Bergeron 'knew it was time' to retire from Bruins, NHL

Patrice Bergeron wanted to give himself time to make sure he didn't make the wrong decision.

His body eventually told him walking away from the game was the right decision.

Bergeron retired from the NHL on Tuesday, one day after turning 38, and after playing all 19 of his seasons and 1,294 games with the Boston Bruins. The six-time Selke Trophy winner voted as the best defensive forward in the NHL explained the rationale behind his decision in a press conference at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday.

"I was trying to let the dust settle and see if there is going to be a part of me that is going to want to come back, and it was never really the case," Bergeron said. "The preparation and the routine and workout regimen is important to be on top of your game and making sure you're doing the right things. That motivation slowed down a little bit, I'm not going to lie, this summer. In the end I was listening to my body and the signs, and it was telling me you're not really missing your workouts, you haven't been on the ice for a long time, and you haven't really had the itch to get back.

"Just all the way through I knew it was time. 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. I mean, 20 years is a lot of hockey, a lot of games. Obviously, the game is physically pretty demanding, so it takes a toll on the body. No major issues, but there are obviously some aches and pains from the past that reminds me of it when I wake up in the morning. It's just time to let that heal and move on."

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Bergeron played last season on a one-year contract he signed with the Bruins on Aug. 8, 2022. He said he had a feeling throughout the season that it would be his last in the NHL, so he was prepared mentally for the decision he ultimately made official Tuesday.

He still won the Selke Trophy and helped lead the Bruins to a historic regular season with 65 wins and 135 points, each a single-season NHL record.

Boston, though, was eliminated by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference First Round. Bergeron said he needed time after the season ended with a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 7 on April 30 to figure out his immediate future because he didn't want to make a rash decision.

"It was definitely something I was thinking about, that's why I said I wanted to let the dust settle," Bergeron said. "When the wound is fresh you can't make rational decisions, so you have to really make sure you think about things and give yourself time to let it come to you. I felt that's what I did. There was a part of me that wanted to come back early on, but as it went on the bigger part of me was always leaning toward that being my last year. I was trying to look at the big picture as well and not just be stuck in the ending. Once I took a step back and I realized that everything I was fortunate to experience and live as a hockey player and as a person I felt very lucky and grateful. It outweighed that [losing last season]."

Bergeron said over time he has spoken to a lot of people in the game that he respects, and he kept hearing the same thing.

"The recurring theme was you're going to know when it's time," Bergeron said. "I'm a very intuitive guy. I feel I always listen to my instincts and my heart, and it just felt it was time for me to move on. I wish I could play forever and never do this, but eventually you have to move on."

For now, Bergeron said moving on will be settling into a quiet retired life in Boston, keeping an active lifestyle and catching up on lost time with his family, which grew this summer with the birth of Felix, the fourth child for Patrice and his wife, Stephanie, after Zack, Victoria and Noah.

"It's been an amazing ride for 20 years, but hockey brings a lot of pressure and stress, things on the outside," Bergeron said. "It'll be a nice change to be the Uber driver for the family and just relax."

Bergeron said he and his family will live in Boston for the upcoming school year and then decide from there if it will stay or move closer to Quebec City, where he and Stephanie are from.

"It's been my home for the last 20 years," Bergeron said of Boston. "It's special. It's close to our hearts, so we'll see."

Bergeron also said there will be a next chapter in his career, potentially in hockey, but he is not clear on what that might be other than indicating coaching, at least for now, is not something he's interested in doing.

"I want to take the time to really take a step back and think about what I want to do, what the next chapter is going to be like," Bergeron said.

In the meantime, the celebration of his career is ongoing with congratulations and thank yous pouring in from across the NHL and the Boston sports landscape.

The Bruins' Twitter account on Tuesday retweeted comments lauding Bergeron and his career from the accounts of the NHL, NHL Players' Association, Hockey Canada, Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, New England Revolution, Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins, along with many former teammates and some Bruins legends including Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque.

Bergeron also said he has had many people he has come across in the game reach out to him personally since the announcement.

"The game has given me more than I've actually been able to give the game," Bergeron said. "It's pretty special just to have the friends and the people reaching out yesterday, whether I've played with them for a year or for more than that. It's always the connections, the friendships, the people that I've met. That's what I'll miss the most, probably, is the laughs and all the great memories, but the game has given me a lot and I'm thankful for it all.

"The one thing I'll definitely say is I left everything out there. I have no regrets. I gave it my all."