Ahead of the Bruins retiring his No. 33 to the rafters, we look at Zdeno Chara's journey toward bringing the Stanley Cup back to Boston in 2011.

“Wearing this jersey in front of you all was the greatest honor,” Chara added.

Zdeno Chara put the city of Boston on his back for years. His leadership resulted in Stanley Cup glory, and he earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike. That’s why the Bruins are retiring No.

If you’re headed to Causeway Street for the game tonight, the Bruins have a whole night of celebration planned for Big Z.

The Boston Bruins retired No. 33 on Thursday ahead of the team's game against the Seattle Kraken, honoring former captain Zdeno Chara. Chara spent 14 years in Boston, all as captain, and led the Bruins to their most recent Stanley Cup in 2011. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.

With grace and humility and a wide grin he rarely flashed when he was leading the Boston Bruins back to prominence, Zdeno Chara took his rightful place among Black and Gold immortals Thursday

Chara's No. 33 will be hung from the rafters prior to the Bruins' game against the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 15 at TD Garden. He will become the first European player to have his number retired by the Bruins. The 48-year-old native of Slovakia recently signed on to serve as the team's hockey operations advisor and mentor.

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Final Buzz, a daily in-depth look at the Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins won 5-1 in Game 6 at Enterprise Center on Sunday. Game 7 of the Cup Final will be played at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Former Boston Bruins Stanley Cup champion Milan Lucic is returning to play hockey, but not in the NHL. Lucic inked a deal with the Fife Flyers of the Elite Ice Hockey League based in the United Kingdom. The numbers for his contract are yet to be announced.