Through his years in Boston, Zdeno Chara was never the most well-known star.<\/p>\n
There was Tom Brady in Foxboro winning six Super Bowls over a 20-year span and becoming the greatest quarterback in America\u2019s most popular sport. Then there was David Ortiz who ended an 86-year curse, won three World Series rings and became the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history.<\/p>\n
As iconic as Brady and Ortiz were though, no one embodied Boston more than Chara.<\/p>\n
While Brady was off advertising Aston Martin cars and Ugg boots and Ortiz was touting his newest diamond earrings, Chara was your neighbor. He was blue collar. He rode his bike to work. He ate in the North End. He introduced himself to every player. He rode the elevator with everybody else.<\/p>\n
He was just like you even though he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Now, Chara\u2019s one ring doesn\u2019t compete with Brady\u2019s six and Ortiz\u2019s three. Chara isn\u2019t the greatest defenseman to ever play hockey and he wasn\u2019t known for the clutch play \u2014 how did he let Alex Burrows score that easy wraparound in overtime like that?<\/p>\n