Boston bids farewell to Patrice Bergeron, Mike Gorman

Players reflect on Patrice Bergeron’s NHL career

Boston sports fans are bidding farewell to two beloved icons, Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron and Celtics play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman.

Bergeron announced his retirement on Tuesday after 19 seasons in the NHL. Meanwhile, Gorman announced he would be stepping away from his position after the 2023–24 NBA season. He has been calling Celtics games since 1981.

Bergeron’s career on ice

Bergeron began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins after being selected in the second round of the 2003 NHL Draft. The 38-year-old collected 1,040 points—427 goals, 613 assists—in 1,294 games throughout his career. He was awarded the Selke Trophy for the best defensive forward in the league six times, including last season.

Bergeron succeeded Zdeno Chara as captain of the Bruins starting with the 2020–21 season. His dedication to the game was widely known, so far as playing with a broken rib at Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup final.

His retirement was an emotional moment for everyone. He hugged his teammates individually after their Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Eastern Conference. He had only been able to play in three games of the series due to a herniated disc.

The final and longest hug was reserved for Brad Marchand, the forward who had played alongside him for over a decade.

Patrice Bergeron: A Legendary Career

Gorman: Over 30 years with Celtics

Gorman confirmed he planned to retire when talking with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss and The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn in March. Under Gorman’s watch, the Celtics have claimed four championships.

In February, he suffered from a detached retina in his right eye that required surgery. He returned a few days after the procedure to call a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, sporting an eye patch. It was a challenge for him to call games due to his vision issues.

Gorman received the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Award for his dedication to the game. The 77-year-old is also known for his dynamic broadcasting duo with Tommy Heinsohn, spanning an impressive 39 years until Heinsohn’s passing in 2020.