Zdeno Chara teams up with UK charity to host 12-year-old fan at Bruins practice

Zdeno Chara is a 6-foot-9 hulking behemoth on the ice, but it looks like he is a big softie -- and stellar role model -- off of it. On Monday, Chara and the Bruins teamed up with UK charity Rays of Sunshine (England's version of the Make-A-Wish Foundation) to bring 12-year-old fan Liam Watson from his home in England all the way to the Bruins' practice at the TD Garden. 

Liam skated with the team before practice and led the players in a post-practice skate. He also sat in Chara's locker stall and fielded questions from the media like a true pro. Liam has been playing hockey at home in England for about five years, and he is a big Chara fan.

"If you don't know him, he looks really scary," Watson said of Chara. "But if you spend just one minute with him, then he's really nice."

Give a hearty stick tap to the Bruins and Chara for this gesture. 

(h/t NESN)