Patrice Bergeron was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto, on the first ballot, with Zdeno Chara presenting his plaque. Brad Marchand watched it from the crowd and posted afterwards.
“Watching greatness being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame will go down as one of my favorite memories of my life,” Marchand wrote on Instagram.
He wasn’t finished.
“I am so grateful and proud to be fortunate enough to watch Bergy being honored as one of the best players, leaders and people that have ever played this game of hockey,” he wrote. “I am so proud to be your friend, teammate and brother for life. I love you Bergy, I’m so proud of you. Congratulations my friend.”
Bergeron and Marchand together:
| Seasons as teammates | Time on ice together | All-time rank | Stanley Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 12,808:46 | 2nd | 1 |
How long did Bergeron and Marchand play together?
Only one pair in the NHL has logged more ice time side by side since 2009-10, and that is Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar in Los Angeles. Bergeron and Marchand sit second at 12,808 minutes and 46 seconds, almost all of it on the same line, and Marchand eventually succeeded his centerman as captain of the Boston Bruins.
The Instagram post wasn’t his first attempt at putting it into words either. Marchand wrote a testimonial for NHL.com in the days before the ceremony, and the part people keep returning to concerns the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.
“He was literally willing to lay everything on the line, even his life potentially, having to spend multiple days in the hospital after we lost 3-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks,” Marchand wrote. “That was just one time. He’s done it 1,000 times over his career.”
He also described a man who paid attention to things that had nothing to do with hockey.
“He knew there were so many things bigger than the game where he could touch lives,” Marchand wrote. “He was never going to let somebody go through something alone.”
Bergeron returned the compliment from the podium. He singled out Chara and Marchand in his speech, and looked directly at his old left winger while he did it.
“Many of my favorite memories are with you, bud,” Bergeron said.
He played all 19 of his NHL seasons in Boston, 1,294 regular-season games and 170 in the playoffs, winning the Selke Trophy a record six times. The Bruins retire his No. 37 on December 1.
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