The Boston Bruins did the thing everyone knew they were going to do. They announced Wednesday that Patrice Bergeron’s number 37 will be retired during the 2026-27 season. No surprise there. Bergeron is maybe the most obvious choice for this honor in franchise history.
He spent 19 seasons in Boston, all of them in that number. He won a Cup in 2011. He won six Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward. He ranks third all-time in Bruins history in goals (422) and points (1,040). But the numbers don’t really tell the story with Bergeron. His reputation as a two-way center is basically legendary at this point, and the Selkes just back it up.
Bergeron will be the 14th Bruin to have his number retired. He joins Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, Zdeno Chara and Phil Esposito among the names hanging in TD Garden. Chara’s 33 is already up there, and that makes sense given he captained that 2011 team. Bergeron took the captaincy after him and led the team through some of its best years.
The Hall of Fame is next
Bergeron turned 40 this year and is eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2026. He’s already in the IIHF Hall of Fame for his international work. The bigger one in Toronto should be a first-ballot thing. There’s basically no argument against it. Bergeron was that good for that long, and he did it without taking a single shift off in his own end.
You can make a case that Brad Marchand will join him and Chara in the rafters someday. Marchand is still playing, but he had an argument before he was even done. David Krejci and Tuukka Rask probably have cases too. That era of Bruins hockey produced a lot of guys who left a mark.
The Bruins haven’t picked a specific date for the ceremony yet. But when they do, good luck getting tickets. It’s going to be one of those nights where everyone in the building knows they’re watching something special.
Bergeron’s number 37 will never be worn by another Bruin. That was always the plan. Now it’s official.
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