photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
Patrice Bergeron played in six international tournaments during his remarkable career. He won five, notably Olympic gold in both 2010 and 2014. In 19 NHL seasons, all with Boston, he played in 1,294 regular-season games, and in 2011 he led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup since 1972. Bergeron was the star of Game 7, against Vancouver, scoring twice. In so doing, he became the 25th member of the Triple Gold Club.
And it was appropriate that he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026 in May in Zurich at the same time Sidney Crosby was representing Canada at the World Championship because the two will forever be connected in hockey history.
Bergeron was drafted only 45th overall by Boston in 2003, but at 18 he made the Bruins at training camp that fall and never looked back. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs in the spring of ’04, so he accepted an invite from Hockey Canada to play at the World Championship in Prague. The team beat Sweden, 5-3, to win gold, thus starting an historic achievement for Bergeron. The next year the NHL season was abandoned because of the lockout, so Bergeron played at the 2005 World Junior Championship.
Playing on a line with 17-year-old Sidney Crosby, the pair dominated the tournament and skated in sync as though they had played together for years. But when Canada hammered Russia, 6-1, for U20 gold, Bergeron was named MVP and the win gave him a record that will likely never be equalled. He is the only player to win World Championship gold before World Junior gold. Their careers intersected several more times in the next two decades, each time resulting in victory. A year later, Bergeron and Crosby teamed up at the World Championship in Riga, and although the team finished fourth the two again were the talk of the tournament and finished 1-2 in scoring (Crosby 16 points, Bergeron 14).
“We were put on the same line at the World Juniors in 2005, in training camp and exhibition games,” Bergeron recounted. “And we never really didn’t play on a line together. And then in ’06 it was the same. We were put on the same line. And over time we continued to have good chemistry and a great friend off the ice. We got to know each other well. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed my time playing with him. And for him, what else can you say? He’s accomplished so much and done so much for the game. I’m just proud I was in the same generation as him for hockey, as a role model. I was proud to be represented by Sid and what he stands for. It’s impressive that he’s still doing it at such a high level, but it was an honour to share the ice with him.”
“Both are a huge honour,” Bergeron said of playing for his country and playing in the NHL. “It’s definitely extra special to represent your country, your home town, the people who have helped you along the way and have had a huge impact. Definitely special to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. It’s something I never thought would be possible. I feel like the game has given me so much, I’m just so grateful.”
Comfortable in retirement, Bergeron still loves the game, as a fan now. He works with the Bruins and continues to enjoy watching hockey, all the while secretly yearning to get back out there, even though he knows those days are done.”
“To me, the most important thing are the friendships I’ve created, the guys I’ve gotten to know over the years on every national team. It started in juniors. The friends that you make are what you carry with you forever. You’re always thinking, you want to be out there, but you know when you’re past it. It’s the competitive side that comes out in me, but besides that, it’s fun to be a fan and to cheer the team on.”
And it was appropriate that he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2026 in May in Zurich at the same time Sidney Crosby was representing Canada at the World Championship because the two will forever be connected in hockey history.
Bergeron was drafted only 45th overall by Boston in 2003, but at 18 he made the Bruins at training camp that fall and never looked back. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs in the spring of ’04, so he accepted an invite from Hockey Canada to play at the World Championship in Prague. The team beat Sweden, 5-3, to win gold, thus starting an historic achievement for Bergeron. The next year the NHL season was abandoned because of the lockout, so Bergeron played at the 2005 World Junior Championship.
Playing on a line with 17-year-old Sidney Crosby, the pair dominated the tournament and skated in sync as though they had played together for years. But when Canada hammered Russia, 6-1, for U20 gold, Bergeron was named MVP and the win gave him a record that will likely never be equalled. He is the only player to win World Championship gold before World Junior gold. Their careers intersected several more times in the next two decades, each time resulting in victory. A year later, Bergeron and Crosby teamed up at the World Championship in Riga, and although the team finished fourth the two again were the talk of the tournament and finished 1-2 in scoring (Crosby 16 points, Bergeron 14).
“We were put on the same line at the World Juniors in 2005, in training camp and exhibition games,” Bergeron recounted. “And we never really didn’t play on a line together. And then in ’06 it was the same. We were put on the same line. And over time we continued to have good chemistry and a great friend off the ice. We got to know each other well. It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed my time playing with him. And for him, what else can you say? He’s accomplished so much and done so much for the game. I’m just proud I was in the same generation as him for hockey, as a role model. I was proud to be represented by Sid and what he stands for. It’s impressive that he’s still doing it at such a high level, but it was an honour to share the ice with him.”
“Both are a huge honour,” Bergeron said of playing for his country and playing in the NHL. “It’s definitely extra special to represent your country, your home town, the people who have helped you along the way and have had a huge impact. Definitely special to be inducted in the Hall of Fame. It’s something I never thought would be possible. I feel like the game has given me so much, I’m just so grateful.”
Comfortable in retirement, Bergeron still loves the game, as a fan now. He works with the Bruins and continues to enjoy watching hockey, all the while secretly yearning to get back out there, even though he knows those days are done.”
“To me, the most important thing are the friendships I’ve created, the guys I’ve gotten to know over the years on every national team. It started in juniors. The friends that you make are what you carry with you forever. You’re always thinking, you want to be out there, but you know when you’re past it. It’s the competitive side that comes out in me, but besides that, it’s fun to be a fan and to cheer the team on.”