NHL Great Zdeno Chara Is Going To Compete At The Ironman Triathlon World CHampionships

Zdeno Chara spent 24 seasons in the National Hockey League, appearing in 1,680 games and averaging 23:30 minutes a night.

That's a lot of mileage, so you'd understand if in retirement he'd want to chill out and maybe play the occasional round of golf (by the way, can you imagine the size of his clubs?) but that's not the Big Z way. In fact, he's doing the exact opposite and will be competing in the World Ironman Triathlon Championships.

He completed his first Ironman triathlon — that's a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a full-length marathon tacked on for the hell of it — and he completed it in 10:40:48.

The NHL great and future Hall of Famer (slam-dunk first-ballot HOFer too)

"Being immersed in the endurance sports community has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my post-hockey athletic journey," Chara said in a recent interview with Runner's World.

Zdeno Chára of Slovakia competes in an Ironman triathlon this month in Sweden. (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images for IRONMAN)

"This new chapter has opened up a whole new world for me. The transition from professional hockey to endurance sports has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. I’m eagerly looking forward to many more finish lines to come."

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that Chara gravitated to endurance sports. That was one of the hallmarks of his playing career. 

Remember when I mentioned that he averaged 23:30 of ice time per night? Well, come the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that went up to 25:24.

Sure, that's no Ironman triathlon, but it's certainly no cakewalk, and it speaks to Chara's legendary conditioning.

I'm sure it doesn't hurt that the 6-foot-9 former NHLer's strides account for like 1-and-a-half of an average person's, but you've still got to be in incredibly good shape to compete in something like an Ironman triathlon.

Chara has previously competed in other non-Ironman events including the Boston Marathon.