Former NY Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara adds Ironman to his already impressive resume

Few players in NHL history have been as physically intimidating as Zdeno Chara. At 6'9", Chara imposed his will on the strongest opponents with bone-crushing hits or dropping the gloves.

Now, imagine competing in a sport without the physicality of hockey and where size and strength don't have as much of an impact. You look to your right and there stands Chara. Hard not to be intimidated.

Now that the former NY Islanders defenseman is retired from hockey, Chara has completed multiple marathons and now a triathlon.

An imposing figure on and off the ice

Triathalon, also known as Ironman, consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, and 26.2-mile run. Big Z recently completed his first Ironman in Kalmar Sweden, finishing with an impressive time of 10:40:48.

“It was absolutely amazing; the fans and the people of Kalmar and Swedish are so amazing," said Chara according to tri247.com. "I couldn’t believe how many signs, and posters, and music, and cheers…it was just spectacular. Thank you so much Kalmar.”

Though his hockey days are over, the desire to compete still burns inside the Slovakian native. Chara plans on attending the Ironman World Championship, held in Kona, Hawaii, on October 24th.

Chara played 24 seasons in the NHL after being drafted by the Islanders 56th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft. He played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Islanders, before being traded to the Ottawa Senators. Chara returned to the Islanders for the 2021-22 season, finishing his career where it began. He memorably scored in the final game of his career, before being honored by both his Islanders teammates and the Tampa Bay Lightning before skating off the ice one final time.