Patrice Bergeron speaks to Bruins fans at the Hall of Fame

Patrice Bergeron just thanked Bruins fans from the Hockey Hall of Fame stage, with a crowd of familiar faces in the room tonight.

For anyone catching up, Bergeron played 1,294 NHL games, all of them in a Boston sweater. Tonight the franchise's longtime center gets his place in hockey's shrine.

Belle Fraser, who is covering the induction, passed along the words from his speech. He thanked the fans for their passion and for making the journey so special.

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Bergeron also said that being part of that history is "one of the greatest accomplishments of my life." Coming from a player known for putting the team ahead of himself, it fits.

The room was packed with Bruins history. Fraser reported a big turnout that included Ray Bourque, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Marco Sturm, Cam Neely, Don Sweeney and Zdeno Chara.

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Brad Marchand made the trip too. The Hockey News noted that he and Bergeron combined for 2,016 points in 2,384 games with the Bruins.

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Why this Bruins reunion matters across the league

Marchand now plays for the Panthers and is listed on injured reserve with a knee injury, with an expected return of Nov. 21 at the earliest. Seeing him in the building on Bergeron's night says plenty about how deep that bond runs, whatever sweater he wears now.

It also puts the old and new Bruins in the same room. Sturm, a former NHL forward, now coaches a team that is 13-4-1 and first in the Atlantic Division. Sweeney is still the general manager. Sunday night, Boston beat Florida 4-1 for its fourth straight win.

Bourque, Neely, Chara and Bergeron form a spine of Boston history that few franchises can match. Pastrnak and McAvoy are the current faces of that line, and both were there to see it.

Boston's next game is Thursday against Montreal. The Hall of Fame weekend carries on, and we will keep tabs on any more words from Bergeron's night.

Quick hits

COLORADO AVALANCHE: Bergeron's thank-you to Bruins fans is making the rounds on the Hall of Fame stage, and it landed with the whole league watching. Belle Fraser has the word from the room.

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NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Hall of Fame night continues for Pekka Rinne too, with Bergeron's speech to Bruins fans leading the evening, per Belle Fraser.

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NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Andrew Gross reports Ilya Sorokin is in net for the Islanders in San Jose, with Yaroslav Askarov opposite him for the Sharks.

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