3 teams the Bruins should retire Patrice Bergeron's number against

The Boston Bruins announced on Thursday that they'll put Patrice Bergeron's No. 37 where it rightfully belongs, in the TD Garden rafters between Zdeno Chara's No. 33 and Ray Bourque's No. 77. With the NHL schedule still not released, the team was unable to name a date for when the event will happen, but fans' minds immediately wandered to how best to honor the franchise legend.

It'll be a party no matter if the Bruins play the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Seattle Kraken, but there are three teams that stand out as matchups that would honor No. 37 the best way possible.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The 2013 comeback OT winner is obviously the one that sticks out the most when thinking about Patrice Bergeron's moments against the Maple Leafs, as the Bruins even used the picture of his celebration when they announced the jersey retirement. Bergeron's success against the Maple Leafs doesn't stop at 2013, though, as he was part of all of those great series wins through the 2010s and Toronto became the team's greatest rival.

If the Bruins made Maple Leafs fans sit through Bergeron's jersey retirement, it'd be one final dagger to their hearts after all the ones he put in them during his career. Another great way to honor his legacy in Canadian hockey would be to put it on a Saturday night, so the Rogers crew would be there to cover it and broadcast it nationally to Bergeron's country, which watched him win so many gold medals internationally.

The only caveat is that Bergeron is likely also heading toward a Hockey Hall of Fame induction this season, and if he does, the Bruins and Leafs are good candidates to play in the annual Hall of Fame game in Toronto. He might get his chance to be honored in front of the Leafs once already next season, which could open the door for a different team for the jersey retirement.

Montreal Canadiens

Another team that would be a good fit for a Saturday night is the Montreal Canadiens. Bergeron had some great battles with Montreal in his career, and it was his home province's team that he knocked out in the first round in 2011 on his way to his first and only Stanley Cup.

Contrary to popular belief, this wouldn't be Bergeron getting his number raised against his childhood team, as he was a Quebec Nordiques fan growing up. However, there were enough memories and battles with the Canadiens during his career to make sense to let him do it against them.

Florida Panthers

Bergeron's career ended against the Florida Panthers, which makes this a bit of a peculiar pick, but this has nothing to do with the uniform, the organization, the fanbase, or 19 of the 20 players that would be suiting up for Florida in this game. If Bergeron's number were getting raised to the rafters, it'd only be fitting if Brad Marchand could be there to see him do it instead of just giving the customary video message on the Jumbotron.

Both players couldn't have different personalities on and off the ice, but Claude Julien found a connection during the 2011 playoffs that lasted for the next 13 years, both for the Bruins and Team Canada. Brad Marchand doesn't become the player he did without Patrice Bergeron, and in a way, the same could be said the other way around. If fans are looking for the sentimental favorite, it has to be Marchand being there to share the moment.

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