October 7, 2025 | 2:20pm ET
By Shawn Hutcheon, TheFourthPeriod.com

NEELY EXPECTS BRUINS TO BE “TOUGH OUT;” CHARA’S NUMBER GOING TO RAFTERS

Bruins President Cam Neely

BOSTON, MA — On the day when the Boston Bruins announced they would retire Zdeno Chara’s No.33, it seemed only fitting that team president Cam Neely revealed that the Black and Gold will return to being hard to play against in the 2025-26 season.

For the past 15 years or so, the Bruins have opened the season manned with offensive weapons such as Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall, and David Pastrnak. All but Pastrnak are gone. In this campaign, the superstar forward will be expected to carry the offense with linemate Morgan Geekie.

Despite having such scoring threats, the motto in Boston’s dressing room was “good offense comes from good defense.” Year in and year out, every player on the team committed to that. Somehow, that was lost last season, resulting in the club finishing last in the Atlantic Division and out of the playoffs.

On Monday, Boston’s management team, led by CEO Charlie Jacobs, Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney, met with the media for the organization’s start-of-season press conference to discuss their expectations for the club.

“I think defensively, we can certainly play much better (this season),” Neely said. “I think we're going to be a very tough out this year. We're expecting to play very hard every game.

Neely explained how he expects opponents to struggle against the Bruins.

“I think we're going to have to play tight defense if we're going to be one of the eight (Eastern Conference playoff teams) as we're structured right now, and we knew that going in,” he said. “We tried to bolster our lineup offensively in the offseason. It didn't come to fruition, but we got guys that are going to be tough to play against, hard to play against.”

As the adage goes, “What’s old is new again.”

There are six new players (Viktor Arvidsson, Mikey Eyssimont, Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Fraser Minten, and Jordan Harris), one new assistant coach (Steve Spott), and one new head coach (Marco Sturm), who will join the returning 17 players (including goaltenders) from last year with the immediate aim of restoring the Bruins’ tradition of being a tough team to play against.

Not only will management require that from the players, but the fans also crave a return to Bruins Hockey.

“We also recognize that they (the fans) have their own expectations of their teams in this city, so we have to match that, or do better than that,” Neely said. “We're not satisfied at all with last year. We know we need to be better, and that's our mission: to be better. You know, like Charlie (Jacobs) said, ‘We're blessed to have this great fanbase.’ It's really a treat to see this building come alive, so we’ve got to give more reasons to come alive this year than we did last year.”

#33 is going to the rafters

As mentioned above, the Bruins made it official. Since Chara retired, all of Bruins Nation had been waiting for this day. No one will wear No.33 again (as if that were ever going to happen).

Boston made the announcement, then posted a video of Neely asking Chara to follow him into TD Garden, where he shows Chara where his name and number will be displayed for posterity. If you have not seen the video posted on social media by the Bruins, you should watch it. It was very well done.

In the 100-year history of the franchise, it can be argued that no player has had a bigger impact on everyone in the organization than Chara.

There are plenty in Bruins Nation who will remember how Bobby Orr turned the Bruins from a perennial last-place team into Stanley Cup champions (1970 and 1972), and that can also be said about Chara.

Chara, who signed with Boston before the 2026-07 season, played in 1,023 career games with the Bruins, amassing 481 points on 148 goals and 333 assists. He ranks eighth in franchise history in games played and third in goals, assists, points, powerplay goals (69), shorthanded points (19), and average ice time per game (24:29) by a defenseman.

Chara won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, becoming the first captain to bring a Stanley Cup to Boston since 1972. He appeared in two additional Stanley Cup Final series with the Bruins (2013, 2019) and finished his career with 18 goals and 52 assists for 70 points in 200 playoff games. In his 14 seasons with Boston, Chara led the Bruins to the post-season 11 times. His 14 Game 7 appearances are tied with Patrice Bergeron for the most by an NHL player.

Chara was the recipient of several individual accolades in his playing career. He won the Norris Trophy in 2008-09, awarded annually to the league’s top defenseman. He was also the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2010-11 for his exemplary leadership both on and off the ice. Chara was named to the NHL First-All-Star Team three times (2014, 2009, 2004), the NHL Second All-Star Team four times (2012, 2011, 2008, 2006), and was a six-time participant in the NHL All-Star Game (2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2003).

That career will culminate in Chara’s being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 10, 2025.

A career such as Chara’s is more than deserving of the honor of having his number retired, but what he did off the ice for the franchise is just as important. As the team’s captain, he established the famed Bruins culture. One in which Big Zee held his teammates and himself accountable to each other. Under his watchful eye, the players respected each other and played for each other. The team came first, and as it was put to me by a Bruin player in 2013: “If you don’t fit in with our culture, if you put yourself first, you won’t last long on this team.”

Last season, it appeared that the culture was beginning to dissipate. Without mentioning names, Marchand and Pastrnak expressed frustration at the lack of accountability with some players on the team. In September 2025, Boston’s ownership and management appeared to take corrective action by bringing Chara into an official role with the club.

Chara was hired by Boston as a Hockey Operations Advisor and Mentor. Per the Bruins’ press release announcing the hiring, “his primary responsibilities will include building relationships and strengthening communication between players and coaches, attending practices and home games.”

With Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman and Hampus Lindholm stepping into the skates of Chara, Bergeron and Marchand as the new leadership group, bringing Chara back into the fold was likely done to restore the culture he established.

Whether No.33 is on Chara’s back or hanging high above the ice, his influence will continue in Boston.