David Krejci Retires
- Thread starter cshea
- Start date
FWIW, I would send 46 to the rafters. I think he goes down as the most underated/under appreciated player of this era of Bruins hockey.
Agreed.
Bruins are going to run out of numbers soon, though. 46, 37, 63 (eventually)...
Inevitable once Bergeron retired that Krejci would follow suit.
The end of an unbelievable era in Boston Bruins hockey.
Seems like forever ago Chia was forced with the decision to keep only one of Krejch or Kessel. We all know how well the Kessel deal worked out(aside from how the return assets would eventually be managed), but we also got to keep the right player. I didn’t see it that way at the time. It wasn’t long after that that I saw the light. I’m still convinced the Bruins win the cup in 2010 if Krejci doesn’t break his hand.
Such an interesting player to watch—wouldn't wow you with speed or stick-handling but could read the ice so well and seemingly stop time to the degree that SoSH dubbed him "God." Probably could have put up much gaudier assist numbers in a different system but he was exactly what we needed as 2C especially after it was clear Savard was finished.
I'd also add that some of my favorite Krejci moments were actually the rare occasion when he absolutely UNLOADED a one-timer. Like this game-winning bullet during his Terror of Philadelphia years that the ref couldn't even see:
Of course, he went on to make the pivotal pass to Horton in G7 against Tampa, gliding through the neutral zone and putting it right on the tape.
I'd also add that some of my favorite Krejci moments were actually the rare occasion when he absolutely UNLOADED a one-timer. Like this game-winning bullet during his Terror of Philadelphia years that the ref couldn't even see:
Of course, he went on to make the pivotal pass to Horton in G7 against Tampa, gliding through the neutral zone and putting it right on the tape.
Agreed.
This sucks but isn't unexpected. Going to be interesting to see where the team goes from here.
Great passer, underrated sniper. Great leader. Lots of centering loss in the offseason. Thanks for everything, David.
The counter to the Krejci blast is my favorite Krejci goal ever, which I think was in G2 of that Tampa series. Krejci had the puck near the top of the left circle, dished it across to the right defensemen, drifted towards the net, and receive a pass on his backhand and literally just tapped it past the goalie into an empty net. He basically passed it into the net as softly as possible while still getting it across the line in time. It was the epitome of Krejci's game - it never looked fast or flashy, but he positioned himself perfectly, and always knew the exact pace to play at in order to get the job done. That Tampa series might have been the best Krejci ever played.
That Tampa series and he absolutely carried a decimated team for 9 playoff games in 2010 before he got hurt. That team had no business beating Buffalo with the roster they had available for that series, but fortunately Krejci was just on another level.
Yeah that 2010 team was absolutey putrid offensively (I think they were actually the lowest-scoring team in the NHL or close to it), and once he went out against Philly, while I didn't expect them to lose 4 in a row, it wasn't surprising that they struggled quite a bit.
