Charlie McAvoy had a heartfelt reaction to Zdeno Chara extension news

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Zdeno Chara is sticking around for at least one more season, and his young apprentice couldn't be happier.

Hours after the Boston Bruins signed Chara to a one-year extension Saturday, fellow defenseman Charlie McAvoy shared just how important the 42-year-old veteran has been to his NHL development.

"It’s really hard to put into words," McAvoy told reporters. "It’s kind of indescribable just how much he’s helped me grow into myself.

" ... Having someone like him who's just the consummate pro; just everything he does is the perfect example for how everyone on our team should act. I'm very lucky. I don’t take it for granted to be able to play with a guy like that."

McAvoy, who's exactly half Chara's age at 21, has blossomed into a top-pairing defenseman thanks in part to learning from the six-time All-Star. The biggest thing the mentee has picked up from the mentor? Hard work pays off.

"You don't know what hard work is really until you've seen him work," McAvoy said of Chara. "Whether it's on the ice, off the ice, diet or whatever it may be, everything is in the best interest of his career, and you can really learn a lot from a guy like that."

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney echoed McAvoy's sentiments Saturday, calling Chara a "machine." And Sweeney ensured that machine will keep running in Boston through the 2019-20 season.

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