Photo Credit: Brian Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images
It’s still just the beginning of hockey season, but already there have been numerous injuries since the start of it, including Dan Boyle of the New York Rangers with a broken hand, who was one of the first to be out on the second day of the season during their victory against the St. Louis Blues. Now, a few weeks later, almost every game and team has seen injuries, whether they are minor, or major. Some have left players out indefinitely including Boston Bruins’ defenseman Kevan Miller with a separated shoulder, while some thankfully have a specific time frame of when they will be welcomed back, and this includes the Boston Bruins’ captain, Zdeno Chara.
The general manager of the Boston team, Peter Chiarelli, announced on Friday, October 24, 2014, that defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara will most likely not be having surgery, and though the conservative time frame for his return is 4-6 weeks, it could be sooner than that. Chara is taking the time off to allow a tear in his posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee heal. The injury is believed to have occurred when Chara checked New York Islanders forward John Tavares towards the end of the first period in the game on Thursday night at the TD Garden in Boston, where the Bruins fell to the Long Island team. Chara left the ice with 8:12 left in the period and did not return.
Being that he is such a big part of the team, news like this can be discouraging to fans and teammates, but Bruins’ coach Claude Julien does not expect his team to be down about it. He believes that even though they lost a vital part of the team, they are strong enough to overcome these obstacles and will be able to rise above it. Chara’s absence though, will affect the entire roster, especially since he has been the team’s captain since he signed with them in 2006, and has only missed 20 games out of about 600. He leads the Bruins with an average ice time of 21:41 per game, and is an important asset to his team’s power plays as a net-front presence. His teammates, including defensemen Doug Hamilton, Dennis Seidenberg, Adam McQuaid, and Torey Krug, will now face increased responsibilities. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski may have an expanded role, and either Zach Trotman or Joe Morrow, recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League, could see opportunities for playing time.
He will be back and ready to play before we know it, these 4-6 weeks that he will spend off the ice will seem long, but will be worth it for his health. A speedy recovery is wished upon him, but it is important that he comes back fully healed and healthy.
