BOSTON — Patrice Bergeron, who led the Boston Bruins to the 2011 championship and two other trips to the Stanley Cup Final over two decades in which he established himself as the NHL's dominant two-way forward and one of the most respected players in the game, announced Tuesday “with a full heart and a lot of gratitude” that he was retiring.
“I have given the game everything that I have physically and emotionally, and the game has given me back more than I could have ever imagined,” the Bruins captain said in a statement posted on social media. “As I step away today, I have no regrets. I have only gratitude that I lived my dream, and excitement for what is next for my family and I. I left everything out there and I’m humbled and honored it was representing this incredible city and for the Boston Bruins fans."
The Bruins are expected to retire Bergeron’s No. 37, making him the 12th player so honored. He is a certain first-ballot inductee for the Hockey Hall of Fame when he is eligible in three years.
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“Patrice is a perfect example of what Boston Bruins hockey is all about,” said team president Cam Neely, himself a Hall of Fame player whose number has been retired by the Original Six franchise. “He has been an amazing teammate and extraordinary leader, helping establish a culture of work ethic, respect and selflessness.”
Bergeron, who turned 38 on Monday, considered retirement last summer only to return for another season. With him as the captain and the first-line center, the Bruins set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points, and Bergeron won an unprecedented sixth Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward.
But Bergeron missed the first four games of the playoffs with a herniated disk, and the Presidents Trophy winners lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers.
Bergeron wrote Tuesday that he knows “how blessed and lucky I feel to have had the career that I have had, and that I have the opportunity to leave the game I love on my terms.”
“It wasn’t a decision that I came to lightly,” he said. “But after listening to my body, and talking with my family, I know in my heart that this is the right time to step away from playing the game I love.”
In all, Bergeron scored 427 goals with 613 assists in 19 seasons with the Bruins, who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft. He added 50 more goals and 78 points in the playoffs, leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final three times, and scoring twice — one of them shorthanded — in the Game 7 clincher against Vancouver. The French-speaking native of the Quebec City suburbs also won two Olympic gold medals with Canada.
He is third all-time for the 100-year-old franchise in goals, points (1,040) and games played (1,294), and fourth in assists behind only Hall of Famers Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk and Bobby Orr. With Bergeron's retirement, Brad Marchand becomes the only remaining member of the 2011 championship team, though Milan Lucic re-signed with the team this summer after eight seasons away.
Blackhawks owner Wirtz dies
Rocky Wirtz, who won three Stanley Cup titles as owner of the Chicago Blackhawks and presided over the team during one of the NHL's biggest scandals, has died. He was 70.
The Blackhawks said in a release that Wirtz died on Tuesday, and it said it was a “sudden passing.” But no further details were provided.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a release that the league was “deeply saddened” by Wirtz's death.
“Devoted to family and the Chicago Blackhawks, Rocky was a native son of Chicago and an accomplished businessman," Bettman said. “Rocky took over control of the Blackhawks in 2007 and almost immediately restored the passion and following of this storied, Original Six franchise.”
Rocky Wirtz was two years old when his grandfather, Arthur Wirtz, purchased the Blackhawks in 1954. Rocky Wirtz took over the team after his father, William, died in September 2007.
William Wirtz was nicknamed “Dollar Bill” for his frugality when it came to acquiring the services of the game’s best players. And the team struggled while playing in front of small crowds in its early years at the United Center, making only one playoff appearance from 1998-2008.
Everything changed when Rocky Wirtz became the team chairman. He helped re-establish the franchise's connection to some of its best players from the past. He put the team's games back on local TV, and fans returned to the United Center during a lengthy sellout streak that ended in 2021.
With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane leading the way on the ice, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Panthers extend Luostarinen
The Florida Panthers have agreed on a three-year contract extension for forward Eetu Luostarinen, which will put him under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Luostarinen, 24, had a breakout season in 2022, setting career highs in goals (17), assists (26) and points (43). D
uring the Panthers’ 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs run, Luostarinen had five points over 16 games, including the winning goal in Game 6 of the opening round against Boston.
