Zdeno Chara will have his No. 33 retired by the Boston Bruins before the game against the Seattle Kraken at TD Garden on Jan. 15.
The number will be the 13th retired by the Bruins and first since Willie O’Ree‘s No. 22 on Jan. 18, 2022. Chara, a former defenseman and Boston captain, will be the first player born in Europe (Trencin, Slovakia) to receive the honor by the organization.
“It is truly beyond words to see my jersey, No. 33, raised to the rafters at TD Garden,” Chara said. “This honor is greater than anything I could have imagined when I first came to Boston. I am forever grateful to the Bruins organization for trusting me to lead, to all my teammates past and present, to the fans whose passion and energy made Boston feel like home, and to my family who made everything possible. This moment is not just mine — it belongs to all of us.”
Chara retired from the NHL on Sept. 20, 2022, signing a one-day contract with the Bruins. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame and the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame with the Class of 2025. The Bruins named him a hockey operations adviser and mentor Sept. 25.