It's another end of an era for the Boston Bruins, with center David Krejci announcing his retirement from the hockey team — for the second time.
Krejci addressed news media Tuesday morning, speaking about his big decision on Tuesday morning with a virtual news conference from his home in South Carolina.
"The decision was made when my injuries started to happen," Krejci said. "I didn’t want to rush with my decision... I really wanted to take my time and wait for the right time, the right moment."
The 37-year-old is bowing out after 16 years with the Boston Bruins, where he's had a storied career as one of the league's top centers. His announcement on social media came Monday, just a few weeks after Patrice Bergeron made his own retirement official.
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"The Bruins kept believing in me, they kept bringing me back, they kept offering me contracts and I can't thank them enough that I was able to come back and play a thousand games for one franchise," Krejci said.
The hockey player has been reflecting on his entire career with the NHL, and remembered what it felt like when he first started with the Bruins.
"You want to fit in, you want to play well, you want to establish yourself as a player, and then you kind of take it from there," he said. "But then you have to work harder to stay in the NHL. Players say it's easy to make it, but it's really hard to stay in the league."
He said his fellow teammates remain some of his best friends, and he's sure they'll continue to keep in touch, although he'll miss playing alongside them.
"The best memories you create in the dressing room, on the road and just being around the guys, and fortunately for me, I was on the team with such great guys and for such a long time," he said.
Krejci thanked his supporters, teammates, family and coaches in his statement, as well as the team's fans and the city of Boston.
"You have always treated me with nothing but respect and I will be forever grateful," he wrote. "I will miss playing in front of you, but I am and always will be a Bruin."
After helping Boston to reach the playoffs 13 times and advance to the Stanley Cup Final three times, fans are of course sad to see him go.
“I was disappointed, but he’s getting home," Sean McCarthy said. "He’s definitely an underrated player on the team.”
“I think he’s gonna go down as one of the top European players to ever play here," John Magliozzi added.
With this latest retirement, the last remaining player to have his name on that 2011 Stanley Cup is Brad Marchand.
Krejci said he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Naomi, and his children, Elina and Everett.
Krejci was selected by the Bruins the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft and spent the first 15 seasons of his career in Boston. He went back to the Czech Republic to play in front of family and friends during the 2021-22 season before returning to the Bruins for the 2022-23 campaign.
Krejci played well in his return, tallying 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 70 games.
