Monday night was all about Patrice Bergeron, and many coaches and players around the league took the time to acknowledge the future Hall of Famer’s accomplishment.
The Bruins captain provided an assist on a Brad Marchand goal in Boston’s 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bergeron recorded his 1,000th career point with that assist, making him the fourth player in franchise history to achieve that mark.
The five-time Selke winner is the 94th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points, and Bergeron’s teammates weren’t the only ones congratulating the 19th-year veteran on the milestone.
“Hi Bergy, congratulations on the 1,000 points,” Claude Julien, who was Boston coach from 2007-2017, per team-provided video. “That’s quite the accomplishment. What’s probably more impressive is you probably prevented as many going the other way. I’m extremely proud to have had the opportunity to work with you, and I want to wish you continued success to you and your team all the best, cheers.”
“Hi Bergy, congratulations on 1,000 points,” said Vegas Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy, who coached the Bruins from 2017-22, per team-provided video. “Testament to your skill, and work ethic and dedication to the game. It was a privilege and an honor to be part of your journey along the way. Good luck going forward.”
Check out the rest of the video to see head coach Jim Montgomery, president Cam Neely, general manager Don Sweeney, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and franchise legends Zdeno Chara and Tuukka Rask congratulate Bergeron.
The 37-year-old became the eighth active NHL player to achieve the 1,000-point mark, and some of those players — Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Anze Kopitar, Patrick Kane, Eric Staal and Nicolas Backstrom — also sent their congratulatory messages to Bergeron on joining the club.
The Black and Gold are off to their best start since the 1929-30 season, and Boston will hope to continue their seven-game win streak Wednesday when it takes on the Florida Panthers.
