Historical Moment: Patrice Bergeron Jersey Retirement
There are many current and former NHL names and greats who are synonymous of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. You have Hockey Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo – who backstopped the Titan to its first President Cup championship win – or New York Islanders blueliner Noah Dobson, who was part of the 2018 Titan to win Bathurst’s second President Cup and the first Memorial Cup in franchise history. Throughout past rosters you will find names such as Bruno Gervais, François Beauchemin, Jeff Viel, Mathieu Perreault and of course, Patrice Bergeron.
Little did Bergeron know when he first skated onto the ice at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, that it would be the stepping stone to a storybook career in the National Hockey League. Bergeron suited-up in four games for the Titan during the 2001-02 season, but made his debut as a full-time member of the roster during the 2002-03 campaign. Overall, the centreman from Ancienne-Lorette, Que., competed in a total of 85 career games, registering 29 goals and 60 assists for 89 points. The Titan finished the 2002-03 regular season third in league standings and made it to the conference semifinals in the 2003 playoffs. Bergeron had six goals and nine assists in 11 playoff games.
The Boston Bruins drafted Bergeron in the second round, 45th overall, at the 2003 NHL Draft. The following season Bergeron cracked the Bruins roster, and as they say, the rest is history. To date Bergeron has won a Stanley Cup, two Olympic gold medals, along with a gold medal for Team Canada at both the World Juniors and the Spengler Cup. At the NHL level, he has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy five times, and during his career his accolades also include winning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award. He was named the Captain of the Bruins in 2021, after many years wearing the ‘A’ for Boston.
The Titan lifted Bergeron’s jersey to the rafters at the K.C. Irving Regional Centre on Sept. 25, 2011, in front of a roaring home crowd as we retired his No. 37. We’re forever proud to call Patrice Bergeron a Titan and a distinguished part of our 25-year history in the Chaleur region.
