguably one of the most fit NHLers of all time, those miles start to add up.
After last night’s game ended, many people noticed the very obvious highlighting of Chara’s situation by Doc Emerick during the handshake line:
It prompted many people on Twitter to ask if it had been confirmed somewhere that Chara was, indeed, retiring (or leaving the Bruins); the answer to both of those questions is “no,” at least publicly.