Bruins legends dominate the NHL's quarter century team and it's no surprise

When it comes to the NHL Quarter Century teams, it should not come as a surprise that Boston Bruins franchise icons Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara were on the list. When anyone brings up the culture around the Black and Gold, the first names that pop into your head are Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara.

Both players are certainly deserving of the honor to be voted onto the team, as the last two captains of the organization before former Boston forward Brad Marchand held the title before being shipped off to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. There were several reasons as to why the Bruins hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2011 after beating the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, but at the top of the list was Bergeron and Chara.

Patrice Bergeron’s career

Oh, where to begin. In his 19-year career, Bergeron scored 427 goals and dished out 613 assists in just under 1,300 career games. His final season of 2023-24 during the Bruisn historic regular season that saw them set the NHL record for wins and points in a season, Bergeron had 27 goals and 31 assists and a Selke Trophy. He still had a lot left in the tank to continue his career, but he made the right decision for his family and hung up the skates.

The NHL should just rename the Selke Award the “Patrice Bergeron Award,” as he won it six times, including the last two years of his career. He had four goals and 14 assists during the Boston run to the Stanley Cup in 2011. He was a generational center who played in all situations, who was an NHL All-Star multiple times, a Stanley Cup winner, and a six-time Selke Trophy winner. There was no debate whether or not Bergeron should have been on the list.

Zdeno Chara’s career

Who knew a free agent signing in the summer of 2006 would turn the Boston Bruins franchise the way it did with Chara? Little did anyone know that it would be the beginning of a 14-year run that would include a Stanley Cup championship. He grew into the NHL’s top shutdown defenseman in his prime and was a big fan favorite.

He won the Norris Trophy in the 2008-09 season, but he will be remembered for playing through a broken jaw and lower-body injury in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues. The standing ovation he got before Game 5 in Boston still gives chills to Bruins fans. When he left following the 2019-20 season in free agency, it didn’t seem real watching him play with the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders before calling it a career. Like Bergeron, there was no debate whether or not Big Zee would have made this team.