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Bruins Share Special Patrice Bergeron Appearance At Zdeno Chara’s Farewell
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- Bruins Share Special Patrice Bergeron Appearance At Zdeno Chara’s Farewell
Bruins Share Special Patrice Bergeron Appearance At Zdeno Chara's Farewell originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Boston Bruins offered fans a welcome glimpse of Patrice Bergeron on Friday as several generations of franchise legends reunited to celebrate Zdeno Chara .
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"Hey Patrice," the Bruins wrote on X , adding a waving emoji alongside a video of the former Boston captain.
Bergeron traveled to Trenčín, Slovakia, to participate in "Zee's Final Shift," a star-studded farewell game honoring Chara's remarkable career. The event at Pavol Demitra Ice Hockey Stadium brought together former teammates, current players and international hockey icons for one final game with the Hall of Fame defenseman. Boston also shared footage of David Pastrnak arriving in Slovakia.
"88 arrives for Zee's Final Shift," the Bruins wrote .
Bergeron's appearance carried the greatest emotional weight, however, because of the leadership partnership he formed with Chara during Boston's most successful modern era.
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Bergeron And Chara Built Bruins' Championship Culture
Chara spent 14 seasons as Boston's captain after signing with the organization in 2006. Bergeron served as one of his most trusted alternate captains and eventually inherited the "C" after Chara departed following the 2019-20 season. Together, they helped transform the Bruins into a perennial Stanley Cup contender.
Boston reached three Stanley Cup Finals during their time together and captured the championship in 2011. Chara became the first Bruins captain since Johnny Bucyk in 1972 to raise the Cup, while Bergeron scored two goals in Boston's Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks . Bergeron was the first additional player announced for Chara's farewell game, a fitting decision given their close relationship and shared impact on the franchise.
The two Bruins legends also will be linked at TD Garden forever. Boston retired Chara's No. 33 in January and will raise Bergeron's No. 37 to the rafters during the 2026-27 season. Chara helped the Bruins surprise Bergeron with the retirement announcement in June. Friday gave Bergeron the opportunity to return the favor by participating in his longtime teammate's final celebration.
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Bruins' 2011 Champions Reunite In Slovakia
As NESN previously reported , 13 members of Boston's 2011 championship team were included in the event.
Bergeron joined Chris Kelly , Milan Lucic , Dan Paille , Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder among the forwards skating for Team Boston. Johnny Boychuk , Andrew Ference , Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg reunited on defense, with Ray Bourque also joining the group. Tomas Kaberle and Chara represented Team World, meaning all six defensemen Boston used during the 2011 Stanley Cup Final participated in the farewell game.
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Pastrnak brought a connection to the modern Bruins, while current head coach Marco Sturm temporarily returned to his former role as a player. Former Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas , the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, served as one of Team Boston's coaches. The event also featured Jaromir Jagr , Marian Hossa , Anze Kopitar , Miroslav Satan and former Premier League goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Chara described the game as a goodbye, a reunion and an opportunity to support several schools in Slovakia. That combination made it an appropriate conclusion for a player remembered as much for his leadership and community impact as his imposing presence on the ice. For Bruins fans, seeing Bergeron again might have been the most meaningful moment. No player better represented the culture Chara helped establish in Boston, and no teammate was more appropriate to join him for one final shift.
