In hockey, sometimes your biggest foe can become one of your best friends, and that happened to the Washington Capitals during their COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season.
The Capitals signed veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara, one of the greatest rearguards in NHL history, to a one-year, $795k deal. The contract made one of the Capitals’ biggest rivals, formerly part of the Boston Bruins, into a beloved teammate — most exemplified by Chara’s relationship with Capitals’ enforcer Tom Wilson.
Before Chara landed in DC, Wilson fought the behemoth on December 11, 2019, throwing hands with the tallest player in NHL history.
Nearly five years later, Wilson was one of the loudest players to congratulate Chara on his Hockey Hall of Fame nod that came Tuesday.
“Huge congrats to big Zee on being a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee,” Wilson wrote on Instagram. “It was a true privilege to be able to compete both against you and by your side. Well deserved my friend!”
Wilson posted a photo of their bout, along with a later photo of them hugging as Capitals teammates. Wilson then added a funny video.
The highlight featured Wilson and Chara bully smol New York Islanders’ forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau after a whistle. Wilson and Chara shoved and punched the 5-foot-9 pest until he lost his helmet and dropped his hockey stick, helpless to the punishment he was absorbing.
Wilson became a huge fan of Chara as he saw how hard the defender worked behind the scenes, best exemplified in this quote from 2021.
“When you see him walk around, you see him in the gym, there’s just this feeling he puts off,” Tom Wilson said. “This vibe he puts off that just makes everyone around him better. He’s an amazing leader. Watching him in there putting in work is surreal sometimes, how strong he is. Just honestly, when he’s picking up weights, that should be heavy, they don’t look heavy. It’s a lot of fun to be around. I’ve found myself getting better just being around him, working out with him, preparing with him. He demands that from his teammates.”
Chara commented on Wilson’s Instagram post on Thursday, replying “Thank you @tomwilson for the battles and also your support ,they all means so much respect for each other.💯🙌”
