All hockey fans know Zdeno Chara as one of the best players ever. His towering stature made him a nightmare for forwards to play against. But everyone has to start somewhere. Zdeno Chara’s first time on the ice gave him a true “welcome to hockey” moment.
One Stanley Cup. One Norris Trophy. 1,680 NHL games. 2,085 penalty minutes. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Zdeno Chara is truly one of the greatest players to ever step onto NHL ice. Born in what is now Slovakia, Chara grew up in the town of Trenčín, which was also the hometown of Marian Gáborík and the Hossa brothers.
Grew up loving hockey
Growing up, Zdeno Chara loved watching hockey but never thought of playing himself. However, the Chara family lived two doors down from a Zamboni driver, and when word got out that a new hockey academy was opening, Chara decided he wanted to give the sport a try.
“I wanted to go on skates, see what it’s like. On TV it looked fantastic, it looked easy. My dad had just bought new skates and asked the neighbor to open up the rink later that night,” Chara said in an interview.
But his first time on the ice didn’t go as planned.
Zdeno Chara’s first time on ice
“We put the skates on and jumped out onto the ice, trying to skate. BAM. Face down—I knocked two teeth out. I thought, ‘Well, this is great. This is hockey.’ But when I came home, my mom saw me all bloody and asked, ‘What happened?’” Chara recalled.
“That was my first experience on the ice. But there was something great about it. I felt very connected—the smell of the ice, the arena,” Chara added.
Even though his hockey career was off to a rough start, it’s safe to say things turned out pretty well.
You can watch the full interview below.
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