Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron announces retirement

Bergeron, 38, spent his entire 19-year career in Boston, where he won the 2011 Stanley Cup and became one of the greatest players in franchise history.

Patrice Bergeron announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday, July 25, after months of speculation the 2022/23 campaign – in which his Boston Bruins set new records for regular season wins and points – would be his last.

 I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined.” Bergeron wrote in a statement released Tuesday, per NHL.com. “It is with a full heart and a lot of gratitude that today I am announcing my retirement as a professional hockey player.”

The Quebec native is retiring at the top of his game.

At 38 years old and in his 19th year, Bergeron tallied his second-straight 25-goal, 30-assist season en route to his sixth Selke Award as the league’s top defensive forward. He captained the Bruins to the best regular season campaign in NHL history. 

Boston’s shock first-round loss to the Florida Panthers was, in part, credited to Bergeron’s absence from the first four games due to a herniated disc in his back.

Bergeron leaves behind a legacy as one of the all-time great Bruins.

He served as team captain after Zdeno Chara was traded to the Washington Capitals in 2020, and was a key member of the 2011 Stanley Cup winning group that snapped a 39-year title drought.

He ranks third in Bruins history in games played (1,294), goals (427), and points (1,040) and has won more Selke Awards (six) than any other player in league history. Bergeron is widely considered the best defensive forward to ever grace a NHL rink.

David Schneidman

• • 
  •