Bruins' Bergeron & Chara Among ESPN's Top 25 Hockey Players of 21st Century – Hockey Writers – Boston Bruins

A few weeks ago, ESPN released its top 25 athletes of the 21st century. Only three hockey players made the list: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Connor McDavid. Last Friday, the sports media company released its top 25 NHL players of the century, with former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara in 11th and 12th place respectively.

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Both players were instrumental in ending a 39-year Stanley Cup winning drought in 2011, with Bergeron scoring twice in Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks. Meanwhile, Chara became the first Slovakian-born captain to lift the trophy. Together, the two were part of the leadership team that returned to the finals in 2013 and 2019.

In total, they were captains from 2006 to 2023, with Chara serving 14 seasons before Bergeron took over and wearing the “C” for three seasons before retiring in the summer of 2023. Together, they wore the Spoked B jersey for 14 years as teammates. , with Bergeron surpassing Chara with a career spanning from 2003 to 2023.

Patrice Bergeron – “Mr. Selke”

Bergeron played his entire career in the 21st century, winning an NHL record six Frank J. Selke Trophies as the league's top defensive forward. From 2011-12 until his retirement after 2022-23, the native of Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, was a six-time Selke finalist, earning a reputation as one of the greatest of all time.

Although Bergeron never scored 100 points or scored 40 goals in a single season, with 427 goals, 613 assists and 1,040 points, he ranks in the top four in all categories in team history. Additionally, he skated in 1,294 games, ranking third behind Ray Bourque (1,518) and Johnny Bucyk (1,436).

In addition to winning the Selke, Bergeron also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2020-21 and the King Clancy Award in 2012-13 and played in three All-Star games. As captain of the Bruins in 2022-23, the club set NHL records for most wins (65) and points (135) in a single season.

Zdeno Chara – “Big Z”

Unlike Bergeron, who played his entire career after 2000, Chara was a third round (56th overall) pick of the New York Islanders in the 1996 Entry Draft. He started in 1997-98 and, at 6-foot-9, became one of the tallest players in NHL history. Chara played in Long Island until he was traded in June 2001 to the Ottawa Senators. Four years later, he became a free agent and moved to Boston, where he would play the next 14 seasons.

With 1,023 games in a Bruins jersey, Chara is one of eight players to reach that mark with the team before leaving as a free agent in 2020. While managing Boston, he won the Norris Trophy in 2008-09 along with Mark. Messier Leadership Award in 2010-11.

Chara collected one hat trick (2011) and skated in six All-Star Games. His plus-335 average over the past 24 seasons is the highest among skaters, 43 points ahead of Brad Marchand (plus-292) and Bergeron (plus-289). The native of Trencin, Czechoslovakia, would play with the Washington Capitals and finish his career where he started with the Islanders in 2022.

He collected 209 goals and 471 assists for 680 points in 1,680 games with 2,085 penalty minutes. As for his place in the record book, Chara ranks first in games played by a defender and 14th in penalty minutes. With a career plus-301 rating, he ranks 17th. Overall, he is seventh in games played by any player in NHL history.

Bruins Connections in the Top 25

Besides Bergeron and Chara, several other players cracked the top 25 and spent time with the Bruins. Former first-time draft pick (1997) and captain Joe Thornton came in 14th, while Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla ranked 20th.

Thornton played the first eight seasons of his career in Boston before being traded during the 2005 season to the San Jose Sharks. He remains the only professional athlete in North American sports history to win the MVP award in a trade year. His 1,714 games played ranked sixth ahead of Chara, while his 1,539 points ranked 14th.

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Iginla played 16 seasons with the Calgary Flames before skating with four teams, including the Bruins in 2013-14. He finished his career with 626 goals and 1,3000 points, good for 17th and 36th all-time.

Interestingly, David Pastrnak did not make the list despite having more points than Auston Matthews, more goals than Leon Draisaitl, and nearly triple the recent plus/minus. But based on NHL awards, Pastrnak ranks behind everyone with a single Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy on their jersey. However, when ESPN redoes its top 25 list, and hopefully, the native of Czechia reaches his 500th goal and wins the Stanley Cup in that time, he will have to somehow find his way on the list.