The despair of defeat was noticeable on the face of Bruins’ captain Patrice Bergeron following a 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup series on Sunday night at TD Garden.
Bergeron had a hug and a consoling word for each of his teammates as they made their way off the ice. The emotion was most evident in his exchanges with David Krejci and Brad Marchand, two players who helped Bergeron hoist the Stanley Cup on a warm June night in Vancouver in 2011.
Before leaving for the clubhouse, Bergeron lifted his stick in salute to the Bruins fans, with whom he had developed a special relationship over the years.
The Garden crowd was in a foul mood after Panthers’ center Carter Verhaeghe’s game-winner at 8:35 of overtime brought the curtain down on the Bruins’ historic season. But the fans set aside their ire to give Bergeron a proper tribute.
“It has been an incredible experience just because he awareness and his maturity and his ability to communicate and he would listen as part of that communication,” said first year Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. “Then there is how great a hockey player he is and I learned a lot from him this year.
“I hope to learn more next year.”
Montgomery’s remarks were a pretext to an overriding question. Did Bergeron play in his final game as a member of the Boston Bruins? Bergeron said after the game he was dealing with a herniated disc in his back throughout the series. Bergeron was noncommittal when asked directly if this was his last game, citing the need to talk things over with family and friends.
“It was hard because you battle all year for that,” said Bergeron. “I am going to take some time to be with family but right now it is hard to process anything except to say it is disappointing.
“Again, it hurts right now but I am going to sit back and see. I am proud of this group and I am close with this group, this is a special group with what we had ultimately, this is not what we wanted.”
If Bergeron does decide to call it a career, the C he wore with class and distinction will likely reappear on Marchand’s jersey. Bergeron was a linemate, friend and advisor to Marchand whom he mentored for many years.
“He is special and hopefully it is not but at the end of the day he has to make his decision going forward,” said Marchand. “Whatever he decides to do if he is going to play again is something.”
Marchand plays the game of hockey to his own distinct beat and that is what has made him and NHL All-Star and one of the best players in the game. But Marchand said that Bergeron has been his role model in the ways he conducts his private life.
“He is like the perfect person on and off the ice and such and incredible leader,” said Marchand. “He is a family man, a great father and a great friend and he is always thinking about everybody else first.
“That wore off on me quite a bit and it really changed the way I approached my daily life and the way I approach the game. I will never be able to say enough great things about him. He allowed me to be in the position to play alongside him for a long time.
“We have been lucky to have him as part of this group.”