It's official! With the announcement of the signing of Zdeno Chara by the New York Islanders, the giant-sized defenseman will play another season in the NHL. Now 44 years old, he returns to where his career began.
Entering his 24th season in the National Hockey League, Chara will have the chance to top the list of most played games by any defenseman in the NHL. To date, the Slovakian defenseman has played 1,608 games in the league.
Chara is only 43 games behind Chris Chelios for the record. Barring injury, the veteran defenseman should easily reach that mark and to sit atop the list ahead of hockey greats such as Chelios, Stevens, Murphy and Bourque.