The Boston Bruins’ Game Seven collapse to the Florida Panthers meant an abrupt end to a historic season. After spending the regular season blazing through the NHL’s record books, the B’s season ended with a single overtime goal by Carter Verhaeghe to end the game 4-3.

Sunday’s game may prove the end for not only the Bruins’ season but also the career of their captain, Patrice Bergeron. This year has been seen as a ‘last dance’ for Boston’s aging core, with the 37-year-old Bergeron likely to retire with the expiration of his contract.

Bergeron had an emotional final moment on the ice at TD Garden after the loss, giving a hug to each of his teammates before saluting the Bruins faithful in the crowd.

Patrice Bergeron hugs his teammates and salutes the Bruins crowd in what could be his final game 👏

(🎥: NESN) pic.twitter.com/SVhS5tdsiq

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 1, 2023

Postgame, he explained what that message to the fans had meant.

“Again, thanks for the support all year,” he said. “It’s a special city. It’s a special fanbase and organization. It’s more saying, ‘thank you for the support all year.'”

Bergeron hasn’t yet decided whether this will be the end of his 19-year career.

“It hurts right now,” he said. “You know, I’m going to have to step back and give it some thought with my family.”

After missing the first four games of the series, Bergeron confirmed Sunday night that he’d been playing with a herniated disk.

“Obviously it’s stiff,” he said. “It’s definitely not something I’m going to use as an excuse. It is what it is. Everyone battles with a lot of things during playoffs. It’s just unfortunate the way that it happened on a fluke play.”

Even after the loss, Bergeron reinforced the bond he and his teammates had developed.

“It’s a special group on many levels,” he said. “The individuals that we have, yeah. Obviously it’s far from the outcome that we wanted.”

That level of admiration was shared by the rest of the Bruins, who spoke of him with near-reverence.

“He’s just a world-class leader and person,” said Brad Marchand, who has spent 14 years on the team with Bergeron.

He later added, “there’s obviously too many memories to list, but friendship that we’ve built, the relationship that we have-it’s been special. Hopefully it’s not [the end]. That’s up to him to make his decision and do what he decides to do moving forward.

“Regardless of what he decides to do, whether he decides to play again or not, our bond will last a lifetime. It’s not just something we built through here.”

Bruins backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who started for the first time all series in Game Seven, heaped praise upon his captain of three years.

“He’s one of the best humans I’ve ever met,” Swayman said, per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson. “One of the best leaders I’ve ever met. I would do anything for him because I know he would do the same for me or any stranger on the street.”

Head coach Jim Montgomery, in his first season with the Bruins, called coaching Bergeron an “incredible experience.”

“Just because his awareness, his maturity,” Montgomery explained. “His ability to communicate, his ability to listen as part of that communication and then just how great a hockey player he is. Learned a lot from him this year. Hope to learn more next year.”

Should this be the end of the road for Bergeron, he’ll retire with a legacy to remember. He ranks 79th in all-time points in the NHL, scoring 1,040 over his long career. He also ranks 70th in all-time games played, with 1,294 since 2003.

All of those games have been with the Bruins, where he’s helped to lead the team for over a decade. Bergeron was named alternate captain in 2006 and took over as captain soon after after the departure of Zdeno Chara in 2020. The Bruins won the Cup once during his tenure, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in 2011.

Bergeron has won the Selke Trophy five times as the league’s best defensive forward, taking the award more than any other player in league history. He’s been at least top-three in voting every year since 2012.

As a member of Team Canada, Bergeron has taken home plenty of hardware on the international stage. He won Olympic gold twice, in 2010 and 2014, and has taken gold in both IIHF Worlds (2004) and World Juniors (2005).

Bergeron will have a decision to make this offseason, when his one-year contract expires. If he chooses to hang up the skates, he’ll do so with plenty to be proud of.

Screenshot: Boston Bruins/NHL.com