10 CAREER DEFINING
ZDENO CHARA CARDS
1997 98 KENTUCKY THOROUGHBLADES #5
A er being passed over in the 1995 NHL Dra , Chara finally heard his name called in the third round, 56th overall, by the New York Islanders in 2016. He spent his first season in North America with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars before turning pro the following season with the AHL’s oroughblades, one of the most awkwardly named teams in minor-league history. Chara played 48 games that season, tallying four goals, 13 points, and 125 penalty minutes while acclimating himself to the smaller rink. He also earned his first card, this very scarce team-issued single from Split Second cards. Card #1 in the set is a team photo and also features Chara for the completist.
1997 98 SP AUTHENTIC #186
Considering what a horse he was throughout his career, it’s surprising to see that Chara logged just seven minutes in his NHL debut with the Islanders against Detroit on
Nov. 19, 1997. at was one of 25 appearances he made in a rookie season that would have gone entirely overlooked by the manufacturers if not for this late-season SPA release. It makes Chara a true rarity of the modern era – a future Hall of Fame player with only one RC. e card is also significant for how notoriously condition- sensitive it is. e foil coating on the bottom le corner and blue borders around the rest of the card are highly susceptible to chipping. ere are just 23 Gem Mint copies in circulation, including 12 PSA 10s and 11 BGS 9.5s.
2001 02 BE A PLAYER MEMORABILIA RUBY #408
A er four seasons on Long Island, Chara remained an enigma. GM Mike Milbury loved the physical element of his game but wasn’t sure there was another level. e Senators believed there was, and so they sent disgruntled center Alexei Yashin to New York in exchange for Chara, Bill Muckalt, and the Islanders’ first-round pick in 2001, which they turned into Jason Spezza. It was the greatest trade in Ottawa history, one that turned the franchise into a top team in the Eastern Conference, and allowed Chara to blossom into an elite, two-way defender. In e Game was the first company to picture Big Z with his new team, with this Ruby parallel out of 200 providing a solid challenge to his collectors.
2003 04 BEEHIVE UD PROMOS #135
Chara was still largely viewed as a common by the hobby, relegated to multi-player memorabilia cards and parallels beyond his base issues, but his game took a huge step forward as he set new career highs in both goals (16) and points (41). at breakthrough led to a berth on the NHL’s First All-Star Team and saw him finish second in Norris balloting while also earning votes for league MVP. Collectors looking for a unique challenge will find one in this oddball issue. e entire 200-card base set was released in conjunction with this magazine. Each featured the words UD PROMO across the front, and one card was found with each copy, making any individual card very tough to track down.
2004 05 UPPER DECK ALL WORLD AUTOGRAPHS #54
e NHL lockout that led to the cancelation of the 2004-05 season couldn’t have come at a worse time for Chara. To keep his game in top shape, he signed with Farjestads BK of Sweden’s top league, the Elitserien. He proved to be an equally imposing presence on the big ice, registering 10 goals, 25 points, and 132 penalty minutes in just 35 games. Chara earned a handful of cards to commemorate his brief run overseas, including several that were released in Sweden in 2004-05 and 2005-06. is single, which features a sticker autograph, was released domestically by UD as it tried to make the best of a bad labor situation.
2006 07 FLEER #18
Count Chara among the NHL’s first salary-cap casualties. As part of the newly signed Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams were limited to $39 million in salaries. Needing new contracts for both Chara and Wade Redden, GM John Muckler chose to make Redden the highest-paid player in franchise history and cut Chara loose. e decision haunted the Senators for more than a decade. On July 1, 2006, the Bruins signed the UFA to a five-year, $37.5 million deal. Months later, before he played his first game, Chara was named the 18th captain in Bruins history. is card is unique in that it is the only one to capture him at the press conference announcing his signing.
2009 10 O PEE CHEE TROPHY WINNERS #TW8
Any list of the top defenseman of this century would include Chara’s name at, or very near, the top. Between 2004 and 2014, he finished among the top five in Norris Trophy voting eight times including his only career win in 2009. It was fitting that he edged Nicklas Lidstrom for the honor, the player who had bested him in his previous two appearances as a finalist. “I know this is an individual award, but to me it’s just a reflection of team play and I have to thank all my teammates for their contributions, their help, for their trust, respect, but most of all for creating a big family in Boston,” he said in his acceptance speech.
2011 12 SCORE GLOSSY #15
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Chara? If it’s not his record-setting height, it’s probably the slapshot that’s been clocked repeatedly as the fastest in history. He was a mainstay of the Hardest Shot competition held annually during the NHL’s All-Star Weekend, and he came home a winner more oen than not, claiming the title a record five times. Although this card recognizes his 2011 victory, it was a year later when he set the current NHL record with an absolute bomb that went off at 108.8 MPH. No surprise then that he also set personal bests with 40 assists and 52 points that season.
2011 12 UPPER DECK DAY WITH THE CUP #DC4
Chara’s Hall of Fame-worthy career offers a stellar collection of highlights, but no moment was greater than the Game 7 4-0 win over Vancouver that clinched the 2011 Stanley Cup for the Bruins. “It’s not about me, it’s about us,” he said aerward. “We had such a committed group. Winning the Cup was such a relief, such a happy moment.” While several cards went on to use the iconic image of Chara liing the Cup over his head on the ice, this one offers something unique by capturing his celebration in his native Slovakia. It was part of an unannounced 14-card chase set inserted in packs of 2011-12 Upper Deck Series 1. With odds of pulling any one of those at 1:1,000, they’re scarce to this day.
2021 22 UPPER DECK GAME DATED MOMENTS GOLD #59
You know you’ve hung around the game a long time when you’re skating with teammates who weren’t born when you entered the league. Chara’s 24-season career saw him dress for 1,680 games, the most ever by an NHL defenseman and seventh-most among all players. On Feb. 24, 2022, Chara passed Chris Chelios for the record when he took to the ice for the Islanders against the San Jose Sharks. ¢e accomplishment was recognized by this Game-Dated Moments card, a parallel to the base card available through the e-Pack program that was limited to just 100 copies.