Zdeno Chara is back with the Boston Bruins, though he won't be lacing up his skates and delivering any heavy hits on the ice. Instead, Chara is looking to make his impact on the front office and in the dressing room as an advisor and mentor for the club.

The 48-year-old was at Boston's practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday, and is eager to help the team in any way he can in his new role.

"I'm definitely excited. I wanted to be back with the team and working with the coaching staff, management, and players. It's definitely something new. I know I can bring a lot, but at the same time I'll be learning a lot too," Chara said Friday.

"It's nice to be back and interreacting with players, learning from coaches. I know how it used to be as a player, and it's a little different to be on the other side," he added. "But I can relate to a lot of the things I experienced as a player."

Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons with the Bruins, and was the team's captain for all of them. He retired after the 2021-22 season and was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame over the summer.

Chara was with the Bruins last season but was in an undefined role. This time around, he knows what he wants to do with the organization, using his experiences as a player to help Boston's current stars, young players, and those making the calls from the bench and in the front office.

"It helps to know the personalities and being on the same page. This is all about communication and being open with each other, having transparency with players and coaches," he said. "We all have the same goal to improve and get the maximum potential from our team throughout the club."

Chara expects to be around the Bruins quite a bit, even if it means he has to take a break from running marathons and triathlons. He'll still have time to run or bike a few 100 miles here and there, but the Bruins are once again his priority.

"There is always a race I can sign up for," Chara said Friday.

Chara didn't finish his playing career in Boston, but said he always wanted to return to the organization in some capacity.

"It's been an unbelievable 20-plus years living here, being part of an Original Six franchise. My family has been raised here, and we stayed here and live here. It became our home, and that's why I'm here," he said.

Chara ready to help Bruins' leaders McAvoy, Pastrnak

Chara's new gig reunites him with his former Boston teammate Marco Sturm, who is in his first season as head coach of the team. Sturm is excited to have Chara back on his side.

"It's great to see him back," Sturm said at the podium Friday after Chara, which required him to fix the microphone a bit. "I talked to him a few times over the summer and when I got back to Boston. I could tell right away he wanted to come back. I could feel it.

"He wasn't even playing last season but it really hurt him," Sturm said of Boston missing the playoffs in 2024-25. "He loves the game, loves the Bruins' culture and we just want to take advantage. It's nice to have him back."

The current Bruins don't have a team captain, with Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak handling leadership duties at the moment. Sturm remembers Chara setting the tone for the Bruins as the team's captain, and believes he'll help McAvoy and Pastrnak do the same for the current squad. 

"He set the tone, starting in practice. You still want to have fun, but when it's time to go and time to work, you have to get the job done. He was a big leader of that," recalled Sturm. "The [Patrice] Bergerons and Sturms, we followed him. That's the message he wants to send to McAvoy, Pasta and all these guys. Sometimes they get sick of me and sick of whomever, but he'll be another voice in our room that will maybe push these guys forward."

"I'm just another asset they can use to pick a brain, to get advice on certain situations," Chara said of his role with McAvoy and Pastrnak. "I think they are, first and foremost, really good people. They care. Everybody knows they're amazing players. They have good intentions and it takes time to grow into that role. 

"If I can be a help or provide guidance or mentorship in that department -- to help them grow as people and as men and as leaders -- I'm going to try to do that," Chara added.