NHL Notebook: Bergeron amused by Bruins comeback chatter taken at TD Garden (Bruins)

Getty Images

Patrice Bergeron was at peace announcing his retirement from the Boston Bruins and the NHL summer, and absolutely none of that has changed for the 38-year-old amidst comeback rumors.

Bruins

NHL Notebook: Bergeron amused by Bruins comeback chatter

By Joe Haggerty

Feb 18, 2024 • 1:06 pm

0comment-bubble

Patrice Bergeron couldn’t help but chuckle when the false rumors about an NHL comeback were kicked up initially by the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast a month ago.

The retired Bruins captain and future Hall of Famer had begun skating on Fridays with a group of local ex-NHL, recently retired players like Lee Stempniak and Adam McQuaid who still wanted to touch the ice and have a little fun with stick and puck practice.

Bergeron, when initially asked about it, joked that “you would know there isn’t going to be any NHL comeback if you were at the Friday skates”, but in truth, the 38-year-old started skating with friends to fill a little of the camaraderie void left by this summer’s retirement. He certainly doesn’t miss all the time stretching to get his aching body ready for NHL games and admitted he was a bit beaten up physically after logging 1294 NHL games (plus playoffs) since he started playing in 2003-04 as the youngest guy in the league at 18 years old.

But he absolutely missed the day-to-day locker room banter and being around the boys on a daily basis that’s part and parcel with the NHL lifestyle, even as he has enjoyed being a bigger factor in day-to-day family life while coaching his kids in hockey, pursuing other interests and being the “uber driver” for his four kids just like fellow moms and dads everywhere across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“I understand [the comeback talk]. I’d been working out every weekday and I’d started [doing] a little skate with former [NHL] players on Fridays,” said Bergeron to BostonSportsJournal.com. “I guess I knew that it could generate some talk. Why would I be on the ice if I wanted to retire? But people need to understand that this is a passion. I’m always going to love the game. So, for me to go out and enjoy a skate and enjoy those feelings again, it’s great.

“I thought it was funny. It is what it is. You can’t change rumors and people will always talk. When I did retire, I knew that I could have played another year. But I made that decision for what I thought was the best decision for me and for my family. It’s a physical sport. There are a lot of body parts that, when I get up in the morning, they are very achy. When I made the [retirement] decision, it was very real. I was not in between about it. That’s why I took so long. Because once I made a decision [to retire], I wasn’t going to be going back on it. I listened to my heart and followed my inside voice. That’s something I’ve done my whole life.”

Bergeron’s “heart” and “inside voice” are key ingredients in what made him such a beloved heart and soul player for the Black and Gold over the last couple of decades.

So how is it going for Bergeron in retirement?

It’s been a little strange, to be sure. He’s enjoyed being at the Garden a little more frequently in recent weeks whether it was taking sons Zach and Noah to the Bruins/Canucks a couple of weeks ago or watching Brad Marchand play his 1,000th NHL game while visiting in the NESN booth with Jack and Brick.

But it’s also a radically different experience for Bergeron watching from behind the glass while others play hockey instead of being the one making things happen on the ice.

“I didn’t know how it was going to be. It’s been good. It’s been filled with adjustments. You’re going into something with a lot of unknowns. For me, it was really about focusing on my family and my kids, and it’s been everything that I hoped for,” said Bergeron to BostonSportsJournal.com. “I feel very lucky to spend that time at home, you know? It’s time that you’re never going to get back.

“But you’re always going to miss the game and you’re going to miss being around the guys. The camaraderie is probably the No. 1 thing I’ve missed. I know it was the right time for me to step away. For the most part I’m still healthy and I think about the future. [The NHL] is a grind and the body took a beating over the years. At some point you have to advocate for what’s best for you, your body and your family. It’s fun [going to Bruins games as a fan] because I’m doing it through the eyes of my kids. But it’s also weird. It feels weird to be on the outside and sitting in the stands. You obviously cheer for [your former teammates] and you hope for the best, but then it’s not like I have a horse in the game as much as I used to. The nerves are not there at all. I’m just happy to be there with the kids. It’s just different, you know? Fun to be there and catch up with everybody.”

The adjustment to retirement from the NHL will be an ongoing one for Bergeron and there’s little doubt it will be challenging watching the Stanley Cup playoffs go on without him for the first time in almost 20 years. But the good news is that the tentative plan for Bergeron and his family is to stick around Boston beyond this year. Initially, Bergeron said at his retirement announcement he would take the year to decide whether they will be setting roots in Boston, but it sounds like they will be sticking around for at least a few years with his wife Stephanie planning to pursue her doctorate locally in the field of psychology.

“For the near future, we will be [in Boston] for the next few years,” said Bergeron to BSJ. “My wife is applying to finish her doctorate here in Boston. She’s in the application process and at the interview stage, so it’s her turn now. That also weighed in the scales [for the retirement decision] that it was time for her to go pursue her dreams and her passions.

“That’s, what another four or five years? But it doesn’t mean that we won’t ever go back home [to Quebec].”

Bergeron also said he was going to take a “wait and see” approach when it came to joining the Bruins organization in a management or coaching capacity. He’s still taking the year to make the retirement adjustment and focus on his family, but also sounded like a future in Bruins management was something he’d be interested in when the time is right for both sides.

“I’m open to anything with the Bruins. It’s an organization that means so much to me and I have so much respect for them and what they’re all about. So obviously the door is not closed on that at all,” said Bergeron to BSJ. “Right now, I just want to make sure I’m focused on what truly matters, which is my family and healing.

“Coaching I don’t think is in the cards. Getting into coaching while saying I want to spend time with my family would be counter-intuitive, you know? I have so much respect for coaches, but it’s a big duty and it’s a lot of work and time.”

For now, then, the future Hall of Famer will stick to coaching his son’s mites team and enjoying all the new experiences that have come his way this season with the free time accorded an NHL player that’s entered the retirement stage of life.

ONE TIMERS

1. Derek Forbort was on the ice for three of the five goals against in Saturday afternoon’s loss to the LA Kings, and the penalty kill has struggled big time even after his return to the lineup from injury. Parker Wotherspoon is a minus-2 in three games during the month of February and has made some key mistakes in recent losses. Kevin Shattenkirk is averaging close to 14 minutes of ice time when he’s been in the lineup since the NHL All-Star break. Matt Grzelcyk is a minus-2 in six games in February and has been struggling with consistency most of the season. It’s pretty clear the B’s need some help on the back end, both this season and from a long-term point of view. It feels like adding Noah Hanifin to this group would be exactly what they need, wouldn’t it?

2. One other thing Patrice Bergeron had a strong opinion on: Is Brad Marchand a Hall of Famer at the end of his career? “I definitely think so. I’ve seen him play, I’ve seen evolve and I’ve seen him grow. I played with him for so long that I know what he does, and the impact that he’s had on the organization, on the teams that he’s been on. For me, it’s an easier answer. He was one of the best left wingers of his generation, so it would be pretty tough to leave him out of [the Hockey Hall of Fame]. I don’t make those calls and I respect the people that do. It’s pretty hard to make that club, but [Marchand] is a very special player.”

3. Zero points for Jake DeBrusk in six games since the NHL All-Star break. That certainly plays into the four-game losing streak for the Bruins and the measly 12 goals that they have scored in six games since the break. Charlie Coyle also has zero goals in the six games since the break and is a minus-2 as well. The offense has gone dry at the same time with a lot of different, key players on the Bruins roster, and with David Pastrnak and Marchand scoring just one goal apiece since the break.

4. How on Earth did Linus Ullmark get fined $5,000 by the NHL for barely grazing the top of Michael Eyssimont’s helmet with a protective stick swing after the Tampa Bay forward had thrown a shoulder block into him in the crease? A lot of people inside the B’s dressing room had an issue with Eyssimont not getting penalized for blasting the goalie in the crease, and then Ullmark getting the same maximum allowable fine that New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba received for hitting Trent Frederic in the face with a baseball swing from his stick.

5. Speaking of dipping the shoulder, it really doesn’t look like Nikita Kucherov made an honest effort to get out of the way of referee Kelly Sutherland once he wandered into the railroad tracks, now does it? Leave it to Kucherov, one of the most creative and entertaining players in the NHL having a great season, to constantly leave us wondering what’s going on inside his head.

Show Comments
Loading...
Loading...
Loading sidebar...
0
Show comments for this article

Comments

Close panelClose