For Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins to rise, the Joe Thornton trade had to happen

It was a simple question. It resulted in a quick and accurate answer.

Patrice Bergeron was asked: “Who’s in town tomorrow night?”

His reply: “Joe.”

Anytime Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks visit TD Garden, it’s a time for Bruins fans to reminisce about the former first-round pick and captain for the black and gold. Those memories seem less and less poignant every time he’s in town. After all, it’s been 12 years since the Bruins traded him to the Sharks in exchange for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau on Nov. 30, 2005.

Some still argue that it was a terrible trade by then-GM Mike O’Connell and team president Harry Sinden. But it was a trade that needed to happen. With an eye on the future, if the trigger wasn’t pulled on that transaction, the Bruins would not have enjoyed the success, including a Stanley Cup title in 2011, if Thornton wasn’t traded.

The biggest factor in the decision was a 20-year-old Patrice Bergeron.

His emergence and future potential as a leader both on and off the ice was one of the biggest factors behind the trade that sent Thornton to San Jose. His exit clearly opened the door for Bergeron. If Thornton remained in Boston, it would have always been his locker room and his ice time in key moments.

Instead, it became Bergeron’s time. And, he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity and has become one of the all-time great Bruins players. The bigger the moment, the better he becomes. He plays big minutes in big games and never disappoints.

Unlike the rest of the hockey world, Bergeron never thought of himself as the player replacing Thornton in Boston.

“I never thought about it that way,” Bergeron told BostonSportsJournal.com. “I still don’t. He was an amazing player and still is. It’s one of those things where it’s a decision (the Bruins made) and I don’t know what the idea was behind it, but it was tough to see him go. He was a great player.”

When Bergeron entered the NHL and earned a roster spot as an 18-year-old rookie with the Bruins, Thornton was the 24-year-old captain. Every player on the ice during the 2003-04 training camp quickly realized Bergeron’s potential. Since then, everyone knows how important Marty Lapointe was for Bergeron’s development on and off the ice. But, having the chance to watch Thornton play every day also made an impact on the rookie.

“It was pretty special,” Bergeron said. “He was the captain and he was coming off a 100-point season. I remember him being the first overall pick and all the hype behind him. Before I was in the league and before I came to Boston, I also remember the CCM commercials he was in and he was someone you looked up to. He was someone I respected a lot and I was amazed by the way he was playing. When you watched him in training camp, you could realize his talent and it was great to be part of it.”

Talk to any of Thornton’s former or current teammates and they’ll all say he’s the perfect guy to have on your team. It would be difficult to find anyone who doesn’t like Thornton. Even though he was smart enough to realize Bergeron would likely become the future face of the organization, Thornton still welcomed the rookie with open arms.

“He was great,” admitted Bergeron. “Joe is so laid back and such a nice guy and he was like that back then. He was so nice to me and I was just trying to learn as much as I could from him. I was kind of shy at that time – I still am – to ask questions but I would try to take note every time he would do something on the ice, or off the ice as well. He was great. He was the captain and he was really nice to everyone, especially me as a younger guy.”

During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Bergeron continued to hone his professional skills with the P-Bruins. Only 23 games into the 2005-06 season, Thornton was traded. Bergeron was home when he received a phone call from a teammate about the news.

“I was like everyone else – I was shocked,” recalls Bergeron. “It was kind of hard to believe.”

The players were furious with upper management and ownership. There was nearly an uprising in the locker room the next morning when the players called a meeting and asked to speak with O’Connell. That morning, as Bergeron sat at his locker and looked to the left, No. 19’s stall was empty. The Bruins had made the decision to start the rebuilding process and it began with No. 37.

While the Bruins won a Cup in '11 and returned to the finals before losing to the Blackhawks in '13, Thornton and Sharks have come up short in their quest for a championship. San Jose reached the finals in '16 but lost to the superior Pittsburgh Penguins.

On the international level, Thornton won an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada in '10. He also won gold medals at the 1997 World Junior Championship, the '04 Canada Cup and the '16 World Cup of Hockey. While Bergeron has won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada, along with gold at the World Championships, World Junior Championship, Spengler Cup and the World Cup of Hockey, he’s still awed with Thornton’s overall body of work.

“It’s impressive,” Bergeron said. “It’s amazing that he keeps doing it. He’s probably one of the best passers I’ve seen, or played with.

"I remember playing with him in some of the exhibition games in the year after the lockout and the passes he would make I wasn’t ready for them. I was young and I wasn’t ready for them. He would make them so crisp and on the tape without looking. I was always amazed by that and it’s no surprise whoever is playing with him has scored a lot of goals. He’s one of those guys that would always pass first. He would tell guys to shoot and even though (as a defender) you know he’s going to look for a pass, he still makes it because he’s that good.”

The two were teammates for the World Cup of Hockey and Bergeron was thrilled to share the locker room with the elder statesman once again.

“It was special, actually,” Bergeron said. “It was pretty cool. It was different because I’m older and I’ve been in the league for a long time. It was just different. We would talk and I was talking to him a little bit more. I wasn’t as shy as I was before so it was fun. He’s a funny guy. He’s always happy and happy to be around. He loves to be on the road with the guys and hanging out in the locker room. He would bring that energy, even to a national team like (Team Canada). He was great.”

Is Thornton a Hall of Famer? Yes, no doubt. He doesn’t have a Stanley Cup, and who knows if he’ll ever win one before he retires, but the Bruins probably wouldn’t have erased a 39-year drought if Thornton still wore the spoked-B.

As far as Bergeron’s career, Thornton is a fan too.

“Oh, great player,” Thornton said. “He’s well-rounded, competes really, really hard, but definitely one of the best centers in the league.”