Boston Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron is calling it a career after 19 seasons in the NHL, the veteran center announced Tuesday.
“It wasn’t a decision that I came to lightly,” he wrote in a statement. “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.”
Bergeron, who just celebrated his 38th birthday Monday, added that it was important to leave the NHL on his own terms. He retires as the game’s top two-way center. He captured his league-leading sixth Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL’s premier defensive forward in June after posting 27 goals and 58 points in 78 matchups this past season.