Patrice Bergeron listened to his body, knew it was time to retire

Few people in professional sports – or life in general – get to call their own shots. 

Patrice Bergeron still had plenty of high-level hockey left within him. He's now one of the lucky few with the opportunity to go out on his own terms. 

"I've always wanted and told myself that for me, I wanted to play the game at the highest level that I could, and I felt like I wanted to leave at the top of my game," Bergeron said during his retirement press conference. "Also, thinking about the future and knowing that I wanted to continue to be able to spend time with my family but also be active, do other things and have other endeavors that I've always wanted to do but never had time to."

He later added, "I didn’t necessarily need to leave at the top of my game, but I am glad I am. I feel good about that. ... It felt like it was the right time. As far as my game goes, it’s not like I was trying to leave at the top of my game. It was more just, I am glad it’s how I’m leaving, I guess.” 

It's often said that once the thought of retirement is there, it's hard to shake as an athlete. Bergeron heeded the advice.

The captain announced his retirement Tuesday, a day after his 38th birthday. The official decision came 85 days after the Bruins' historic season came to a close at the hands of the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the first round. While Bergeron knew retirement was still a strong possibility, there was a part of him that wanted to come back early on in the offseason after the way the playoffs ended. But after letting the wounds heal and taking a step back, the voice in the back of his head kept pushing him to retirement. 

“I talked to a lot of guys over the course of the last year I guess, since last summer, a lot of great conversations, a lot of guys I respect a lot and a lot of different opinions and advice, so it was pretty special," he said. "To me, the recurring theme was always that, you’re going to know when it’s time, and it just felt like it was. I’m a very intuitive guy. I feel like I always listen to my instincts and my heart, and it just felt like it was time for me to move on. Unfortunately, I wish I could play forever and never have to do this, but as you know, eventually you have to move on, the body tells you something sometimes. I think I was, I had an idea, most of the year, that it was most likely, there were good chances in the last year, I wasn’t sharing publicly as you know, and I wasn’t sharing with many people, but some guys knew that there was a chance. 

"I’ve always communicated with management, with Cam [Neely] and [Don Sweeney] a lot about it, so they knew even at exit meetings that it was a possibility. But then I didn’t want to obviously, close the door completely. Cause I wanted to make sure I was going to let the dust settle, and really think about, you know it’s a big decision and I didn't want to, I guess make the wrong one. I wanted to make sure it was the right decision for myself and my family, so it took a lot of time and I put a lot of thought into it, but at the end of the day, I feel like it’s the right decision for myself. I’m excited for what’s to come but obviously, as I said, it’s mixed feelings to be here, sitting here right now. Part of me is as I said, grateful and sad to leave something so special, but also excited to open the next chapter.” 

The end of his career comes 20 years and 19 seasons after arriving in Boston after the Bruins selected him 45th overall in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft. 

Then a spry French Canadian teenager, Bergeron had put up 73 points in 70 games in his first QMJHL season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He never looked back, forcing the Bruins to keep him around at camp before making the team as an 18-year-old. 

Fast forward, and he ends his career with a decorated resume that includes a Stanley Cup in 2011, a record six Selke Trophies, two Olympic gold medals, gold in the World Championship (one of 30 players in the triple gold club – Olympic, World Championship and a Stanley Cup), gold in the World Juniors, a World Cup of Hockey, three All-Star appearances and on and on. 

In his final year, Bergeron had 27 goals and 58 points in 78 games, his highest goal total in three seasons. The tank was not on 'E.'

"I felt good on the ice, felt good skating, felt good making plays and whatnot," Bergeron said, confident his game wasn't slipping. "I felt like the game was still slowing down when I had the puck, and it’s not like I felt like I had no time and space or I couldn’t create time and space for myself."

But in the end, No. 37 knew it was time. His body was telling him. His family is growing – he and his wife Stephanie just welcomed a fourth child and third son, Felix. 

When he and David Krejci returned together last August, Bergeron felt the real possibility that 2022-23 could be his last season, ahead of what wound up being a 'Last Dance' style run for the B's. 

"I think it was a combination of things," Bergeron said of his decision. "I don’t think I can say it was one thing, there was one particular time that made me really make that decision. I think it was more, over time I knew that, when I signed this past summer, I knew it was one year. I was leaning that it might be my last year, so the whole year was kind of preparing for that. And over time the body and realizing that it was just time for me to kind of move on. There are a lot of things that kind of influenced me but the main thing is probably the body and spending more time with the family."

In what felt like a rarity, Bergeron was mostly healthy for almost the length of the 2022-23 season before going down with a herniated disc in the regular season finale. Add it to the unfathomable list of injuries Bergeron dealt with and/or played through over the course of his career, be it multiple career-threatening concussions, the elbow ailment that required surgery after 2022, a 2013 playoff run that saw him play through broken ribs, torn cartilage and a punctured lung, etc. 

"I think the one thing I’ll definitely say is I left everything out there," Bergeron said. "I have no regrets on anything, and I gave my all."

The idea of putting one's body through the rigors of another 82-game season is daunting for most veterans, let alone someone who's been through as much as Bergeron. He may have felt he was still at his peak on the ice, but off the ice, whether preparing for games or practices, stretching and working on mobility, it was all taking longer.

As he got deeper into the summer, an offseason workout routine wasn't beckoning. His skates and an empty sheet for conditioning and skills work weren't calling his name. 

Bergeron's body wasn't just telling him it was time, it was shouting.

"I felt like, as I said, I was trying to let the dust settle and see, like, is there a part of me that is going to want to come back? It was never really the case," he said. "As you know, the preparation and the routine and the work, that regiment is important to be on top of your game and making sure you are doing the right things, and that motivation slowed down a little bit. I’m not going to lie. This summer, it’s almost like I was listening to my body and the signs, and it’s almost like it was telling me, 'You’re not really missing any workouts. You haven’t been on the ice for a long time, and you haven’t really had the itch to get back.'

"So, I think, just all the way throughout, I just knew it was time, and I was waiting for anything to happen or for any motivation to come back, and I just felt like it was the right time for me to move on. You have to listen to your body eventually, and as you know, 20 years is a lot of hockey, a lot of games, and obviously, the game is physically very demanding. It takes a toll on your body, and no major issues, but there are obviously some aches and pains from the past that kind of remind me when I wake up in the morning. So, I think it’s just time to let that heal and move on.” 

As for what's next, coaching "isn't in the cards" in Bergeron's future – at least, "never say never," he said. While No. 37 will soon be hanging from the rafters at the Garden, Bergeron is looking forward to simply hanging out, spending time with his family – the word family came up 13 times during his press conference, at least in English – and getting a taste of everything he missed out on throughout his career. While he got to "live a childhood dream," it took away from valuable time at home. He's ready to take on shuttling young Felix and his three eldest children – Zach, Victoria and Noah – from one activity to the next.

"I have a lot of catching up to do at home, and I wanted to kind of take time to rest and really take time for myself as well and unwind," Bergeron said. "It’s been an amazing ride, 20 years, but also hockey brings you a lot of pressure and stress and things even outside. So, it will be a nice change to just be able to be the Uber driver for the family for a little bit and just relax and that’s it."