The departure of Andrew Ference is starting to sink in more and more for the defenseman and Bruins fans, but that doesn’t mean both sides can’t reflect on Ference’s time in Boston.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Ference ended a run of six-plus seasons in Boston by signing with the Edmonton Oilers. While Ference has said most of his good-byes at this point and has started to move on, it’s crystal clear that Ference will never forget his time in Boston.
“Nothing but the best memories,” Ference said Tuesday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “Incredible, incredible hockey memories and probably even more special than that is the people and the friends that we met outside of hockey. That’s life — lifelong friends and lifelong people that are going to be special with us forever. So I think there’s no shortage of love for that city and I kind of wear my emotions on my sleeve like that when it comes to that, because it’s a special place and we did a lot of special things there.”
In addition to having the reputation as someone who was incredibly close to the community, Ference was also a tremendous asset to the Boston dressing room. The veteran blue liner spoke to the importance of a tight-knit room, and Ference was one of the biggest reasons the Bruins, as a team, were so close during his time.
“For me, I can’t really separate the years,” he said. “There’s just a group of us that went through the past few years together that were really great. We did a good job of carrying over that camaraderie and atmosphere in the room. Even when new guys filtered in, it really didn’t change the dynamic. We had a number of years where he had a really tight group. … Having success and having that kind of environment go hand in hand. It can take a decent team to the next level.”
