Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, Chára is the tallest person ever to play in the NHL, earning him the nickname "Big Z".
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Zdeno Chára, born 18 March 1977 is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) tall, Chára is the tallest person ever to play in the NHL, earning him the nickname “Big Z”. At 45 years of age, he is the oldest active player playing in any of the top five professional sports leagues in North America (NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB, or MLS). He has also played for the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals. Chára served as the Bruins’ captain for all his fourteen seasons with the franchise, from 2006 to 2020.
Before he was drafted into the NHL, Chára’s coaches in his native Slovakia attempted to persuade him to play basketball, due to his height. Also as a result of his height, Chára uses 67-inch sticks (four inches longer than NHL regulations) and receives a waiver from the NHL to do so. He won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman in 2009, becoming the first Slovak player to do so, and the second European player after Nicklas Lidström. In 2011, 2013 and 2019 Chára captained the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals. He is one of four European-born and raised captains to lead his team to the Stanley Cup championship.
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Known as “Big Z,” Chara has cast a huge shadow of accomplishment over the NHL since his arrival as a third-round selection (No. 56) by the New York Islanders in the 1996 NHL Draft. After four seasons with the Islanders, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators on June 23, 2001. Chara’s game continued to evolve in Ottawa, and in 2003 he played in his first NHL All-Star Game. Chára has represented Slovakia in ten international tournaments, having played in the World Championships and the Olympics. He played his first international game in 1996.
| Games | 1682 |
| Total Points | 680 |
| Total Goals | 209 |
| Total Assists | 471 |
Zdeno Chára has a net worth of $50 million. He signed a 1-year contract with the New York Islanders worth $750,000 with $750,000 guaranteed and an annual average salary of $750,000. Other than this he has signed two contracts previously worth more than $30 million with the Boston Bruins. In 2006 he signed a 5-year contract worth $37.5 million and on 10 October 2010, Chara signed a $45.5 million extension with the team. Other than his NHL contracts he earns a yearly endorsement of $500,000. He has penned down an endorsement with Warrior Sports. On 18 September 2021, it was announced that Chára had signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders.
Chára married his long-time girlfriend Tatiana Biskupicová on 14 July 2007, in a Catholic church in Nemšová, Slovakia. Tatiana gave birth to the couple’s first child, daughter Elliz Victoria Chára (Chárová), on 27 April 2009. On 7 March 2016, Chára became a father to twin boys, Zack and Ben. All three of their children were born in Boston. Tatiana moved to Canada and worked as an economics engineer before becoming a financial planner. Tatiana worked as an economics engineer in Ottawa, Canada before working at a TD bank.
