Boston Bruins franchise icon Patrice Bergeron was officially enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto. He was a no-brainer first-ballot inductee, joining former teammate and defenseman Zdeno Chara as a first-ballot inductee.
Several former Bruins teammates and coaches showed up to support Bergeron, which included current Boston start David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, as well as coach Marco Sturm, general manager Don Sweeney, and team president Cam Neely. When Bergeron gave his acceptance speech, he had a message and a huge thank you to Boston Bruins fans.
"To the fans and the City of Boston, thank you for welcoming me and standing behind me throughout my career. It was an absolute privilege to play in front of you for two decades. Thank you for your passion and for making this journey so special,'' said Bergeron, per BostonBruins.com.
Patrice Bergeron sends a heartfelt message to Bruins fans & former teammates
Bergeron will go down as one of the most beloved former members of the Black and Gold. He played in 1,294 games with 427 goals and 613 assists with 1,040 points. In 170 career postseason games, he had 50 goals and 78 assists, with some of his goals being franchise-remembering goals. Ask Toronto Maple Leafs fans about Bergeron's big-time goals in the postseason.
Boston fans were not the only ones who got a thank-you from Bergeron, Chara, and former linemate Brad Marchand.
"I want to personally thank two teammates,'' Bergeron said. "First, my captain of 14 years, Zdeno Chara...the second is my left winger for most of my career, Brad Marchand."
Bergeron's impact not only with the Boston Bruins organization was big in the locker room, but also in the community. Heck, he even drew the respect of opponents, as nobody ever had a bad thing to say about Bergeron.
It was a tough day for Bruins fans when it was announced that Bergeron was retiring, and then he confirmed it. Everybody thought and knew that he had more hockey in him, but he wasn't going to be one of the players who hung on too long. He certainly didn't care about milestones, finishing his career six games short of 1,300 in his career.
Boston fans will get one more chance to say thank you to Bergeron on Dec. 1 when his No. 37 is raised to the TD Garden rafters against the Colorado Avalanche. Once a Bruin, always a Bruin.
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