Zdeno Chara left the Boston Bruins when they couldn’t guarantee him a full-time gig at age 43 and joined the Washington Capitals.
Chara has since turned 44 and shown he can still put in the work.
In the Capitals’ 6-3 win Saturday over the New York Islanders, he became the 13th player in league history to skate in 1,600 regular-season games. Less than a week after 41-year-old Patrick Marleau broke Gordie Howe’s career games played record, Chara reached a lofty milestone that those who know him credit to a legendary workout regimen that has kept him on the ice this long and evolved throughout the course of his career.