Boston Bruins’ David Krejci has announced his retirement after 16 years in the NHL.
After 16 years in the NHL, David Krejci of the Boston Bruins has announced his retirement.
Krejci was selected in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. He was born on April 28, 1986, in Sternberk, Czechoslovakia. He played for the Bruins from 2006 to 2021, during which time he amassed 786 points in 1,032 career games, including 231 goals and 555 assists.
His outstanding effort places him seventh in assists and games played for the club, sixth in postseason points, and ninth overall in points. Krejci’s abilities extended beyond regular season contests. In several seasons, he led the NHL playoffs in goals, points, and game-winning goals, earning the nickname “Playoff Krech” among his teammates.
He earned 23 points in 25 games during the 2010–11 Stanley Cup Playoffs, making a key contribution to the Bruins snapping a 38–year championship drought. His postseason performance also includes a hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final, a feat not accomplished by a Bruins player since Cam Neely in 1991.
Despite having suffered career-ending injuries like a concussion in 2007, a dislocated wrist in 2010, and a partial MCL rupture in his left knee in 2015, Krejci persisted in demonstrating his worth. With 73 points in the 2018–19 regular season, he tied his NHL career high and assisted Boston in making it back to the Cup Final.
After playing a season in his native Czech Republic, Krejci agreed to a one-year deal with the Bruins in 2022. In his first season back in the NHL, 2022–203, he scored 56 points in 70 games.
Following Patrice Bergeron’s retirement, he announced his own, leaving the Bruins severely depleted at center. Although he is no longer with us, Krejci’s legacy lives on, and we will never forget the contributions he made to the Boston Bruins and the game of hockey.