Bruins Retire Bergeron's No. 37 on Dec. 1 as NHL Expands Season to 84 Games

Q: With Bergeron’s number in the rafters, who will the Bruins name as their next captain to lead a new era?

The Bruins have not named a new captain yet, and the strongest expectation is that the decision will come down to David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy if Boston chooses to move away from its shared-leadership model. Right now, the club appears comfortable waiting. Team officials have said they are in no rush and want the “right guy,” not a symbolic quick fix after Patrice Bergeron. Last season Boston operated without a single captain, leaning on alternates Pastrnak, McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, and coach Marco Sturm said that arrangement worked well. If the Bruins do appoint one leader for this new era, Pastrnak and McAvoy are the clear frontrunners. Pastrnak has become one of the team’s most vocal emotional leaders and remains its marquee offensive star. McAvoy, meanwhile, is widely viewed as a natural captain-type presence, with growing authority in the room and on the blue line. President Cam Neely and GM Don Sweeney have both framed them as central members of the current leadership core rather than rivals in a simple one-man race. Jeremy Swayman has also been discussed as a leadership figure because of his stature in the room and his play, but NHL rules prevent goaltenders from serving in the standard on-ice captain role, making that a far less likely path. So, with Bergeron’s No. 37 heading to the rafters, the Bruins’ next captain is most likely Pastrnak or McAvoy — unless Boston decides that no single captain is still the best way to lead its next chapter.

3 articles · Updated · The Boston Globe · Jul 16

Dec. 1 will bring the Bruins' retirement ceremony for Patrice Bergeron's No. 37 against Colorado, about a month after his Hockey Hall of Fame induction.
Six Selke Awards and a central role in Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup run drove the honor, linking Bergeron in franchise lore with Zdeno Chara, whose No. 33 was raised last season.
Sept. 29 opens Boston's 2026-27 campaign at home against the Rangers, with the club then heading to Winnipeg and St. Paul for the first of 14 back-to-backs.
42 home games include 17 on weekends and nine matinees, while November is unusually home-heavy with nine of 11 games at TD Garden, including a Nov. 27 Black Friday matchup with Toronto.
A six-game homestand from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5 frames the Bergeron ceremony, running through Washington, Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Colorado and Detroit.