David Krejci, the ninth-leading scorer in Boston Bruins history, retired Monday after 16 NHL seasons, all with the Bruins.
David Krejci #46 of the Boston Bruins passes the puck away from the pursuit of Phillippe Myers #5 of the Philadelphia Flyers
His run included three trips to the Stanley Cup Final (2011, 2013, 2019) and a championship in 2011 against the Vancouver Canucks.
The 37-year-old center who was often considered the “1B” to Patrice Bergeron, Krejci finished his NHL career with 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) in 1,032 games and 128 points (43 goals, 85 assists) in 160 Stanley Cup Playoff games after being selected by Boston in the second round (No. 63) of the 2004 NHL Draft. Bergeron, the Bruins captain since the 2020-21 season, announced his retirement July 25 after 19 NHL seasons, all with Boston.
After playing in his native Czech Republic in 2021-22, in front of his family and country for HC Olomouc of Extraliga, that nation’s top professional league, Krejci returned to the NHL last season and had 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 70 regular-season games for the Bruins and four points (one goal, three assists) in four postseason games.
Krejci appears near the top of several Bruins statistics, including games played (fifth), assists (fifth), goals (13th) and game-winning goals (43, 11th). He was an alternate captain for the last nine seasons he played for them.
He led all playoff scorers twice over the course of his career. He had 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in 25 games in 2011 and 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 22 games in 2013. His 128 points are tied for second in Bruins history with Patrice Bergeron (170 games) and Brad Marchand (146), behind Ray Bourque (161 points in 180 games). Krejci ranks second to Bourque in playoff assists (125) for Boston and is sixth in goals.
“He’s a big-time player in big-time games,” said forward Milan Lucic, who played most of his eight seasons with the Bruins on Krejci’s wing. “He always knew how to raise his game to the highest level when the team needed him the most.”
Krejci scored an NHL career-high 23 goals twice (2011-12, 2016-17) and had an NHL career-high 73 points twice (22 goals, 51 assists in 2008-09; 20 goals, 53 assists in 2018-19).
Use CodePHN15Â Possibly a version of this chair in Bruins’ black and gold?
Krejci will retire from the NHL but could still represent the Czech Republic in the 2024 IIHF World Championship. He has represented the Czech Republic twice at the Olympics (2010, 2014) and has played in the World Championship four times (2008, 2012, 2018, 2022).
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