After Another Summer Of Uncertainty, Patrice Bergeron Officially Retires From The B's & The NHL

 

    One of the greatest players in Bruins history and an all but certain future Hockey Hall of Famer retired today. Boston's captain and first line center Patrice Bergeron made it official after 19 seasons wearing the spoked B. He will leave an enormous legacy both in terms of his brilliant play on the ice where he won a Stanley Cup in 2011, two gold medals with Team Canada and six Selke Trophies (given to the league's top defensive forward) and off the ice where he was a consummate pro when it came to charity work and all the things that he did for the community that went above and beyond the norm. In a sport that is filled with selfless, team-first guys, he took it to another level. They say you should not meet your idols because you will be disappointed but it is hard to remember a time when Bergy said or did the wrong thing, in a hockey game or in the real world. For that and many reasons, he is sure to leave a void that is impossible for the B's to ultimately fill. 

    If you feel like you grew up with Patrice, you did if you are in a certain age bracket (he turned 38 yesterday). He was a second round draft pick in 2003 (45th overall) who barely played in the minors before he appeared in 71 games with Boston that season. In 1294 career regular season games, he piled up 427 goals, 613 assists and he was plus-289 with 131 power play goals, 195 power play assists, 22 shorthanded goals, 26 shorthanded assists, 81 game-winning goals and nine overtime goals in addition to winning 57.9% of his face-offs. When you look back at his career, you will probably remember his postseason heroics most fondly: 50 goals, 78 assists and plus-42 with 17 power play goals, 21 power play assists, three shorthanded goals, a shorthanded assist, 10 game-winning goals and four overtime goals (including famously in Game 7 vs. Toronto in the 2013 first round) in 170 playoff games.

    In both the short term and the long term, there are many issues that the B's will need to resolve. Yes, they have plenty of talent left on the roster that set the NHL record for regular points last season (then choked in the first round of the playoffs vs. Florida) but who will be their next captain? For my money, I hope that Bergy's best friend and left wing Brad Marchand is the next captain of the team based on his winning experience and sneaky leadership ability that has developed over the years. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy would also be a fine pick if they wanted someone younger and that figures to be around for much longer than Marchy. It is doubtful that anybody else on the Bruins garners the same universal respect that Bergeron did from coaches, teammates, support staff, front office, the media and fans along with other players and coaches from around the league. 

    After Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, you could argue that Patrice is the third best Bruin of all-time which is something to say since the franchise has such a long and proud history. You better believe that the team will retire his #37 jersey ASAP into the cramped TD Garden rafters. Furthermore, he figures to be a first ballot Hockey Hall of Famer in Toronto. He is one of those rare players that we will remember forever and talk about in a positive light for as long as we are on this Earth. There are very few people let alone superstar pro athletes that are wired like Patrice Bergeron these days. He is a special guy along with a phenomenal player and considering all the scary injuries that he suffered during his career (multiple concussions), I am happy that he got to go out on his own terms. Other than retiring on top with a Cup, that is really all he could ask for after an incredible career spent solely with one Original Six club-another thing that rarely occurs anymore.

Marchand Takes a Bit of a Discount to Hopefully Spend the Rest of His NHL Career as a Bruin

Oh hello friends, sorry for the extended absence over the spring and summer but I'm back here now that the Bruins' preseason has begun. Perhaps if you're good, I'll also sprinkle in some Red Sox playoff stuff, Patriots and Celtics thoughts as well from time to time as long as I'm feeling it. Hours before their first fake game, the Bruins made headlines by agreeing to an eight-year extension with star left wing Brad Marchand worth $49 million (average annual value of $6.125 million per year). He is currently away on Team Canada duty so all we got from Marchand was some hastily assembled quotes and videos from the Bruins media relations team, it'll be fun to hear from the man himself when he gets back soon (after Canada beats Europe in the World Cup of Hockey Final series in Toronto).

Coming off a career-season (37 goals, 23 assists and +21 in 77 games), Marchand's NHL value has never been higher. He's second on Team Canada in scoring (3 goals, 2 assists) and this should calm down those recent rumors that popped up the last few days about him going to Pittsburgh to play with his temporary linemate Sidney Crosby (ever heard of him?). At 28, Marchand is in the prime of his career and with Patrice Bergeron by his side wherever he goes, the B's have a spectacular 1-2 punch locked up now for awhile. They have been on the same forward line for years with the B's and Crosby is centering them on Canada, why mess with success?

Of course, a true cynical Bruins fan would like this move but then rightfully question what the hell they are doing with their defensemen? They really never changed anything over the off-season to address by far their biggest need-on the back end. Marchand, Bergeron, David Krejci, David Backes, David Pastrnak, etc should provide plenty of offensive firepower but unless many of the young defensemen step up in a big way, it's hard to see the B's being that much better than they've been these last two frustrating seasons (where they've missed out on the playoffs each time by losing the final contest).

Conversely, it's promising to see a core player that still believes in the Bruins' shaky front office and coaching staff, enough so to leave millions of dollars on the table that he undoubtedly could have gotten elsewhere. This was a very fair deal for what Marchand is currently worth and what that could increase to over the next few seasons if he keeps bumping up his production. It's easy to forget at times but Boston really isn't that far away from a Stanley Cup (2011), another Finals appearance (2013) and a Presidents' Trophy (2014). Marchand was an integral part of all those teams and if the Black and Gold are ever going to return to those glory days anytime soon, he no doubt will be a huge reason why. With this contract will come much more pressure on Brad but he typically is the type of player that thrives under those circumstances so I'm confident that he won't change anything about his game that got him here in the first place.

Tweet