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Zdeno Chara is a fan favorite everywhere he has played,and it is easy to tell why. His work ethic and heart are matched by few if any. Although the Islanders needed some veterans to speed up the success of the club,they lost a huge piece of the puzzle when they traded Z. The Ottawa Senators hockey club saw the potential and Z became one of the best D-man in the NHL as soon as he pulled on that sweater. I have been fortunate enough to meet Z at a few team signings. I also did something I never did before in going early to the arena hoping to see him. He was great and took time to take a picture with me and one for my girlfriend who is a huge fan of his (an understatement!!) He also signed a game worn Islanders jersey for us!! It was an awesome experience. We saw him after a game a month or so after and WOW!! He stopped again to take a picture of the three of us together and signed both our Chara jerseys!! We have a lot of Z's stuff including 4 game used sticks, a pair of his Ottawa gloves and one of his Islanders game worn sweaters. It is nice to see how many Islanders fans miss him, and also so nice to see Z take an extra minute to say hi to his old friends and still faithful fans!! My girlfriend and I became Chara fans our first year as hockey fans in 2000-2001. The Islanders had a tough year,but showcased they're very capable young players including Tim Connolly,Taylor Pyatt,Juraj Kolnik and Branislav Mezei...O.K. so all those guys got traded...but anyway Z played like it was the Stanley Cup Final all year long,played in all 82 games, blocked shots, fought tough guys, killed penalties, played the power play and got his share of points!!We were shocked when he was dealt to Ottawa but not upset, he would just be on a different team and now we had a new team to root for as well! Of course Z has put up incredible numbers with Ottawa and his team has had great success!! This guy does it all, why explain it, you've seen it I'm sure!! Z is a player that makes hockey fun to root for. Please email kerry and I at [email protected] to talk Big Z, trade pictures, cards or hockey games! |
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