Patrice Bergeron is heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first try. The former Bruins captain got the call Monday, and he’ll be enshrined in Toronto on Nov. 9 as part of the Class of 2026. No suspense there — guys who win the Selke Trophy six times and log 1,040 points don’t wait around.
The timing works out nicely with another honor. Boston announced last week that Bergeron’s No. 37 will go up to the rafters during the 2026-27 season. He’ll be the 14th Bruin to get his jersey retired. That’s a pretty good run for a second-round pick taken 45th overall in 2003.
Bergeron spent all 19 seasons with Boston, from his debut on Oct. 8, 2003, right up to retirement in July 2023. He played 1,294 regular-season games and put up 427 goals, 613 assists. Only three other Bruins — Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, and Phil Esposito — had hit 1,000 points with the franchise before him. Career marks: third in goals, third in points, third in games played. And he’s one of 41 players in NHL history to score 1,000 points for a single team, which is a more exclusive club than you’d think.
The faceoff king who couldn’t stop winning Selkes
The Selke thing is the headline. Bergeron won it six times, more than anyone ever. But the more ridiculous stat is that he was a finalist for the award in each of his final 12 seasons. Twelve. That’s not a hot streak. That’s a lifestyle. He finished with 15,182 faceoff wins — third most all-time — and a career percentage of 57.9. He led the league in faceoff wins eight times and in percentage five times. He cleared 60 percent in five separate seasons, which is absurd.
Team success? He helped Boston end a 39-year Cup drought in 2011, then got back to the Finals in 2013 and 2019. In 170 playoff games he scored 128 points (50 goals, 78 assists). That ties for third in franchise history. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be just a defensive specialist early on.
Canada loved him too
Bergeron is a member of the Triple Gold Club — Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, a World Championship in 2004, and that 2011 Cup. He also played in the 2017 World Cup of Hockey and got inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in May 2026. He won the King Clancy Trophy in 2012-13 and the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2020-21. Leadership was never really a question.
Bergeron becomes the 54th player with Bruins ties to enter the Hall. He joins Zdeno Chara as another first-ballot guy from that era. The ceremony is Nov. 9 in Toronto. The jersey retirement is TBD for the 2026-27 season. For now, the faceoff king gets his spot in the rafters and the Hall.
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