Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron is retiring from the NHL. It isn't because the Bruins center no longer loves professional hockey or is unable to play the game at a high level. Patrice Bergeron's retirement stems from the time that it took for him to get ready for an NHL game and how he wants to spend his life in the next few years.

Bergeron played a key role in the Bruins finishing the 2022-2023 season with the best record in NHL history. The veteran totaled 58 points and won the Frank J. Selke Trophy, recognized as the league's best defensive forward for a record sixth time. Shortly after celebrating his 38th birthday, Bergeron seemed ready to end his career before what would've been his 20th season in Boston.

“I felt good,” Bergeron said at his retirement press conference on Wednesday. “I felt good on the ice. I felt good skating. I felt good making plays and whatnot. I felt like the game was still slowing down when I had the puck and it's not like I felt like I had no time in space or I couldn't create time and space for myself.

“It was more… really the preparation. It was taking a lot longer now, I couldn't just put the equipment on and jump on the ice.”

Plenty of star athletes are forced to leave the game when they are no longer productive players. Bergeron didn't want to join that list.

“I wanted to leave on top of my game and I also wanted to spend more time with my family and get involved in endeavors that I’ve never had the time to do,” Bergeron added.