No More 37's!

In the least surprising jersey retirement in the history of the organization, the Bruins are officially retiring Patrice Bergeron’s #37. While he certainly wasn’t the biggest or “baddest” Bruin, there has never been another player that embodied what it meant to be a Boston Bruin both on and off the ice more than Bergy. The long time assistant captain turned captain led the team to 3 Stanley Cup finals, including the 2011 championship, and notably played through torn rib cartilage, a broken rib, a separated shoulder and a PUNCTURED LUNG, in the 2013 finals.

Bergy was THE gold standard for a defensively responsible forward as evidenced by a record 6 Frank J. Selke trophies as the top defensive forward in the league. It’s not a stretch to say that players such as Brad Marchand, his successor as captain, and possible/likely future captain David Pastrnak are the players they are today BECAUSE of Bergy. He demanded a two way game, with no cheating towards offense only or stat building for those on his line. His faceoff win consistency was staggering, allowing for his line to be able to start anywhere on the ice with a high probability of gaining possession. It remains to see if it will happen, but the Selke should be renamed the Patrice Bergeron trophy, since it’s unlikely we’ll see a player win more than 6 in a career.

The concussions and injuries that Bergeron sustained could very easily have derailed his career, and likely would have for a lesser man, he was able to persevere and become one of the best Bruins in history. Now, his name and number will be among the other greats hanging from the rafters of the Garden as they should be. CONGRATS BERGY!!