How Patrice Bergeron Impacted Milan Lucic During Bruins’ Tenure

Milan Lucic was hoping he would have the opportunity to play with Patrice Bergeron again, but now that the Boston Bruins captain has decided to retire, Lucic is left reflecting on what he learned most from the six-time Selkie winner.

Lucic, while speaking with NESN's Sophia Jurksztowicz, Andrew Raycroft and Andy Brickley during the network's "Merci Patrice" coverage Tuesday, fondly recalled the mindset Bergeron carried with him to the ice.

"He brought it every day whether it was a game day or practice. He came to be his best every day," Lucic said on NESN. "He wasn't the loudest guy about it. He went about his business and did it the right way.

"For me, it was great having him on a day-to-day basis because it pushed me to bring it every single day. Like I said, he was a guy that always brought it on a day-to-day basis whether it was a practice or game. He expected the best of himself and that trickled down. He expected the best out of his teammates, and that's what brought out the best out of his teammates.

"So, yeah, it was a lot of fun being his teammate, a lot of fun being in all those battles with him and like I said, it was the most fun being being able to raise that championship with him."

Bergeron announced his retirement after 19 seasons with the Black and Gold, and wrote a heartfelt letter to thank all those who helped him along the way. The 2011 Stanley Cup champion since has been the focus of tribute messages from longtime teammates, those in the Bruins organization, and the hockey world in general.