Bergeron Enters the Hall of Fame Recalling a Boy Who Sat in the Net Stacking Pucks

Patrice Bergeron was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night, Nov. 9, in Toronto, opening his speech with a memory of his first year of organized hockey, when he sat in the back of the net stacking pucks and complained to his parents that his skates hurt. “But even then, after getting off the ice, I’d tell them how much I loved it,” the former Boston Bruins captain said, according to NHL.com.

Zdeno Chara, his longtime captain and a 2025 inductee, presented Bergeron’s plaque, NESN reported. Earlier in the day, Bruins great Ray Bourque presented Bergeron with his Hall of Fame blazer, according to Gino Hard. Bruins captain David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, Bourque, team president Cam Neely, general manager Don Sweeney and coach Marco Sturm were among those in the crowd.

What Bergeron said

Bergeron traced his path from Quebec City to the 2003 NHL Draft, where the Bruins took him in the second round. “I arrived at the NHL Draft with no real expectations,” he said, recalling that he made the team a few months later and dressed “between Joe Thornton and Martin Lapointe” while playing against idols Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic. He thanked the coaches who helped him as an 18-year-old rookie learning English, and his former agent Kent Hughes, now general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

He spoke about winning Olympic gold for Canada in Vancouver and Sochi alongside fellow inductee Carey Price, then turned to Boston. “The Boston Bruins are more than a hockey team; they are part of Boston’s identity,” Bergeron said. “Being part of that history is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.” He thanked his 2011 Stanley Cup teammates, singling out Chara and Marchand, and closed partly in French. His final message was for young players: “I hope my journey inspires future generations to dream big, believe in themselves, and never stop chasing those dreams.”

By the numbers

Bergeron played 19 seasons, all in Boston, finishing with 1,040 points on 427 goals and 613 assists, according to NESN. His six Selke Trophies as the NHL’s best defensive forward are a league record. His 1,294 games rank third in franchise history, behind only Bourque and Johnny Bucyk.

By The Boston Report’s calculation from those figures, Bergeron finished 224 games behind Bourque and 142 behind Bucyk, and averaged about 0.80 points per game over his career. He and Marchand combined for 2,016 points in 2,384 games for the Bruins, according to The Hockey News, as cited by NESN. Bergeron joins former teammates Chara and Thornton, both inducted in 2025, on the long list of Bruins in the Hall.

A night with deep Massachusetts roots

Bergeron was not the only inductee with Boston ties. Keith Tkachuk, who grew up in the Boston area and played at Boston University, said, “Growing up in Boston, I loved the Bruins and hockey became my life,” and thanked BU coach Jack Parker, who was in the audience, NHL.com reported. He opened with a joke that drew laughs: “This might be the first time a Tkachuk has ever received a warm welcome in Toronto.”

Cindy Curley, a women’s hockey pioneer who learned to skate on Lake Boon in Stow, called herself “a lifelong Bruins fan” and congratulated Bergeron from the stage. She thanked her father, who put a stick in her hands at age 5 and played until he was over 80, and credited Lou Lamoriello for supporting women’s hockey at Providence College, where she won a national championship. NESN noted she is the 15th woman inducted. Former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, now executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, also spoke during the ceremony.

The class also included Price, Pekka Rinne and builder Brian Burke. For Bruins fans, the celebration continues: the team plans to retire Bergeron’s No. 37 in the coming weeks, as our preview of induction night noted. Check the Bruins schedule for upcoming home games.

Sources

• NHL.com: Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026 induction speech highlights
• NESN: Patrice Bergeron enters Hall of Fame, live coverage of 2026 induction ceremony
• Gino Hard: Bergeron Hall of Fame speech recalls stacking pucks as a kid