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Bruins Legends Reuniting For Zdeno Chara’s Final Game In Slovakia originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Zdeno Chara will take one final shift with many of the teammates who helped him build a Hockey Hall of Fame career. Twenty-one former and current Boston Bruins are scheduled to participate in “Zee’s Final Shift,” a farewell game honoring the longtime Boston captain Friday in Trenčín, Slovakia.
Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Ray Bourque and 10 other members of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup championship team headline the star-studded group traveling overseas for the celebration.
The game will begin at noon ET at Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium, where Chara first began skating as a child. It will air on Slovakia’s JOJ ŠPORT, while the event’s Instagram account will provide additional content and behind-the-scenes footage.
Patrice Bergeron Leads Bruins Reunion
Bergeron was the first player announced for Chara’s farewell game, which was a fitting choice given the partnership the two formed in Boston. Chara served as the Bruins’ captain for 14 seasons, while Bergeron was part of the team’s leadership group throughout most of that run. They helped establish the culture that ultimately led Boston to its first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years in 2011.
They will be joined in Slovakia by numerous members of that championship roster.
Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Dan Paille, Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder will skate for Team Boston. Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg will patrol its blue line. Tomas Kaberle, who also played in all seven games of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, will join Chara on Team World.
All six defensemen Boston dressed during that championship series will therefore participate in the farewell game.
Tim Thomas, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner during Boston’s 2011 championship run, will be behind the Team Boston bench alongside Chara’s longtime agent, Matt Keator. Thomas will not be the only former Bruins goaltender involved, as Jaroslav Halak is scheduled to start for Team Boston.
Current Bruins coach Marco Sturm also will put his skates back on. Assistant coach Kelly and player development director McQuaid will move from their present organizational positions into the lineup.
David Pastrnak Among Current Stars Taking Part
Pastrnak is one of the few active NHL players participating in the event. The Bruins star will join Bergeron, Recchi, Lucic and the rest of Team Boston’s forwards. His involvement connects multiple generations of the franchise, ranging from Bourque’s era to Chara’s championship team and Boston’s current roster.
Brad Marchand originally was expected to participate but withdrew after undergoing surgery for hip and sports hernia injuries. Marchand explained on social media that he initially attempted to address the problem without surgery. The procedure and necessary recovery period prevented him from traveling to Slovakia and could put his availability for the beginning of the Florida Panthers’ season in question.
“I won’t be able to make Z’s game,” Marchand said. “With the time and recovery I am going to need, I won’t be able to make it and play in the game, unfortunately.”
Jozef Stumpel replaced Marchand on Team Boston’s roster.
Marchand’s absence removes another key member of the Bruins’ championship core, but the lineup still offers an extraordinary collection of Boston hockey history.
Hockey Legends Join Chara’s Farewell Celebration
Team World’s roster extends well beyond Chara’s former Bruins teammates. Jaromir Jagr, Marian Hossa, Anze Kopitar, Thomas Vanek, Jakub Voracek, Miroslav Satan, Zigmund Palffy and Michal Handzus are among the forwards scheduled to play.
Several of those players share Czech or Slovak roots with Chara, while others were teammates during different stages of his 24-season NHL career. One of the event’s most interesting participants will be former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech. The Premier League legend transitioned to hockey after his soccer career and will play goaltender for Team World.
Chara will skate on Team World alongside Kaberle, Andrej Sekera, Radek Hamr and former Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward.
The farewell represents the final ceremonial chapter of a remarkable career. Chara played an NHL-record 1,680 games as a defenseman, won the 2009 Norris Trophy and became the first Slovak captain to lift the Stanley Cup. He retired as a member of the Bruins in 2022, entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025 and watched Boston raise his No. 33 to the TD Garden rafters in January.
Now Chara will return to where his hockey journey began, surrounded by the teammates and opponents who helped define it.
MORE: Former Bruins Defenseman Comes Full Circle With Rival Sabres
Zee’s Final Shift Rosters
Team Boston forwards: Patrice Bergeron, Chris Kelly, Milan Lucic, Dan Paille, David Pastrnak, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, Jozef Stumpel, Marco Sturm
Team Boston defensemen: Ray Bourque, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference, Adam McQuaid, Dennis Seidenberg
Team Boston goaltender: Jaroslav Halak
Team World forwards: Anze Kopitar, Marian Hossa, Thomas Vanek, Jaromir Jagr, Robert Reichel, Jakub Voracek, Miroslav Satan, Zigmund Palffy, Michal Handzus
Team World defensemen: Andrej Sekera, Radek Hamr, Aaron Ward, Tomas Kaberle, Zdeno Chara
Team World goaltender: Petr Cech
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