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As part of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, longtime Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron was among the players selected to be forever enshrined in hockey immortality in Toronto.
One of the greatest players in Bruins history, Bergeron was also known for his humble nature despite his elite defensive skills and status as one of the NHL’s greatest two-way forwards. He won numerous individual accolades throughout his career and helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 2011, while also making two additional Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2013 and 2019.
During the 2026 Induction weekend in Toronto, Bergeron interviewed with NHL Insider James Duthie to talk about his career, and he was sure to give credit to the organization and his former teammates for helping him along in his Hall of Fame journey.
Boston Bruins Icon Patrice Bergeron Remained As Humble As Ever
While interviewing with Duthie, Bergeron was sure to credit his family, friends, and former teammates for helping to make his Hall of Fame induction possible.
“It means a lot, but it also means a lot to share it with family and friends,” Bergeron said. “But of course, my teammates and the organization. The Bruins have been so loyal to me in my career, and you can never get this accomplishment alone. To me, I guess it’s a reflection of everyone that has helped me a long the way and sacrificed so much for me to be in this position. I’m very humbled and grateful, and obviously, a huge honor.”
When asked if he always possessed natural leadership traits, Bergeron said that he felt it’s part of his makeup, but also credited the numerous Bruins legends that were routinely around the organization, along with a few of his former on-ice teammates in Zdeno Chara and Mark Recchi.
“I think it’s a little bit of both. You want to be yourself, and you want to speak from the heart and lead by example,” he said. “I guess that was always in me I guess in a way, but also, you learn from a lot of guys. I was lucky to play in an organization with so much history and so many great leaders before us. Ray Bourque, John Bucyk, Cam Neely, and all these guys that were around when I was there. Obviously, to learn from, but then guys I played with – Zdeno Chara, I was 21 years old when he came in.
Obviously, his discipline and his work ethic, everything I was able to learn from and helped me a lot. Mark Recchi helped me find my voice around 2010 when he showed up with us…he helped me tremendously to take the next step in my leadership role.”
Patrice Bergeron Won The Selke Trophy Multiple Times
During his career, Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward six times, which he said came from his desire to do the right things to win hockey games rather than pad his stats.
“I thought the priority for me was to win hockey games, and I felt the best way and best chances for us to win was to do these types of things and worry about details,” Bergeron said. “Ultimately, that’s what led to results.”
Patrice Bergeron Shares Emotional Message to Former Bruins Teammates