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5 takeaways from David Krejci’s retirement press conference with Bruins
"I knew my body couldn't take 82 games anymore, and that was the decision."
After announcing his retirement from the NHL on Monday, former Bruins center David Krejci spoke with the media on Tuesday about his decision to retire, his future plans, and much more.
Here are a few takeaways from Krejci’s Zoom conference:
Late injuries contributed to Krejci’s decision to retire
Unlike Patrice Bergeron, who acknowledged last month that he entered the 2022-23 season with the expectation that it’d be his last, Krejci kept an open mind in his return to the NHL ranks last season.
Despite a year spent playing in the Czech Extraliga, Krejci largely did not miss a step against NHL competition. In 70 games back as Boston’s primary second-line center, the 37-year-old Krejci scored 16 goals and posted 56 total points.
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But he missed the final six games of the regular season with a lingering ailment, and then was held out of three of Boston’s seven games against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
david krejci's retirment
Despite posting a three-game performance in Game 7, Krejci and the Bruins fell to the Panthers in overtime en route to a crushing first-round exit.
Given the amount of damage doled out against him in the spring, Krejci realized that he couldn’t endure yet another 82-game slate in 2023-24.
“The decision was made I would say when my injuries started to happen at the end of the season, but I didn’t want to rush to my decision,” Krejci said. “I really wanted to take my time and really think things over, because you don’t want to make decisions when the emotions are going through you.
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“So I really wanted to take my time and wait for the right moment. I just realized there’s never a right time or right moment to retire from the NHL. But I felt like it was time. I knew my body couldn’t take 82 games anymore, and that was the decision.”
Krejci noted that if he did come back this season, he likely would have needed to undergo offseason surgery in order to correct whatever injury plagued him over the final weeks of the 2022-23 campaign.
“I just felt I gave it my all, played through some injuries last year,” Krejci said. “And I left everything I had there at the end. I know if I came back to the NHL, I would definitely not be the same player I was last year.”
Still … Krejci may not completely hang up his skates
Even though Krejci admitted that he likely can’t play through a full NHL season, he did note in his retirement letter that he was only retiring from “the best league in the world.”
So could the Sternberk, Czech Republic product opt to play a shortened season back in the Czech Extraliga — or represent his country at the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Prague?
“Yeah, it is,” Krejci said when asked if the door remains open for playing back in Europe.
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But Krejci also said that he plans on taking the rest of 2023 off to see how his body responds before potentially pondering a return to the ice after the new year.
“If at some point around Christmas, I feel like, you know, let’s get ready, play a couple of months somewhere in Europe, get ready for the World Championship, that’s something I’m thinking about,” Krejci said. “If I decide to keep going then it would definitely be after New Year’s.”
Krejci isn’t spending much time thinking about 2023 collapse
For most of the past year, Krejci and Bergeron’s final season in Boston was building towards a storybook ending.
But after setting a new NHL record for wins (65) and points (135) in a single season, Boston’s miraculous run came to a crashing halt against the Panthers.
“I have lost some tough years before, but this one I would put probably right next to 2019,” Krejci said during the team’s breakup day on May 2. “This one’s going to hurt.”
But speaking on Tuesday, Krejci opted to not harp too much on his final season in Boston, opting to focus more on his entire career.
“Right now, to be honest, I put that behind me,” Krejci said, adding: “I’m trying to look back at my whole career, trying to understand all those things that I accomplished and how hard it was to do that. … The sacrifices everybody made for me to be able to chase my dreams — I’m trying to really kind of go down memory lane and appreciate all those little things.
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“Not really thinking about the last year. The last year is always gonna be there. … It’s a missed opportunity. Right next to 2019 and 2013. But I think the NHL is the hardest trophy to win … I really don’t take for granted that I have the ring on my finger from 2011.”
Helping Boston capture its first Stanley Cup in 39 years was an obvious choice for Krejci when rattling off his favorite memories after 16 seasons with the Bruins.
But Krejci acknowledged that even the day-to-day grind of an NHL season was something that he tried not to take for granted.
“I’m gonna miss a lot of things. I’ve talked about how I’m gonna miss my teammates, that’s for sure,” Krejci said. “But also as a kid, watching it on TV or reading about it in the papers, you want to make the NHL not just because it’s the best league in the world, it’s also the best stadiums in the world, the way they have it set up with the stadiums, the fans, the kind of whole package.
“I don’t like to do interviews as much, but it’s part of that. And if you do interviews, that means you are doing something right, you made it somewhere. So the whole package that the NHL has to offer on a daily basis, I’m definitely going to miss that. But I have to listen to my body. My body is not ready to play the whole season, especially at the speed and level of the NHL.”
Krejci was never jealous of his role on the Bruins
Krejci was a primary architect of a Bruins contention window that lasted close to two decades.
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But on rosters also anchored by stars like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, David Pastrnak, and Tim Thomas, Krejci was often overlooked — and under-appreciated — in his role as part of Boston’s 1-2 punch down the middle.
Even though Krejci’s prime seasons saw him anchor Boston’s top forward line next to wingers like Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, he was eventually leapfrogged on the depth chart after Bergeron started to mesh with both Marchand and Pastrnak.
But regardless of his role in Boston’s lineup, Krejci said he didn’t spend much time worrying about where exactly he slotted in.
“I never really cared about being No. 1, No. 2 [centerman]. As long as I wasn’t No. 3,” Krejci joked.
Krejci later added: “If you have good linemates, if you have top two lines you should have good wings. And I have had that. And that gives you the best chance to help the team. And I was in that position. We had such a good, healthy relationship, healthy competition. …But I can’t say I was ever jealous of [Bergeron]. “I don’t think he was ever jealous of me.
“We just kind of did what we did. I was trying to be the best version of myself, he was trying to be the best version of himself. And we just kind of pushed each other to be better in a healthy way.”
Krejci has high hopes for the Bruins’ next wave of talent, especially David Pastrnak
The 2023-24 Bruins might have some tough sledding ahead following the departures of Bergeron, Krejci, and many other key contributors.
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But much like Bergeron, Krejci believes that the Bruins will be in good hands with the remaining leaders still present in the dressing room.
“You still have Marshy — who knows how long Marshy is going to be around. But you have Marshy. He’s been there for a long time,” Krejci said. “Then you have [Charlie] McAvoy, Pasta, Charlie Coyle. There are so many good players, so many good leaders in the dressing room. So I’m not worried about the leadership in the room at all.”
In particular, Krejci believes that his close friend David Pastrnak will likely continue to lead the way up front for the Bruins.
“When he first showed up at 18 years old, we knew he’s got skills,” Krejci said of Pastrnak. “He’s a good player, but you can’t predict the career he’s had. I’m really happy for him. He’s come a long way. He’s been through some tough times. I wish him all the best. There’s one thing he’s missing, the Stanley Cup. And I think he has a good chance with the Bruins. Hopefully, they’ll get it done soon.”
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