Krejci 'felt like it was time,' left everything on ice for Bruins

It was as last season wound on, as the injuries mounted, that David Krejci realized this might be it for him. He had returned to the NHL after one season back home in the Czech Extraliga and, in a surprising turn of events, the Bruins were cruising through the regular season in historic fashion.

But even as that was happening, even as Krejci was reveling in the team's and his own success, he knew that he couldn't put his body through it again.

Which was why Krejci announced his retirement from the NHL on Monday, ending a 16-season career with the Bruins that included three trips to the Stanley Cup Final (2011, 2013, 2019), one Stanley Cup championship (2011), 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) in 1,032 games, and countless memories and friendships.

"The decision was made I would say when my injuries started to happen at the end of the season, but I didn't want to rush my decision," Krejci said on Tuesday from his home in South Carolina. "I wanted to take my time and really think things over because you don't want to make a decision when the emotions are going through you.

"I just realized there's never a right time, never a right moment to retire from NHL, but I felt like it was time. I knew my body couldn't take 82 games anymore. That was the decision."

Coupled with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron, who announced his decision after 19 seasons with Boston on July 25, Monday marked the end of an era for the Bruins, one in which they never had to worry about their center depth for much of a decade and a half.

Krejci and Bergeron were anchors in the Bruins' lineup, two players who each played more than 1,000 games with the franchise, pushing each other and the team every single day.

"I was just trying to keep up with 'Bergy' every year, trying to be as good as him or get as good as I could," Krejci said. "Not just on the ice, but even the professional he is off the ice. I knew I could never come close to that, but just watching him and seeing his work ethic made me a better player.

"He pushed me hard in the summer. I take pride in my summer workouts every year. It's mainly because of Bergy, because I know how hard he works, and I had to work as hard just to be in the same position and be right there with him and be able to help the team to be successful as a No. 1 and No. 2 centermen."

As a result, they saw tremendous success together, with the Bruins qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 13 of Krejci's 15 full NHL seasons, missing only in 2015 and 2016. And that was what ultimately mattered to Krejci, not whether he was the top-line center, not whether Bergeron was accorded more accolades or time in the spotlight.

"I never really cared about being No. 1, No. 2, as long as I wasn't No. 3," Krejci joked.

"With Bergy, we had such a good, healthy relationship, healthy competition. I can't say I was ever jealous. I don't think he was ever jealous of me. We just kind of fit. I was trying to be the best version of myself, he was trying to be the best version of himself, and we were just kind of pushing each other to be better in a healthy way."

But age eventually caught up with the 37-year-old.

Going into last season, Krejci hadn't necessarily intended it to be his last. But he wasn't sure what to expect after a year away from the NHL, with his wife and two children living in South Carolina, with his body entering its late 30s.

And for much of the season, it went well. Krejci finished with 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 70 games during the regular season, when the Bruins set the NHL record for wins (65) and points (135).

However, he sustained a lower-body injury on April 1 that caused him to miss the final six games of the regular season. Although he returned for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Florida Panthers, he would miss Games 3-5 with an upper-body injury before again returning for the final two games of the series, which Boston lost in stunning fashion, falling in overtime in Game 7 at home.

Krejci felt crushed not to be able to help his team when it mattered, something even more difficult for a player used to showing up in the biggest of moments. He led the NHL with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 25 playoff games when the Bruins won the Cup in 2011. He also led the League with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 22 playoff games in 2013, when Boston lost in the Cup Final to the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I gave it my all playing through some injuries last year and I left everything I had there at the end," Krejci said. "I knew if I would come back to NHL, I would definitely not be the same player I was last year."

Despite shutting the door on the NHL, Krejci said that it remains ajar for the sport of hockey.

"I retired from NHL because I know my body can't take the whole season," he said. "I have things that I would have to get done, surgeries, and at my age, I'm not ready to do that. I don't want to do that anymore.

"But this year, the (2024 IIHF) World Championship is in Prague, in my hometown. I never played there, so that's something that's just kind of in the back of my head."

If he still feels that way around Christmas, Krejci said he would be open to playing for a couple of months somewhere in Europe in order to get his body ready, though he reiterated that a full season was beyond him at this point.

The Bruins had hoped that wouldn't be the case, that they could have squeezed another season out of him or Bergeron, that they could have kept two franchise icons in the fold for their centennial season, for one last crack at the Cup they believe they should have won last season.

"Winning a Stanley Cup, you dream about that as a kid," Krejci said. "I was fortunate enough to do that in my fourth year in the League. We had a couple other chances, especially 2019 (when they lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues in the Final). It would be nice to have at least two, but it's really hard to win that trophy."

As for what the future holds, Krejci said he would like to continue to be involved in hockey, perhaps in the scouting realm. But for now, he's learning how to live without the NHL, doing so by spending time with his family and working on his golf and tennis game.

"It was obviously difficult. Something you do all your life, and all of a sudden it's going to stop," Krejci said. "I'm sure I'm going to have some hard times moving forward, but that's what family is here for, it's what friends are for."