What’s Next For Patrice Bergeron? Bruins Legend Content With Uncertainty

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron doesn't have any immediate plans to contribute to the Boston Bruins or the National Hockey League in retirement. He doesn't have short-term plans for anything, really. Well, besides making up for lost time with his family.

And that's exactly how Bergeron wants it after spending the last 19 years representing the Black and Gold.

"Right now, it's really more I want to take the time to really take a step back and think what I want to do, and what the next chapter is going to be like," Bergeron said at TD Garden on Wednesday during his retirement press conference.

"First and foremost, it's going to be taking some time for myself and my family and spending some more time at home. Obviously, I've always been grateful and thankful for being a professional athlete, to be able to live a childhood dream. But also at the same time, it takes away some family time and some time away from the kids. So I have some catching up to do and I'm looking forward to that."

Bergeron announced his retirement Tuesday. He entered the 2022-23 campaign with the suspicion it could be his last, and after letting the dust settle this offseason he confirmed it to be the case. Bergeron shared he knew it was time to retire because his motivation and "itch" to return wasn't the same this offseason. He was less willing to put in the preparation both mentally and physically.

Bergeron doesn't believe coaching is in the cards for him, and while he'll continue to root for the Bruins from afar, he doesn't know how many games he'll watch or attend during Boston's centennial season. The six-time Selke winner joked he didn't watch much hockey even when he was playing.

"We'll see what can happen eventually," Bergeron said. "But for now, as I said earlier, I have a lot of catching up to do at home. And I want to kind of take time to rest and really take time for myself, as well. Unwind. It's been an amazing ride for 20 years, but also hockey brings you a lot of pressure and stress and things on the outside. It'll be a nice change to just be able to kind of be the Uber driver for the family for a little bit and just relax and that's it."

Bergeron did express confidence in the Bruins moving forward. He believes their leadership group is in position to take over for him, despite the fact he was one of the best leaders in sports for a long time. He hinted he'll miss it, too, especially the relationships he formed.

But Bergeron nevertheless seemed at ease with his decision. Regardless of the fact he doesn't know what awaits.