Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque, and other legends reflect on what makes the Bruins specialĀ Ā
"Once you get embedded and see what it is every day what makes this organization special ā it's incredible to be part of.āĀ
Patrice Bergeron and Ray Bourque might have never shared the same dressing room on Causeway Street.
But both hockey legends found themselves cut from a similar cloth when it comes to their path to Boston.
Both Quebecois products.
Both with little knowledge of the spoked-B and the culture that they’d further foster over four decades in Boston.
And while Bergeron grew up in the suburbs outside of Quebec City and was raised as a Nordiques fan, Bourque’s early allegiance was to Boston’s most hated rival.
“I was a big Montreal Canadiens fan,” Bourque admitted Sunday morning. “I used to miss school to go to the parades. We were pretty spoiled growing up.”
Of course, it didn’t take very long for Bourque’s warm sentiment about the Habs to thaw over once he joined Boston.
“I used to go back to Montreal every summer, and we played [Montreal] pretty much every year,” Bourque admitted. “We played them in the playoffs, and I’d have to hear crap all summer long from family and friends.
“And 1987 was the quietest summer I’ve ever had. And it was fantastic going back after finally beating the Canadiens. … The rivalry was a very, very special one, and the biggest one.”
That sour sentiment toward Montreal is not the only thing that links Bergeron, Bourque, and the rest of Boston’s alumni these days.
Ahead of Sunday’s Centennial Game festivities on Causeway Street, Bergeron reflected on the sentiment shared by all Bruins alumni — one of gratitude and appreciation for playing a small part in the history of the oldest U.S.-based hockey club in the NHL.
“You think about all the history that this franchise has had, and the legends that have been through these doors — it’s very meaningful for me to be part of the celebration,” Bergeron said. “And especially against Montreal and their history as well.”
Brad Marchand has still not officially hung up his skates. But the 36-year-old Bruins captain echoed a similar message about what makes the Bruins stand out from other NHL clubs beyond their extended seniority.
“I really appreciate their commitment to winning,” Marchand said. “I think it’s such a special thing that I think a lot of players take for granted, being part of an organization that consistently puts themselves in a position to fight for a Cup or compete for a Cup. … You hear it from everybody else that comes in, how special it is here.
“It’s something I’m grateful for — having played my whole career here, and going through the ups and downs. I didn’t really appreciate it as much early on. You’re just trying to survive and stay here. Once you get embedded and see what it is every day that makes this organization special — it’s incredible to be part of.”
As Marchand tries to right the ship of the current 2024-25 Bruins, he shared the ice during Sunday’s ceremony with several players who first took to the ice in black-and-gold sweaters over 60 years ago.
“This is my home,” Johnny Bucyk, now 89 years old, acknowledged. “I mean, I’ve been here, what, 67 years now? So I just love it here.
“I love the city. … This celebration has been unbelievable. It’s good for me to see a lot of the players I played with. I played with a lot.”
One of those players who shared a dressing room with was Willie O’Ree — who was also on hand for Sunday’s festivities.
“When I first came up, Johnny, he took me under his wing, and I didn’t have any I didn’t have any problems,” O’Ree — the first black player in the NHL — said Sunday. “Because if there was something going on in the ice, there was always a Bruin there to back me up … When I found out that I was coming on this trip, I was overjoyed, really.”
Sunday marked the first time that O’Ree was back at TD Garden to see his No. 22 jersey hanging from the rafters. It was originally retired by the team in January 2022, but O’Ree was unable to make the trip for the original jersey retirement ceremony due to travel and health concerns.
“I don’t think there’s any other louder fans in the NHL than the Bruins fans,” O’Ree, also 89 years old, said. “I watch them on the telly, and every time a goal is scored or something, I mean, you can hardly hear. It’s absolutely fantastic.”
Sunday’s ceremony stood as a fitting end to over a year’s worth of celebration on Causeway Street — and another opportunity for Bruins fans to cheer on the figures who set the foundation for a century’s worth of memories.
But it also served as a motivation for Boston’s current crop of players to carry on that tradition.
“It’s more than a game, especially against that team,” Jeremy Swayman said of playing against Montreal. “It’s honoring — again — all those that came before us and put in the groundwork and set the culture and the standard.
“And it’s obvious, when you see all the alumni that stick around Boston, how much it means to every player that puts on the jersey. And I couldn’t be more honored and proud to be one of those people. And I want to do whatever it can to do it the right way, like they did.”
Before the cheers bellowed down onto the Garden ice, Bergeron acknowledged that events like this bring him back to his playing days and spark the competitive fire that still resides in his 39-year-old frame.
“Every time you come here, there’s a piece, a part of you that wishes you’d be out there on the ice and still playing,” Bergeron said. “But when I look back, like I said before, I have no regrets. I’m at peace with the decision. Just excited and happy and for the guys and want to cheer them on.”
Bergeron and the rest of the Bruins legends in attendance joined the cacophony of cheers that spurred Boston to two points on Sunday.
It’s the same roar that the likes of Bucyk and Bourque remember from their days in the old Boston Garden — and it’s a soundtrack destined to carry on wherever black-and-gold sweaters take to the ice in the next 100 years.
“The fans make it worthwhile, and they give us the opportunity to play the game that we love,” Marchand said. “And it’s not like that everywhere. You go to these other cities, you’re in the rinks, and they don’t have the same passion that our fans do.
“It is such a big part of why the team cares about putting a competitive team on the ice every night and why we care to show up. Because they deserve it and they expect it.”
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