The Boston Bruins made their presence felt in the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2025 class — and the trend could continue in 2026.
This year, Zdeno Chara and Joe Thornton were officially enshrined among the game’s greats.
With next year’s ballot looming, attention has already shifted to a pair of Bruins who left very different marks on the franchise — Patrice Bergeron and Phil Kessel.
Bergeron’s case is a formality. He spent his entire 19-year career in Boston, shaping not just the Bruins but the modern definition of a two-way forward.
“The centerman practically redefined the position and its meaning to the game of hockey,” wrote Austin Bundy of Fansided.
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Bergeron was the heartbeat of a contending core, leading the club to a Stanley Cup in 2011 and two more Final appearances in the years that followed. And while the honors piled up — Selkes, All-Star nods, milestone goals — his consistency, character and loyalty made him something rarer: the kind of player future Bruins would be measured against.
Kessel’s story with Boston played out in a sharper arc. Drafted during a transitional era, he flashed elite skill early and delivered in the playoffs, even as personal adversity briefly took him off the ice.
His return from cancer surgery in the middle of his rookie season became one of the most memorable moments in Bruins memory. Though traded in 2009, Kessel’s years with the Bruins revealed the resilience that would define the rest of his NHL journey — one that ultimately included three Stanley Cups and the league’s ironman record.
Both Bergeron and Kessel took different paths out of Boston, but each carved a legacy that shaped the Bruins and left lasting influence on the sport.
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