All good things eventually come to an end, and that includes Patrice Bergeron's illustrious NHL career.
The Boston Bruins captain and No. 1 center is retiring after 19 seasons with the Original Six franchise. He announced his decision Tuesday morning.
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This move will be a little surprising to some fans, but given the emotion Bergeron showed after the Bruins' season-ending loss to the Florida Panthers in April, it's not a shock that the 38-year-old veteran is moving on.
Bergeron walks away as one of the top seven players in the almost 100-year history of the Bruins.
Bergeron's trophy case is fuller than most. It includes a Stanley Cup title, two Olympic gold medals, a World Championship gold medal, a Junior World Championships gold medal, a Spengler Cup gold medal, a World Cup gold medal, six Selke Trophies (the most ever), the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award. Bergeron also is one of 11 Canadians in the Triple Gold Club, which recognizes players who have won a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and a World Championship gold.
Bergeron finishes his B's career with 1,040 points (427 goals, 613 assists) in 1,294 career regular season games. He also tallied 128 points (50 goals, 78 assists) in 170 career playoff games. Some of his best postseason moments include two goals in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks, as well as the game-tying and game-winning goals during the historic comeback over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the 2013 first round.
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Bergeron ranks No. 3 in Bruins history in games played (1,294), No. 3 in goals (427), No. 4 in assists (613), No. 3 in points (1,040), No. 4 in power play goals (131), No. 4 in shorthanded goals (22) and No. 2 in shots (3,974).
He is a lock to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever eligible, and his No. 37 will never be worn again by a Bruins player.
His departure is going to be extraordinarily difficult for the Bruins to overcome during the 2023-24 season.
Boston is now pretty weak at center. Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle are good players, but neither player is ideally a top-six center. The Bruins also have no prospects who are ready -- either this year or next season -- to step into a top-six center role. The Bruins' best bet to replace Bergeron is trading for someone or making a splash in free agency next summer.