Captain simply awed by adulation
Chara ‘overwhelmed’ by reception from fans before Game 5
BOSTON — Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said he was “overwhelmed” by the response he received at TD Garden when his name was announced in the starting lineup for Game 5.
“I didn’t expect it, obviously,” Chara said Tuesday morning after practice. “It’s very humbling, and I’m so honored to get that kind of a pregame crowd being involved and cheering us on. It just shows how passionate the Boston fans are. Very much appreciate it. We are so thankful they are so behind us and cheering us on.”
The public address announcer paused for a few additional moments after introducing Chara before puck drop, allowing for the sellout crowd to greet him with a standing ovation and shower him with cheers.
Chara’s ability to take the ice, 71 hours after getting hit in the mouth by a puck, was met with awe from his teammates, too.
“After that, what he went through, he doesn’t need to say anything, really,” center Charlie Coyle said. “It’s already been said. It’s already known. That’s the example part. Just him doing that, not having to say a word, and us just wanting to run through a wall for him.”
No contact for Grzelcyk: Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk continued to practice in a red noncontact sweater and forward Chris Wagner fully participated in practice for the first time since blocking a shot with his arm in Game 3 of the conference semifinals. Before Game 6 of the Cup Final, coach Bruce Cassidy called Wagner “a possibility” for Game 7. Forward David Backes, who has been a healthy scratch the past two games, also practiced, though rookie Karson Kuhlman remained in his spot in the lineup during rushes. … Forward Patrice Bergeron said he doesn’t know if there will be part two of the moving speech that inspired his teammates before Game 6.
“You don’t force things like that,” forward Brad Marchand said. “We’re not going to look for any kind of speech [Wednesday]. We all understand what’s at stake and what we need to do. We’re going to prepare the same way we have all year, and that’s what we’re going to rely on.”
Chara expressed a similar sentiment. “You just got to realize that you have to leave everything on the line to play our best game,” he said. “It’s not that I’m going to be sitting at the desk and trying to figure out some speech. I think it’s just you go by the feel. I think we all realize it’s more about actions than words.”