SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/28/2020 Boston Bruins 1196243 Zdeno Chara’s ugly, eye-opening first year in Boston: ‘He wasn’t used to losing’ Buffalo Sabres 1196244 Sabres captain Jack Eichel provides Thanksgiving meals for Kevin Guest House Calgary Flames 1196245 5 reasons the Flames will win the Cup — and 5 reasons they’ll miss the playoffs Chicago Blackhawks 1196246 Blackhawks offseason updates: NHL free agent market still flooded with quality players 1196247 Why Mark Eaton believes 'sky's the limit' for Ian Mitchell 1196248 Hope and healthy food: Athletes 'create change' with Chicago grocery store 1196249 Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews: Trade value analysis Colorado Avalanche 1196250 DU Pioneers leaning on NHL experience to prepare for Omaha “pod” Detroit Red Wings 1196251 Red Wings intrigued by draft pick Alex Cotton’s offensive spike Montreal Canadiens 1196252 Hickey on hockey: Hockey lifer Larry Carrière parts ways with Canadiens New York Islanders 1196253 The regrets: Revisiting the 20 worst trades in Islanders history New York Rangers 1196254 Rangers prospect Zac Jones prepares for ‘marathon’ path to his pro career NNHL 1196255 Fred Sasakamoose’s life was a testament to the human spirit Ottawa Senators 1196256 Newly-acquired Senators' winger Austin Watson will honour Brian McGrattan by wearing No. 16 1196257 Ottawa Senators' forward Austin Watson looking forward to a fresh start with rebuilding team Philadelphia Flyers 1196258 Flyers winger Zayde Wisdom: From ‘horrifying’ birth to poverty to NHL draftee. 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By Fluto Shinzawa “He came in guns blazing,” said Alberts. “Everybody was impressed by him in training camp. That I got to play with him was beyond my wildest Nov 27, 2020 dreams. In scrimmages prior to the year, Z was on my team. On the bench, he was like, ‘Hey, Albie,’ and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe this guy knows my name.’ He goes, ‘We’re going to play together this year. You On March 26, 2007, the aftermath of the previous night’s consumption stay back and let me do my work.’ I’m like, ‘Sure, whatever you want, Z.’ was already accumulating in a garbage barrel inside the Bruins’ dressing ” room at the Senators’ practice facility in Ottawa. The rush of systemwide turnover did not promise immediate traction. To The day before, the Penguins had rolled the Bruins, 5-0. The rout complement Chara, Savard and Kessel, Chiarelli stuffed his roster with encouraged the Bruins to douse that dumpster fire’s last flickers at some free agent flotsam: Wade Brookbank, Nathan Dempsey, Shean of Ottawa’s finest nighttime establishments. Donovan, Brian Finley, Jeff Hoggan, Mark Mowers, Petr Tenkrat, Jason York. They did not have enough dependable holdovers like Patrice Things were going to get worse. Bergeron and Glen Murray. Even Tim Thomas could not singlehandedly turn back the tide allowed by the leaky Bruins. The way Andrew Alberts remembers it happening, first-year coach Dave Lewis handed off practice duties to Doug Houda, his assistant. Houda’s In retrospect, it was no surprise that the Bruins opened the season with first task was to deliver the bad news. an 8-3 drubbing against Florida. They won only four of their first 13 games. Chiarelli’s Nov. 13 acquisition of Stanislav Chistov from Anaheim “Houds opened the door and said, ‘Hey guys, on the ice in 20. And don’t did not exactly turn things around. In December, Kessel was diagnosed bother bringing pucks,’” the ex-Bruin recalled. “We’re like, ‘Fuck.’ Guys with testicular cancer. started to sweat. They’re drinking water. We know what’s coming.” Even though he was playing nearly half of every game, Chara could not The Bruins were facing an hour-long, no-pucks bag skate to compensate drag the team out of the ditch. for the 60 minutes of work they declined to submit the day earlier. Before the players left the room to meet their fate, though, their first-year captain “Maybe he tried to do a little too much his first year, on and off the ice,” had something to say. said Matt Keator, Chara’s agent. “He learned as the season went on to relax and grow. You can’t win the game by yourself as a captain. He “Hey, we’ve got to do this,” said Zdeno Chara, according to former wasn’t used to losing. He came from great teams in Ottawa. He was so teammate Bobby Allen. “Don’t hang your head. Don’t complain. Don’t frigging determined to make the team a contending team. He realized as slam your stick. Let’s get out there, handle our business and be done the year went on, it takes time.” with it.” More moves to make The next day, the Bruins beat the Senators, 3-2. It was their last win of the season. Six losses later, the 35-41-6 Bruins secured 13th place in the The losses — a 10-2 stomping to Toronto on Jan. 4, 2007, stands out — Eastern Conference. It was the first and worst season of the Chara Era. continued. Deeper renovation was required. Chiarelli had to decide who’d stay and who would go. “The end was definitely the hardest,” Alberts said. “I remember there being a long stretch where we didn’t have many wins. Every day, you’re Marco Sturm, one of the three pieces O’Connell acquired from San Jose going to the rink thinking, ‘What the hell can we do today at practice to for Thornton, was a keeper. Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau were not. get better to win some games?’ ” On Feb. 10, 2007, Chiarelli traded Stuart and Primeau to Calgary for Andrew Ference and Chuck Kobasew. Ference would wear a letter and Chara has played 1,023 games as a Bruin. Whether there will be a become a fixture on the 2011 championship team. 1,024th is unknown. The 43-year-old awaits the format of the new season as he plans for what could be his 15th year as a Bruin. Seventeen days later, Chiarelli wheeled Paul Mara to the Rangers for Aaron Ward. The same day, he acquired Dennis Wideman from St. Louis Chara has won one Stanley Cup in Boston. He led the Bruins to two for Brad Boyes. Ward and Wideman would spend time as Chara’s other final appearances. He won a Norris Trophy. partners. In retrospect, as poorly as that first season went, Chara laid the The repairs didn’t produce short-term spikes. The Bruins kept losing. foundation for future individual and team achievement in the star-crossed 2006-07 campaign. On March 16, the Bruins were scheduled to fly to New York for a game against the Rangers the next day. A snowstorm grounded their flight. At the time, it was just difficult to see. Conditions did not improve the following morning. Their only choice was Change, and too much of it to bus to New York to make that night’s game. A mid-drive pit stop did On July 1, 2006, Chara signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the not improve morale. Bruins. On the same day, Marc Savard signed a four-year, $20 million “I travel that way for work now,” Allen said. “In Connecticut, I see the deal. Texas Roadhouse we stopped at right outside New Haven. We all piled The newbies had company. The Bruins had hired Lewis two days earlier. in there as a team. This is the Boston Bruins playing the New York Houda and Marc Habscheid were new assistants. First-year general Rangers that night, and we’re sitting in a barbecue joint trying to have a manager Peter Chiarelli, who took over for interim GM Jeff Gorton, pregame meal.