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Was Bruins’ Chara playing injured during Stanley Cup Final?

2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final - Game Six

in Game Six of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 24, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bruce Bennett

There was talk that Zdeno Chara was playing hurt in the Stanley Cup Final, which was proven as fact following Monday night’s Chicago Blackhawks Game 6 victory.

With the win, the Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in four years.

It appeared to some, including CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty, that Chara, the Bruins’ towering defenseman and captain was playing with some sort of injury during the final.

But, Chara would not confirm that. However, his coach did admit that Chara was not at 100 per cent health, which is common for players during the playoffs.

“You have to give them credit for putting a strategy together, but at the same time Zdeno is one of those players that unfortunately wasn’t 100 percent,” said Claude Julien, as per CSNNE.com. “So he battled through it, and that’s what I mean by being proud of those guys.

“Playing hurt is part of it, and our guys did that. That’s why I say you’ve got to be extremely proud of those guys. It’s going to take a little while before we can realize the accomplishment that we had in making it to the Final again, but right now it doesn’t feel good.”

Chara wasn’t the only member of the Bruins playing in discomfort or full-on injury.

Patrice Bergeron was playing with a broken rib and a separated shoulder.