By: Benjamin Aliber | Follow me on Twitter @bpaliber24
Before the Boston Bruins game yesterday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was honored in a pre-game ceremony celebrating his achievement of 1,000 career NHL points. Before we dive into the ceremony, let us relive the process of how he got here! On October 15, 2003, Bergeron recorded his first career point with an assist on a goal scored by Brian Rolston. His first career goal came five days later, on October 18, 2003, in a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings.
On May 21, 2006, Bergeron recorded his 100th career point with an assist on a Glen Murray power-play goal. Fast forward to May 19, 2008, the future team captain recorded his 200th career point, and on December 23, 2010, his 300th career point.
As the milestone trend of every two years would continue, Bergeron recorded his 400th career point on April 7, 2012. His 500th career point came on October 25, 2014, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the 600th point of his career came on February 20, 2016.
The five-time Frank J. Selke Trophy Award Winner would then record his 700th career point on January 6, 2018, and score his 800th career point on May 16, 2019. On April 6, 2021, he reached 900 career points after recording a hat-trick in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
On November 21 of this year, 6,977 days, 167,448 hours, 10,046,880 minutes, and 602,812,801 seconds after his first career point, Bergeron reached number 1,000 in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The celebratory ceremony came just about a month after reaching that milestone on November 21. The ceremony, featured in English and French (Bergeron’s native language), included a multitude of gifts: A gold stick presented by the teams’ general manager Don Sweeney, a $37,000 dollar check from the Jacobs family made out to Bergeron’s charity “Patrice’s Pals,” and a crystal plaque from former Boston Bruin and fellow 1,000-point club alum, Johnny Bucyk. Brad Marchand and David Krejci also presented the captain with gifts. Bergeron’s wife Stephanie and their three children were also in attendance.
The team also honored their captain with a video tribute on his accomplishments and a special message from Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, and Phil Esposito.
Finally, incoming NCAA president and current Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker presented Bergeron with a proclamation that declared that from here on out, December 17 would be known as “Patrice Bergeron Day” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Bergeron sits with Ray Bourque (1,506), Johnny Bucyk (1,339), and Phil Esposito (1,012) as the only players in Boston Bruins history to record 1,000 points with the original six franchise.
A member of Boston’s 2011 Stanley Cup Champion team, the 2013 King Clancy Memorial Award recipient, a three-time All-Star game nominee (2015, 2016, 2022), the 2021 Mark Messier Leadership Award winner, and now 1,000 points, it is no longer a question of if, but when Bergeron will be inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame.
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