Zdeno Chara's number to be retired by Boston Bruins this season
The Boston Bruins will raise Zdeno Chara's No. 33 to the rafters of TD Garden during a ceremony this season, the team announced on Monday.
The Bruins announced that the former Bruins captain and defenseman will be honored during a ceremony on January 15.
Festivities will be held before the team's game that night against the Seattle Kraken. Additional details will be released closer to the ceremony.
"The Rafters are a fitting home for 33, because there will never be another Zdeno Chara," Bruins owner and governor Jeremy Jacobs said in a statement. "From his skill, size and physical dominance on the ice, to his leadership in the locker room and impact on the Boston community, Zee is a legend of the game and the ultimate Bruin."
Chara played 14 seasons with the Bruins from 2006 to 2020, helping the team hoist the Stanley Cup in 2011.
During his tenure in Boston, Chara notched 148 goals and 333 assists in 1,023 games in addition to being a defensive force.
His No. 33 will become the 13th number retired by the organization. The last was Willie O'Ree's No. 22, which was retired in 2022.
Other players with their number retired are Rick Middleton, Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly, Ray Bourque, Phil Esposito, Johnny Bucyk, Bobby Orr, Milt Schmidt, Eddie Shore, Aubrey Clapper, and Lionel Hitchman. Chara, a native of Slovakia, will become the first European player to have his number retired by the Bruins.
"Zdeno set the standard with his professionalism, his legendary work ethic and his fierce competitiveness, and he did it all while representing our organization with the utmost class. As someone who has experienced what it means to have your number hanging in the rafters, I can say without a doubt that Zdeno's No. 33 belongs there," said Neely, who now serves as Bruins president. "It will serve as a permanent reminder of his place as one of the greatest Bruins of all time."
Chara was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025 and currently serves as hockey operations advisor and mentor for the Bruins.