Charlie McAvoy had done it hundreds of times.
When the Boston Bruins won, the players always gave their captain a hug before leaving the ice.
It started with Zdeno Chara. When the imposing defender left, he passed the torch and the “C” to Patrice Bergeron. The tradition continued.
When the Bruins lost in Game 7 to Florida in the spring, Bergeron, with tears in his eyes, still hugged each of his teammates after the stunning defeat.
Only a few confidants knew it, but the man who would win a sixth Selke Trophy, as the best defensive forward in the NHL, had just played his last game in the league, at age 37.
McAvoy would have liked to maintain this “bear hold” a little longer.
“It’s emotional,” the Bruins defenseman said during the NHL/NHLPA media tour last month. He did it every game as long as I was there. You lose, you leave the ice. You win, he’s still there for the hug. It was [Chara] and then him.
“Maybe I didn’t appreciate the moment enough. The loss hurt so much, to be eliminated so early [in the first round]. But I knew what he was doing…he was going to hang up his skates. »
Bergeron officially retired at the end of July, ending a career that will undoubtedly land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The L’Ancienne-Lorette hockey player collected 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 games in 19 seasons.
Drafted 45th in 2003, Bergeron added 128 points (50 goals, 78 assists) in 170 playoff games, including winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. He also took part in the final round in 2013 and 2019.
Bergeron won Olympic gold with Canada in 2010 and 2014, then helped the country win the 2016 World Cup.
In addition to the half-dozen Selke Trophies, the center also won the King Clancy for Community Service in 2013 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2021.
And the good words didn’t just come from former teammates.
“Every time we played them, my back hurt from the faceoffs,” Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said.
” He is strong. He was so good on faceoffs. You knew that set the tone. And he’s also a really good guy. He has class. »
Young winger Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens was amazed by Bergeron’s all-around game.
“It was special, it was constant. He was all over the ice,” Caufield said. It’s great to see how involved he was and the value he had for his teammates. It’s sad to see a guy like that leave. »
Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev of the Tampa Bay Lightning highlighted Bergeron’s offensive and defensive skills.
“He was really good at creating space for himself,” Sergachev said. Very, very intelligent at that level. It was hard to play against him because sometimes we lost sight of him. He was dangerous in attack and defense. »
