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Post by nfld77 on Jul 25, 2023 9:24:18 GMT -5
Five minutes past this post Bergeron announces his retirement. Such an amazing person! Legend 🤬 In SO many ways!!! Superstar status, he'll be greatly missed!!
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Post by kjc2 on Jul 25, 2023 9:41:45 GMT -5
Five minutes past this post Bergeron announces his retirement. Such an amazing person! Legend 🤬 Absolute legend! I’m happy for him but sad for us fans.
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 10:07:34 GMT -5
I am torn. I wanted one more year from him. Damn. Gonna miss him.
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 10:08:29 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 10:14:33 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 10:14:44 GMT -5
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Post by fforr on Jul 25, 2023 10:20:59 GMT -5
Just saw the news, it’s a rather bittersweet emotional feeling. We’ve been so fortunate to have the opportunity to witness the illustrious career of such a special person.
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 10:22:28 GMT -5
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kovs
Prominent Member
Posts: 507
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Post by kovs on Jul 25, 2023 11:17:27 GMT -5
I feel grateful. Was watching when he was drafted and followed him from then on. I treasure my jersey signed by him. Hes a true gentle soul, you can feel it when you shake his hand. Thank you for blessing us with your gift--enjoy your family and your life. I have a feeling this is not the last we see of him around hockey ops....
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Post by orym on Jul 25, 2023 11:33:38 GMT -5
What a career! The memories are endless. The 2011 Cup and 2013 OT winner against Toronto in Round 1 really stick out. I was really happy to see him wear the "C" here. Such a leader and all around gentlemen!
I told the wife today I think he will be back by Christmas! I'm not really sure I believe that but just having a hard time believing he really hung 'em up for good!
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 13:12:04 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 13:12:33 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Jul 25, 2023 14:43:31 GMT -5
Wow, that is emotional and it says it all.
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 25, 2023 14:53:42 GMT -5
Wow, that is emotional and it says it all. I think Krejci and Mac were the best.
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Post by madmarx on Jul 25, 2023 15:42:28 GMT -5
I feel grateful. Was watching when he was drafted and followed him from then on. I treasure my jersey signed by him. Hes a true gentle soul, you can feel it when you shake his hand. Thank you for blessing us with your gift--enjoy your family and your life. I have a feeling this is not the last we see of him around hockey ops.... I think if the job keeps him close to home with his Family agree .
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Post by madmarx on Jul 25, 2023 15:55:22 GMT -5
And now you know..
Until 2005, teams received a compensatory draft pick if one of their players left as a free agent. In 2002, Boston’s Bill Guerin signed with Dallas, Boston was awarded a compensatory 2003 second round pick, 45th overall. The Bruins used it to select Patrice Bergeron.
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Post by kjc2 on Jul 25, 2023 17:27:51 GMT -5
Wow, that is emotional and it says it all. I think Krejci and Mac were the best. Agreed, Krejci because they grew up together and has so many memories with Bergie and Charlie because he’s a young star and he just gets it. I said this before, the Captaincy is Marchand’s because he’s been there along time, he’s a star and he deserves it but McAvoy in my opinion will be next in line and have it a long time.
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Post by madmarx on Jul 25, 2023 17:36:17 GMT -5
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Post by Losing my mind on Jul 25, 2023 19:14:44 GMT -5
I've been watching Bergie for over half my life. What an amazing career and more importantly, an amazing human being. It's going to be hard watching the Bruins without him being on the ice.
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Post by nfld77 on Jul 25, 2023 20:45:20 GMT -5
So very touching for sure..Bergy is such a special one of a kind person..So good of a hockey player he was, he was even better as a person, a teammmate..Now as he turns to the next chapter in his life, wishing him nothing but the very very best...Bergy represented Boston Bruins for 2 decades, now the Bruins represent him..To all of us Bruin fans, Bergeron is a God and he's one of the most respected players ever to lace em up..Practically every player on every team loved the guy..SO down to earth, so giving , so loved..We all love you Bergy and wish you and your beautiful family everything that is great, you richly deserve it!!
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Post by fforr on Jul 25, 2023 20:53:44 GMT -5
So very touching for sure..Bergy is such a special one of a kind person..So good of a hockey player he was, he was even better as a person, a teammmate..Now as he turns to the next chapter in his life, wishing him nothing but the very very best...Bergy represented Boston Bruins for 2 decades, now the Bruins represent him..To all of us Bruin fans, Bergeron is a God and he's one of the most respected players ever to lace em up..Practically every player on every team loved the guy..SO down to earth, so giving , so loved..We all love you Bergy and wish you and your beautiful family everything that is great, you richly deserve it!! The consummate player, teammate, person. Like a good father he will have left a strong foundation.
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:39:32 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:39:56 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:40:35 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:41:31 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:43:01 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:43:31 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jul 26, 2023 6:50:47 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Oct 8, 2023 20:33:48 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Nov 22, 2023 9:24:01 GMT -5
Patrice Bergeron apologized for the noise in the background, a kids’ playground.
It’s just part of his daily routine as Dad, along with drop-offs and pickups for so many activities and appointments. He has become a chauffeur, and that’s absolutely fine, he said with a laugh.
“Now I’m adjusting to my family’s schedule rather than them adjusting to mine,” the 38-year-old former Boston Bruins star captain told The Athletic early this week as he described his new peaceful existence after 19 seasons in the NHL.
The Bergeron kids can fill out a penalty-killing unit — four kids in all: an 8-year-old, 6-year-old, 4-year-old and 4-month-old. Busy household, indeed, with wife Stephanie.
Could Bergeron, who has remained in Boston post-retirement, fit in a marathon at some point with his old pal Zdeno Chara?
“That’s funny, I went for lunch with Z the other day and he was asking for me to go run the Boston Marathon with him,” Bergeron said with another laugh. “I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do that right now.’ I don’t know how he does it. So I guess my answer was that it’s not in the cards right now, but maybe down the road I’ll need a challenge and I might join in and make that call to Big Z.
“But for now I’m just cheering him on from the sidelines. It’s pretty impressive.”
The adjustment isn’t always easy after a life that’s been 24/7 hockey, but it sounds like the timing of his decision was spot on.
“It’s a different ‘busy’ now, which is a good thing,” said the six-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defensive forward. “My nights are spent with family. And I mean, we have a newborn, so I don’t really get to watch many games. And I don’t really have that itch. I went to one game, opening night. That was a little hard. It was like, ‘I wish I could go out there.’
“But at the same time, I was also at peace with my decision. I felt good. I don’t think I could go through that (82-game) schedule and the travel, you know? I’m always going to miss the game. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I miss the boys and being around them and all that.
“But I’m in a good place. I’m at peace. I know it was the right decision for myself and my family.”
Which is why, and we’re only half kidding here, but one does wonder about the allure for him of unretiring when seeing the Bruins in first place of their division again so far this season. Maybe there’s some unfinished business?
“Truthfully, I haven’t skated — I’m not in shape,” Bergeron said. “No, I made the decision to take care of my body and, you know, not play the extra year. My body has taken a beating. I’m just trying to think about my future and my family’s future.
“I wish I could play forever, right? But I think it would be unwise for me to reconsider and play again.”
And maybe it was an unfair question to ask just four months after he called it quits.
“It’s not unfair for you to ask, I think it’s a legitimate question,” Bergeron said. “You never say never, but I just think it’s a no.”
As it is, the Bruins already got a bonus year out of their franchise captain. Bergeron decided in the summer of 2022 that he was coming back for another year but knew then that was probably it.
“Two summers ago, I really had the itch right away to work out and to get on the ice, and I called (general manager) Don Sweeney and said, ‘I’m back for one more,'” Bergeron said. “But I knew the ‘one more’ was probably the last one.
“It was already something that was in my head. And the whole year I kind of treated it that way, I wanted to enjoy every second, every moment. I did.”
He says once the season ended, even though he knew it was pretty much it, he didn’t rush into a retirement announcement right away because he wanted to give it one last serious deliberation, just to make sure he wouldn’t regret anything.
“That’s why I waited so long to announce it,” said Bergeron, who made it official in late July. “There were no so signs that came through to me that said, ‘Don’t do this.’ There was no second guessing. The whole time I was waiting for a sign that maybe I should go one more (season), but it just never came. So I was like, ‘Yeah, I think I’m ready for this.'”
His emotional embrace of teammates on the way off the ice after the Bruins’ stunning series loss to Florida seemed to say as much, too.
“The boys were great throughout the process,” he said. “No one really said anything, but I had told many of the guys during the season that this was probably my last year, and even after that last game, I did say, ‘I think this was it.’
“So yeah, I guess the embrace, I actually did that every year — I’ve always done that for every game — but that had a little more meaning to it, with embracing every guy and the big hugs. It was more than just a quick high five. … I was trying to basically thank them for everything.”
His old teammates are thanking him back by blasting out of the gates with a terrific opening two months into the 2023-24 season. So much for the Bruins taking a step back.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” Bergeron said. “Even before the year, I was saying they were going to be great — they were going to be fine. That core and the guys that have been around for years now, they know what it’s like and they know what it’s like.
“It’s all about the team concept and the structure that everyone has to respect and buy into that. … The other thing is, I think everyone is valued for their role, whether they play 20 minutes or they’re coming in and out of the lineup. They know that guys care and appreciate what they’re bringing.
“And I think that brings the best out of guys.”
Sounds like a future NHL front-office executive, maybe?
If there is a return to the NHL for a second career coming, though, it’s on hold for now. It’s family time.
“On that one, it’s a ‘never say never,'” Bergeron said. “It’s not for now, I want to be home and be there for my wife and kids.
“But hockey’s been a big part of my life since I was 5 years old basically, so maybe one day if an opportunity comes when the kids are older, maybe.”
File that one away. I doubt we’ve seen the last of the great Patrice Bergeron.
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