The day Bruins fans have been dreading finally arrived, as captain Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement from the NHL.
There had been speculation about the longtime Boston center hanging up the skates, but the fans and team got its answer on Tuesday morning, as the club published a letter from Bergeron making the official decision to retire after 19 playing years, all with the Bruins.
Bergeron retires as not only one of the greatest skaters to ever don the black and gold but also one of the best leaders and defensive forwards in NHL history. The 38-year-old is the all-time leader in Selke Trophies, a Stanley Cup champion, a 1,000-point scorer and has over 1,000 games played.
From his NHL debut in 2003 to the heartbreaking farewell to TD Garden at the end of the 2023 playoffs, there are countless memories of Bergeron wearing the Spoked B.
MORE: Social media reacts to Patrice Bergeron's retirement
Here are the three defining moments in Bergeron's career in the NHL.
Three defining moments in Patrice Bergeron's career
Bergeron completes Game 7 comeback vs. Maple Leafs in 2013 playoffs
It lives in the dreams of Bruins fans and in the nightmares of the Maple Leafs faithful.
When you think about defining moments in Bergeron's career, there is one that stands out among the rest, and that's Game 7 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Toronto.
It is regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history. Boston was down three goals with less than 11 minutes remaining in regulation, seemingly on the cusp of elimination. However, goals from Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic made it a one-goal game with less than a minute to go.
That's where Bergeron comes in. First, he tied the contest with 50 seconds left, beating James Reimer with a long wrist shot from the point, using Zdeno Chara in front as a screen.
Then, 6:05 into overtime, Bergeron sent TD Garden into a frenzy, potting home a loose puck to complete the comeback and punch Boston's ticket to the next round.
May 13, 2013
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) May 13, 2022
Game 7
Bruins vs Maple Leafs
Patrice Bergeron scores at 6:05 of OT and the Garden erupts
Bruins trailed by 3 with 10:42 left in the 3rd period, come back to tie the game with 0:51 seconds left in regulation on a goal by Bergeron pic.twitter.com/LAv8I1Wmqo
The Bruins went on to win the Eastern Conference that season, reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three seasons before losing to the Blackhawks.
Nonetheless, Bergeron gave the city of Boston one of its most iconic moments this century, coming against one of the team's biggest rivals no less.
Bergeron breaks Bob Gainey's record for most Selke Trophies
When the Frank J. Selke Trophy was introduced in 1977, Canadiens legend Bob Gainey went on to win the honor for the first four years of its existence. It was an achievement that not many thought could be broken.
Enter Bergeron.
It took a few years in the league, but the Bruins center developed into an exceptional two-way player. He became a constant threat to win the Selke every year, winning his first one in 2012 and earning the honor in three of the next five seasons that followed, tying Gainey's record in 2017.
It took Bergeron five years to break it, but in 2022, the Boston legend was awarded his record fifth Selke Trophy as the league's best defensive forward, surpassing Gainey's mark of four.
2022 Selke Trophy winner, as voted by @ThePHWA: #NHLBruins Patrice Bergeron.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 5, 2022
With his fifth career win, Bergeron passes #GoHabsGo Hall of Famer Bob Gainey, for whom the top defensive forward award was created in 1977.
That wasn't enough, though, for the Quebec native. In 2023, Bergeron went back-to-back, winning the honor again to extend his record to six Selke wins.
The crazy thing is how consistent Bergeron was in his defensive play. Dating back to the 2009-10 season, Bergeron finished in the top five of Selke voting for 14 consecutive years and was a top-three finalist the last 12 seasons.
The jokes and quips online about the NHL renaming the Selke Trophy after Bergeron have been going on for quite some time now, but there could actually be merit to it. It's highly unlikely that anyone touches Bergeron's six honors, let alone be able to maintain that consistency over the span of almost a decade and a half.
Whether it becomes the Patrice Bergeron Trophy or not, Bergeron will always be remembered as one of the league's most dominant two-way players, and arguably the greatest defensive forward to ever play the game.
Bergeron scores two goals in Game 7 win over Canucks in 2011 Stanley Cup Final
It feels almost criminal that Bergeron will only have his name on the Stanley Cup once, as a player at least. However, he played a critical role in the Bruins win over the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
Bergeron contributed six goals and 20 points in 23 playoff games during Boston's run that season, but he saved his best game for last.
In the final game of the series against Vancouver, Bergeron opened the scoring for Boston, smacking home a pass from Brad Marchand in the slot to give the Bruins an early 1-0 lead in the first period.
Later in the second period, with the Bruins up 2-0 at that point, Bergeron came through again. The center went down on a shorthanded breakaway in the final three minutes of the second period. Despite being hauled down from behind by Christian Ehrhoff, he managed to get the puck by Roberto Luongo for the goal, extending Boston's lead to 3-0.
It was Bergeron's second multi-goal performance during that postseason and the first game against Vancouver in which he found the back of the net.
The Bruins went on to win the winner-take-all contest by a score of 4-0, with Bergeron on the ice for all four goals. The victory gave Boston its first Stanley Cup championship since 1972.
Bergeron and the Bruins had chances in 2013 and 2019 to win a Stanley Cup again but came just short both times. In the end, the 2011 championship over the Canucks marks the only NHL title that Bergeron will win as a player.
