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Chara Celebrates Gordie Howe's Birthday

Apr 1, 2009 – 12:10 PM
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Bruce Ciskie

Bruce Ciskie %BloggerTitle%

Hockey legend Gordie Howe turned 81 on Tuesday. Ever since the 1950s, the term "Gordie Howe hat trick" has been used to describe a player scoring a goal, picking up an assist, and getting into a fight during a game.

On Howe's 81st birthday, Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara found a fun way to celebrate. He picked up a Gordie Howe hat trick in a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay.

Going in chronological order, Chara's fight came first. It was a first-period scrap with Evgeny Artyukhin.



In the second period, Chara snuck down the right wing to get his 17th goal of the season off a great pass from Patrice Bergeron.



Later in the period, his point shot was tipped home by Chuck Kobasew to complete the feat.



Most importantly, Chara didn't get hurt fighting a guy with a visor, and the Bruins moved closer to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
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