Chara returns to practice, anxious to play in Stanley Cup Final

In completing the sweep over the Carolina Hurricanes last Thursday, the Boston Bruins bought Zdeno Chara 11 days to recover from an undisclosed injury, and the captain says he's "taking it one day at a time" in order to return for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on May 27, according to NHL.com's Eric Russo.

Chara returned to practice on Monday and worked out with the full team for the first time since sitting out the Bruins' conference-clinching victory.

The 42-year-old won a cup with the Bruins in 2011 and has been a part of many series-clinching victories over his career. Despite his experience, Chara admits that being in the stands for such a critical game was extremely difficult.

"It was, I'm not gonna lie," he said. "Watching games are not fun. You want to play them, you want to be involved in them. It was that feeling of an anxiousness to play. But the guys did a great job."

Chara's 112 playoff games ranks him fourth among NHL defenseman since 2009. Despite all the miles on his odometer, the 21-year veteran is second among Bruins in average time on ice this postseason, logging 22:31 per game.