David Krejci wants to appreciate Bruins career, not dwell on Game 7 loss
David Krejci’s NHL career ended in heartbreaking fashion after the Bruins dropped Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Florida Panthers. But he doesn’t want to dwell on one moment from an illustrious 16-year career.
“Right now, to be honest, I put that behind me,” Krejci said Tuesday over Zoom. “... I’m trying to look back at my whole career, trying to understand all those things that I accomplished and how hard it was to do that.”
Krejci announced his retirement on Monday morning. He spent his entire career in Boston and played over 1,000 games with the organization. Often underrated throughout his time in the NHL, Krejci undoubtedly made his mark on the team. The 37-year-old is tied for second in franchise history with playoff points (128), second in playoff assists (85), fifth in assists (555) and ninth in points (786), to name a few of his accolades.
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The Bruins, despite going all in at the trade deadline, couldn’t accomplish the end goal of winning a Stanley Cup. Now with Krejci and Patrice Bergeron retired, that leaves just Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand left on the team from 2011 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Final.
Boston went to the Finals two other times (2013, 2019), but Krejci is going to look back at the career he had and appreciate all that was accomplished in 16 seasons, while understanding winning Lord Stanley is one of the hardest tasks in sports.
“The sacrifices everybody made for me to be able to chase my dreams — I’m trying to really kind of go down memory lane and appreciate all those little things,” Krejci said. “Not really thinking about the last year. The last year is always gonna be there. ... It’s a missed opportunity. Right next to 2019 and 2013. But I think the NHL is the hardest trophy to win ... and I really don’t take for granted that I have the ring on my finger from 2011.”
Krejci revealed he went into the 2022-23 season without knowing for sure if it would be his last. He realized after suffering injuries before the playoffs that retirement was probable, and that his body wouldn’t be able to handle the grind of an 82-game season. If he did want to return, he said he’d need surgery, though he didn’t reveal the nature of his injuries.
“I have to listen to my body. Its not ready to play NHL season, especially at the speed the NHL is,” Krejci said. “I gave it my all and left everything I had out there.”
But playing internationally is still on the table for the 37-year-old. The 2024 IIHF World Championship is in Czechia, where Krejci is from.
The Bruins will look a little different without their top two centers in uniform next year, but Krejci is confident they’ll still be successful due to the leadership they have in the dressing room.
“There’s so many good players, so many good leaders in the dressing room,” Krejci said. “So I’m not worried about the leadership in the room at all.”
As for what Krejci will do in retirement, once his kids go back to school he’ll play more golf and pick up playing tennis again.
