(Boston) The last season certainly did not end as he would have liked. The club’s management tried to convince him to play another campaign. Despite family logistics complicated by the recent arrival of a fourth child, a final return would have been possible, he says.
However, in the simplest way in the world, the heart was no longer there. Patrice Bergeron therefore made the only decision that seemed logical to him, that of hanging up his skates.
After having published a long letter the day before in which he thanked the people who helped him to have such a career, the Quebecer clarified the reasons which led him to retire while he is still among the best players. center in the NHL – he just won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward.
In front of a few dozen journalists gathered in the depths of Boston’s TD Garden, Bergeron was true to himself. Patient, calm, measured in his interventions, both in English and in French. And generous with his time, which he will now have in abundance.
Already, by signing a one-year contract last August, he was preparing for 2022-2023 to be his last lap. The idea made its way from week to week, month to month, through discussions with family members, friends, teammates. “They listened to me, they sometimes tried to play devil’s advocate and weigh the pros and cons,” Bergeron said at a press briefing. I think it is this support that has guided me the most since the beginning. The more you talk about it, sometimes, the more the answer comes by itself. That’s kind of what happened. »
Throughout these conversations, one theme kept coming up: “You have to know when to leave.” And pay attention to the signs that announce the end.
Anyone who has never missed a day in the gym or on the ice suddenly no longer wanted to get back to work with so much intensity. The need to reconnect with the training he felt last summer never arose this time. He waited for “the motivation to come back.” She didn’t come back.
When he gets up in the morning, his body reminds him harshly of the physical abuse suffered during a 20-year professional career. The clues were piling up.
Despite the wear and tear of time, he says he is privileged to have the luxury of retiring while he is still in full possession of his abilities. Preparing for training was getting longer and longer. On the ice, however, he felt “still good.” A collection of 58 points, including 27 goals, at 37 had already confirmed it.
So he says he’s ready to become his family’s “Uber driver”. For all the gratitude he feels for the sport he loves, he knows the past two decades have robbed him of a lot of time with those who matter most to him. “I have a lot of catching up to do at home,” he sums up.
His plans are not yet established. Even if the organization would like to keep him in the entourage of the club, the new retiree has no plans in this direction. He does not see himself becoming a coach in the medium or long term either.
“I want to take a step back and think about what I want to do, figure out what the next chapter will be. »
He expects to experience “a little mourning” come fall, when the start of the school year coincides with his first absence from training camp in more than 30 years.
“There’s going to be a first in a lot of things, it’s going to be special,” he admits. At the same time, it was thought about, I took the time to think about it for a long time. I can’t wait for the next step, to see what life will bring me. »
He suspects he will miss the camaraderie in the locker room and the competition. Long trips? Less.
Since his two oldest are already enrolled in school, a potential move to Quebec, where Bergeron and his spouse are from, is not planned for the next year. However, it could follow. “We’ll see,” he breathes.
He leaves with the feeling of accomplishment, without any regrets. With the impression of having “given everything”, “left everything on the ice”. Above all, he does not let the failure of the last series overshadow everything he has experienced before.
“Time allowed me to see the bigger picture of what I had been able to accomplish for 20 years. I am so grateful for all that I have been able to experience in terms of emotion, experiences, challenges, that the last part, I cannot give it so much importance. There were too many good things. »
