Because, to them, that was who Bergeron is, what Bergeron is, why he is revered the way he has been. They epitomized selflessness and team and that moment in 2013 is one that is repeated again and again and again by those who were around the Bruins that season. 'It is with a full heart and a lot of gratitude that today I am announcing my retirement as a professional hockey player.'īergeron, along with Chara, turned the franchise and the culture around, helping create a model organization that reached the Stanley Cup Final three times in nine seasons between 20. 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. 'I have had the honor of playing in front of the best fans in the world wearing the Bruns uniform and representing my country at the highest levels of international play. 'For the last 20 years I have been able to live my dream every day,' Bergeron said in a statement. He had been their captain for the past three seasons, inheriting the honor from Zdeno Chara, with whom he had led the team in tandem since Chara's arrival in 2006-07. And I'm sure everybody recognizes that.'īergeron, who embodied the Bruins over his 19 seasons in the NHL, announced his retirement Tuesday. 'He's been willing to give everything to his team for years. 'Just goes to show you the commitment and dedication this guy had for the game, for his team and for the organization. 'The one thing that I always said sticks out to me is 2013 when we played Game 6 in Boston and he played with a broken rib,' said Julien, who coached Bergeron for 10 seasons, including 2010-11 when they won the Stanley Cup.

And even though they wouldn't win the game, even though two goals in 17 seconds - including the game-winner with 76 seconds left in regulation - ended the season and the series, the game would cement Bergeron's place in Bruins and hockey lore.īecause that broken rib turned into a punctured lung, to go along with torn rib cartilage and a separated right shoulder, a lung that eventually collapsed, resulting in a three-day hospital stay. The Bruins were down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series, which was why Bergeron took the ice. 'And the first thing the doctors came in and said, 'he wants to give it a go. 'We were basically, as a coaching staff, preparing to go into the game without him,' former coach Claude Julien said. Because who could play Stanley Cup Playoffs-level hockey with a broken rib?

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