Former Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg announced his retirement from pro hockey this week.
Seindenberg announced his retirement in an interview with a German hockey site. He said that the physical toll of a long professional career finally caught up to him. Seinderberg played in 859 NHL games over his 15 year career. He had stints with Philadelphia, Carolina, Phoenix, New York, Florida, and most notably, with the Boston Bruins.
In parts of seven seasons with the Boston Bruins, Seindenberg appeared in 401 games. He had 117 points and only 164 penalty minutes. Seindenberg also was a +54 and averaged 22:35 in time on ice.
Bruins fans, however, remember Seidenberg for his playoff performances. He played in 50 total playoff games for Boston and finished with a +14 rating. His average time on ice in the playoffs also skyrocketed to 26:55.
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Seidenberg’s best run with the Bruins was in the 2011 playoffs. This is the year, of course, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years.
After two losses to Montreal, Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien decided to move Seidenberg to the top pair alongside Zdeno Chara. Julien needed something to chance the tenor of the series. It’s safe to say that move paid off.
Seidenberg was a monster with the Bruins during that first playoff series. In fact, he was a monster throughout the entire playoff run. He and Chara formed a shutdown pairing that eliminated opposing top lines.
Look at Seidenberg’s stat line for the 2011 playoffs: 25 games, 11 points, +31, 72 blocks, 52 hits, 27:38 ATOI. Those are some insane numbers.
Seindenberg remained an effective top-four defenseman for the next couple years. He was part of the 2013 team that went to Cup Final and the 2014 team that won the President’s Trophy.
All those hard-fought minutes, however, added up for Seidenberg, so he wasn’t the same player at the end of his Bruins tenure. His run in Boston ended after the Bruins bought him out after the 2015-2016 season.
Nonetheless, Seidenberg will always be an important figure in Bruins history.
When the Boston Bruins traded for him in 2010, nobody really batted an eye. Most viewed him as a decent defenseman who could provide depth to the backend.
The fact that he became an integral piece to a Cup champion is a testament to his work ethic and commitment. He turned himself into a legitimate shutdown defenseman capable of handling any matchup.