Cue the Memories: Patrice Bergeron & Claude Julien

Cue the Memories: Patrice Bergeron & Claude Julien

All right everyone welcome in episode five of Q the memories presented by Kors banquet live from the cowon restaurant in sagus Massachusetts I am your host derck Russo so happy to be joined by a trio of Stanley Cup champions here we have former Bruins defenseman and historic hundred member 2011 Stanley

Cup champion Andrew fence we have the alltime winningest coach in Bruins history former Jack Adams winner CL Julian and we have someone who spent 19 seasons in the black and gold six-time selki Trophy winner former captain of the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup champion Patrice berson all right the crowd’s Rowdy ready

To go Bergie I think we’ll start with you how’s it being an Uber driver these days five stars from the kids or I mean so far yeah so far the reviews are pretty good but um no it’s been a lot of fun it’s been fun to be home um I’ve

Said that before you know I want to really take the step back and spend the time at home and uh catching up with some of the things that I’ve missed and um and some of them obviously is the drop offs and the pickups and U being there for their activities and whatnot

So spending a lot of time in the car but uh uh again it’s been uh it’s been awesome to to see them and kind of actually getting even closer to them which is is pretty special did you get any advice from this guy about retired life has he been texting you what’s

Going on yeah well we we did have some conversations before um retiring I did uh talk to a lot of guys that I trust and I uh that I’ve played with and he was one of them and yeah so it was great to get some advice from him and and all

The other guys as well so fair we did this podcast a couple of years ago but it was virtual so it’s nice to have you side by side in person here a little uncomfortable does my mic yeah it works yes they can hear you they on Zoom I don’t like I

Just talk and it just works this is weird in person I know I didn’t I forgot what you looked like this is good know this is good though like I actually I really enjoyed that it was I was going crazy in Co and and so that was actually

Really nice to like touch base and um we got together and had some drinks and rewatched the game and that was fun like that was that was pretty cool actually we made the most of it does everyone remember that it’s nice that they put bergy’s Jersey on sale there’s like must have

Been a fire sale when you’re retired cuz we lined up for pictures before doing this podcast and every single person had a berson jersey so I saw some jerseys out there I didn’t see one fa I saw there’s a couple I saw well there’s I there’s

Actually I have somebody that was in my flash mob during my during my cup day in the North End and she’s wearing the shirt from the from from that so there’s there’s one fence fan out there that’s good so this is going to have a very 2011

Focus but I think it’s important to start a little bit before that and I think that 20788 season Cloe it was your first year as coach fair that was your first full season with the Bruins how did that season sort of shaped things because that was the first playoff team in a

While that great playoff series against Montreal everyone remembers Marco stm’s goal in game six how did that set the tone for things moving forward clo maybe you can take that well we’re going quite a ways back when you’re talking about that many years ago but it was great you

Know what we had we had a good bunch a good group of players that were Keen to do the right thing so basically I was able to convince them to play a certain way and the way that was going to give us I guess consistency in every game and

You know to this day you look back at our lineup and it wasn’t a flashiest lineup but as a group we really played hard and uh you know we talk about that that game six against Montreal in the first round and I still remember that as

If it was yesterday it was probably one of the most exciting games I mean that we had played uh in such a long time and I think the fans really embraced that game and then obviously we went to Montreal and lost game seven but it kind

Of set the stage for the years to come uh at the same time I I still remember the first game of of that season and I looked around and and half the building was empty and I remember telling uh my assistant coach at the time Jeff Ward I

Said we’ve got a lot of work to do and uh so we kind of in a way as much as it was disappointing it was also inspiring for us to really bring back the type of hockey that I think Bruin fans wanted and as I mentioned before I think we had

The nucleus of players who are willing to do those kind of things and uh you know with some of some success comes a little bit of luck and we were lucky enough like I said to have those players and we were fortunate enough to have players that really uh embraced what we

Were trying to get him to do fair is that how you remember it too that that that was sort of a stepping stone to to bigger and better things yeah it it that last part especially I think like when I first got I came from Calgary uh so

You’re playing NHL up in Canada and then you come to a original six team um but just walking around Boston like yeah you go through Fel Hall and there’s Patriots and Red Sox and Celtics and like no Bruins like uh you wouldn’t see jerseys no hats like nothing like people

Just didn’t represent the Bruins and and uh yeah there was empty seats in in the crowd um and it was pretty simple like we we did we had like legitimate meetings to be like all right like what are we trying to accomplish here like um obviously we want to make the playoffs

But even before that um I tell this all the the time is like our number one goal was like can we just make people proud again like even if we lose like there was like we knew there was a certain style that people wanted to see and so

Like all right maybe we’re going to lose to the Canadians but like we’re going to beat the [ __ ] out of them and like and but seriously it’s that simple like can like people just throw on the hat and be happy about it and and so like it

Was that kind of attitude and like I think just literally like sit in a room and being like this is who we are this is what we want to accomplish and like the playoffs will be a byproduct and so I think like that was our goal and and

Obviously to make the playoffs was like unbelievable like that clinching game and to to to do it and then get into the series it’s great but like um but I think the biggest thing was just seeing the building full and like seeing a hat on the sidewalk and being like God God

Thank God it’s not the Patriots like finally somebody’s put like dusted off the Brewing stuff and they’re like and then you know we had to like listen to it all the time like I was a fan when Bob yor was playing here and we we we hope he can be a fan again

Thank you yeah but it was that it was it was great mission accomplished I think uh yeah we’re headlining the cowon now Bergie I know that you missed most of that season but you had been here for several years before that what what was changing at that time where things were

Moving in the right direction what what did you see yeah I think the you know the sense of Pride I guess in with the guys within within the locker room uh wed to make some changes wanting to kind of like you know I think Fair kind of alluded to it you know having

The fans excited wanting to be back in in the building and um you’re right you know I missed most of that year but it was it was exciting a lot of guys that were that came together and um and really pushed and worked extremely hard to to make the playoffs and eventually

Really bring that that series to seven and um it was it was special to to to be a part of it um and and exciting also for the future right looking forward and you know I think that year was the emergence of crutch right that was like

Ketch’s first year where he really like came in and and and and and stuck around and really had was a big big part of that team and so it was it was exciting for me to see you know young younger guys coming in and and um and making an

Impact and and all the guys that were coming you know Shawn and fair and and the guys that you know that joined the group were guys that cared were guys that had character were guys that um wanted to make a difference so um yeah a lot of things

Made that very exciting for the future CL when you came in how much were you looking forward to working with Patrice and and what did you sort of know of his game before you got to Boston well uh two years earlier I was coaching the Montreal Canadian my first

Coaching job and I always remembered Bergie coming to Montreal being a kid from Quebec and growing up a Quebec Nords fan and somehow it came out that Bergie just hated the Canadians so true and you know what I was okay with that because I I played with the Quebec

Nordi so part pardon me was on his side but uh when I came here it was great because you know like honestly ly you saw a young player uh being such an impact player at a young age at 18 years old uh he he you could tell that the the

Future was going to be bright for him and I was excited to to have him on my team and not only that but you know we talked about you know we had some good people around and whether it’s the two that are sitting here we had you know

Sedano as our captain and that we had some good people around and I was looking forward to working with them but if you guys remember my first year Bergie on game 10 uh ended up with that serious head injury the concussion and ended up missing the rest of the year

And uh so uh I did miss him in the first year but he was able to make up for it in the following years so it was great to have him on my side and uh you know what not only that but he’s one of of

Many that uh really believed in what we were trying to do and those are the kind of players that help uh make a coach successful is when you leave the room and they continue to uh endorse what you’re trying to get him to do the crazy thing about Bergie and I was thinking

About this today as I was really preparing for my podcast I love the notebook that you brought it’s great I got a notebook I knew I bought this for a reason I’ve got a grocery list on the first page in my podcast yeah anyways the crazy thing about Bergie is that at a

Young age he was like thrust into leadership like I remember my first few years like I was so clueless and I didn’t want to touch the puck I just didn’t want to get in the way I just just kind of want to blend in um and so

I think like that like to me like when you know somebody you play with them you just do it um but when I reflect back like Bergie was always so young and we never really realized it until you actually stopped and thought about you’re like dude like he’s like yeah

It’s my birthday I’m 20 I’m like what like what like you you already played 500 games like but like that’s the crazy thing to me is that like most of us take a while to figure it out and like you you’re just kind of thrust into like leadership

Position like and the thing that I think a lot of people don’t get is just because you’re a good hockey player like doesn’t mean you’re a good leader or that you’re smart or anything like just you have a good slap shot like you could be dumb as rocks

But and so like the two don’t always go hand inand but like it was a really special player and I’m not you know you’re my friend but like really it’s it’s a tough thing to do as a young person to be relied upon in games but

Then also like you were of a really strong voice within within like the meetings the small group meetings with the coaching staff and then also like when it’s time to speak in front of like the room um like did somebody teach you that is it just like like how does that

Work because it took it took takes everybody else a long time to figure it out yeah I think like over time you know what I got used to it even more I think you know I’ve I’ve learned a lot from from veterans and older players uh but

To be honest I think this lock room was make making myself anyways very comfortable talking and and being able to to be around and and obviously leading by example was my my first thing but like to to voice my opinion with with you or with within the leadership

Group and being able to um yeah say what I thought um you know you know my two cents I guess so um in a way like I I can’t say that someone really thought me but I was really I felt like I was trying to be a sponge even from the

Beginning from my first year on and um Martin Le Point was a big influence on me and uh and then you guys came in the big Z and you you and authority and uh so it really made my job easy to um to be a small part of the leadership group

And and and learn and and then as we went on over time obviously found my found my voice even more U that was you know as you’re growing as you’re getting experience you feel more comfortable talking and stepping up and feel like you’re you you do have something to

Say how did clo help your game Bergie I know the defensive minded structure was always part of it but how did he help you take that to a level where you win six Sky trophies yeah no I think he was a big influence on on me and how I was

Able to to improve my defensive game I mean you know I think clob from from the get-go he was um very meticulous very um you know detailed oriented in in everything that in this within the system and I think that really helped me into uh learning that you know it’s a

Game of inches and and you can’t you know take it for granted or you know the previous years we were you know defensively we’re lacking we were laxidasical and I think at times it hurt us and then that’s what he brought in right away was the you know that culture

Of like you can’t accept like half-ass jobs like you need to go at it and uh finish it all the way even if you’re up by four goals or three goals you know you finish till the buzzer and all the details that he talked about really influenced my game and and myself and

I’ve learned a lot from from him and I think I’ve said that many times and cl was um you know one of the biggest influence you know especially early in my career for me to uh to De develop into the the player um that I wanted it

To be we got this figured out I just give you a look and you give me a nod now we know yeah this is actually easier a little easier than it was on on Zoom couple years ago go for it no I mean I think it’s interesting like cuz I tell

All these stories like people like I I don’t live by any of my old teammates like I’m on Vancouver Island on the other side and so I tell all these stories and I like have my own like version of what happened and like all these things and I wonder if it’s actually accurate

U so I’m like excited to find out what other people think from my same team but like Cloe I was curious cuz like we did like we actually sat down and had like real me meetings um and talked about all right like what kind of culture we want

To build like in your opinion what kind of like what were we trying to build because I have my own opinion I wrote it down and everything so I but I’m curious like so like we sat down before the year and we’re like all right like what kind

Of team do you want to be and I attribute this quote to you and maybe it’s not you but take it because it’s a good one but like I said like when you think about like what kind of culture you are or like what your um you know

Who you are like it’s not what you think you are it’s what your opponents think you are like that’s who you actually are it’s deep right like that’s who you act that’s what your identity actually is is what the Montreal Canadians think you are so anyways um that’s like what

Were we what were we trying to become I guess in your opinion like the culture of our team well you’re right and I was going to ask you to tell me what you thought I brought first I got it you’re obv I won’t even cheat I’ll let you read it as I

But uh no the first thing that I wanted is first of all coming to Boston you know what kind of team’s been successful you know what the fans are looking for and the first thing that I wanted to do is build a team that was hard to play

Against and if we were going to be hard to play against I think the fans would enjoy seeing our team and you mentioned that earlier sometimes it didn’t matter if we lost uh you know to Montreal but uh we beat the crap out of them right so

Fans are leave and say ah we lost but oh boys it was great to see them beat the crap out of so and so and uh but we want to be a hard team to play against not just uh as far as fighting was concerned

Although that was a part of it I think that uh uh other teams didn’t like about us it didn’t matter what kind of game they played against us we’re always hard to play against and uh Bergie mentioned it as well it’s okay to score goals but

You’re not going to win games if you give more than you give up more than you then you score so basically we want to kind of balance that out quite a bit and I want to make sure that we understood that there was a uh two ways to a game

The offensive part and the defensive part and I was a little detailed and to the point where I can be honest about it today at times I would go back home and say am I too strict on the little details am I driving them crazy with the

Little details but you know again when you have the right type of players the right group and they kind of bought into it those little details is is what made the difference in our game especially in the first year and from there as we you know built with

The draft picks and the trades and everything else and slowly kind of modified our lineup uh we got better but those little details are what made the difference for us for many years and I can even say to this day today uh I was just mentioning to Bergie I said you

Know it’s pretty impressive that the Boston brues today lose their top two centerm and you take the top two centerm of any NHL team in the league and see if they’re battling for first place uh and that credit goes to obviously the players uh buying into uh the way the

Bruins have been playing for many many years and the character of it and uh that’s why they are what they are today and I think the culture seems to have stayed with which is great to see I love watching the Bruins games and I love seeing having success but at the same

Time to go back to what you were saying I think we the identity that we wanted was to be a hard team to play against and as uh Andrew mentioned I wanted other teams to say that kpes I hate playing against the Bruins I hate playing against them they’re always on

Top of you they don’t give you any space they don’t let you get on the inside everything else and then everybody looks good and what we did in our first year we frustrated a lot of teams and we were able to Win Hockey games uh low-scoring

Games because I don’t think we had the depth uh up front as far as scoring you got to remember Bergie was out for the year David kety was in his first year and as you mentioned Bergie he became a real important player near the end of

The season but at one point in the first half of the Season we sent him back down to Providence for a few games and to show the character of the players that we had most players would have said I can’t believe they’re sending me down and the first thing that came out of

David ky’s mouth was I’m not playing well I need to play better he went down there at the right attitude came back and that same year he was a dominant player at the end of the year so that’s where I stand here as a coach and say

Maybe you have a part in the success of it but at the same time you’re lucky to have the kind of players you had and that’s where I felt uh lucky as a coach I agree you’re very lucky to have us that was good uh especially Bergie okay that was pretty good I

Think we had some crossover um was that that was you that that said that brilliant thing I’m taking credit you told me to okay good I’m I’m just glad I’m telling truths um Bergie you like well Cloe said said like it’s still there right like the culture still lives on I’ll

Attribute that to you I mean you were here the whole time um and kept it going with Incredible consistency like it was it was actually like I don’t know I don’t know what the stats I’m not a stats guy but like there’s got to be very few teams that have like had as

Many wins as the Bruins over the last decade or more um you were leading those the ship but you know for for the for the vast majority of that and then it’s continued on you know with with marshy obviously learning from you so like what what was your keys like what do you

Think what was the difference I mean you you haven’t seen I’ve been on some bad teams so I’ve seen the difference between cultures and stuff but like for you like what did you concentrate on like what do you think was the Difference Maker between you know ours

And and other people’s yeah no I think um well first of all I you know I wasn’t necessarily leading the ship I think it was a part of it you know I was take it man this is it’s 100 years you’re going to the Hall of Fame we get it the jerseys getting

Retired no isn’t they he calls me up like he said we have conversations like ah talk thinking about retirement this and that I’m like dude like your jerseys is going to go to the Raptors you’re a Hall of Famer like this is incredible like enjoy he’s like oh don’t I don’t

Know that I’m like what are you talking about like you just just don’t you’re good you’re you’re really good I get lucky so to to me like honestly like and and I think like credit what credit is due I think it started with clo you know like the

The culture and the way that he wanted us to play and he’s right that players came in and bought in and really kind of um you know wanted to to make a difference wanted to make an impact wanted to bring the fans back in the building and I think it kind of

Snowballed because everyone was really you know wanting to be a part of it and wanted to be a Boston breu and I think you know you’re part of that mix and and then obviously Z and um so there’s a lot of guys that made it you know easy I

Guess to steer the ship because you know when you’re alone you know it’s it’s hard to to bring the rest of the guys with you but when you’re you have like more than probably more than half the team uh that’s really buying in and wants to be a difference and wants to be

A part of it then whoever’s left has to follow right and even if you bring in a few guys whether it’s at the trade deadline or during the summer they have no other choice but to just you know jump stay on ship stay on board

I guess not jump ship and you know like really Buy in as I said many times you know and I think like we’ve seen it seen it over the course of the last decade or or so that you know that’s just how it goes you know if you

If you want to be a Boston breu there’s um you know there there’s a standard there’s there’s a way of doing things where it’s on and off the ice and um but yeah it’s been I I I can’t take credit for that because I think it’s been going

On for for too long and and and people have really you know bought into that and for me the um you know as I said Z so many guys that really came in and um changed the way things were needed to be done in order to to be successful it’s

Been it’s it’s great to see that it’s great to see that um the guys now you know you know there’s a lot of guys that have been with uh obviously over the last few years that are still on the team and to see them being so successful

Still and and playing the same type of way and um using everyone within the lineup to to have success and um not leaving anyone behind you know whether you’re playing uh you’re in and out of the lineup you’re playing two minutes or you’re you’re playing big big time

Minutes you’re um you’re a part of it then you need to buy in and you need to do the work off the ice whether it’s a workout or same thing on the ice so uh to see that things are not changing is is pretty special to me and and um I’m

Sure it feels great to you as well you know to to be a part of something that uh carries on is is pretty cool and I will say this and it’s not just because they got us free tickets to the game tomorrow but it does start from the

Top like really for real like from the from the Jacob’s family all the way down like everybody has bought in it’s not just the players and the coaches like it really is an organizational thing and I think that support from the top is key would you like to know my answers CL no

I was going to say what why why did they ask me for my credit card for tomorrow oh my God that’s terrible we’ll look into that hopefully it’s just for me not for the team my all right here’s my answers here’s what I wrote down our keys to

Success and the things that I that I thought were really important for the Bruins no one on the team thought they were too cool which sounds like a little thing but it’s really not everybody like was first in line for the drill was working as hard as they could in

Practice like we were a bunch of tryhards for real and like proud of it like and and it’s that’s a toxic thing in culture as to like oh you working so are trying to suck up to the coach or something but we had team full of guys

That were like trying hard and and just not too cool for anything um that was one um everyone could speak up um in the room so whether that was ketchy in his first year marshan he spoke up a lot but but like they were allowed to but it

Came with the the the duty of also having the same expectations as the veterans so great you’re a rookie yeah take the floor tell us what you think but you have the same expectations as the guy that’s been here for 12 years to show up and be a professional and so

That was key and then I think there was a real Pride um not just as being a Brun but a pride in in your individual role and so like Sean Thorton on the fourth line he was like I am the best fourth liner in this whole damn

League and like he’s like these two minutes of ice are going to be the greatest two minutes in the NHL tonight and I am vital to this and and it was like but he believed it and and you believed it and you told him it he’s like you are the

Most important fourth line you need we need you but it wasn’t like you’re just like feeding a guy like some BS it was true like we actually believed it and I think that was that was a huge key is that that individual pride and like yeah

You’re always trying to like do more and like try to I want more power play time I want more ice time and I want to do better but there was such a pride in like those individual roles and I think to your point of like concentrating on

The details we all knew what our details were in those roles and that’s what I think gave us a lot of pride is that we had a mission and we were like we knew exactly what we were supposed to do and we like just wrapped our arms around it

And and and and yeah it felt good about it felt valued well Thor thorny thought he was a most important fourth liner because he also took the optionals right after two minutes of ice time the next day it was optional he wasn’t going on the

Ice cuz he was that important and he was tired so no remember a guy needs a sauna and a massage like exactly so but uh it’s a good point uh Andrew because still to this day I have never seen a team we used to have this drill what we call three on three

Down low and three on three down low meant below the tops of the circles three offensive guys against three Defenders and I’ve been with a lot of other teams or I should should say Montreal twice New Jersey and uh and never have I seen guys compete as hard

In those drills against each other as I’ve seen with this group as you mentioned they were so proud and detailed and uh uh I remember even I’m going to say Bergie if we had a one-on-one drill Bergie would go against the Dano and it was because they wanted

To be two of the best on the ice that day and they they were willing to go at each other and and I remember that like it was yesterday that’s where as you mentioned the pride in that dressing room uh it also showed up in practice our practices were were hard and not

Hard because I pushed them to be hard hard because they wanted to compete hard and they wanted to be that way and what it did is in games it became second nature and in a lot of games we were winning battles which allowed us to Win

Hockey games and that was all part of that group and uh like I said I might have been detailed but I I keep repeating myself the players also had a big part in it by competing as hard as they did and practicing as hard as they

Did I think we cared for each other too I think that’s the other thing I think I would you know add to that is just like yes like individually you wanted to make yourself accountable but I think it was making yourself accountable also to the guy next to you you know don’t

Let I don’t want to let him down so I think like there’s a lot of that there’s a lot of caring a lot of uh proud and and and pride and wanting to to be at your best because you’re like you know if I if I’m not like I’m letting Cloe or

Fair down and the rest of the guys and so on so and to that to that drill going with Z so Z would come to me sometimes be like hey let’s set the and I’ll be like so we’d go oneon-one in the corner and sure enough how do you

Think itd ended up like my my helmet’s up to here I’m on the ice I’m like and then we come back to the line he’s like great job I’m like great job what do you mean great job like you you abused me for 15 seconds you know but I guess we

Set the tone with that the other part too Andrew that you mentioned everybody was important is that uh the players you know had decided that there’s no such thing as a rookie he was wasn’t a rookie he was a firste player uh for some reason the player did

Not like the word rookie uh they wanted to use firste player but at the same time they also made sure that that firste player knew he had some dues to pay in other words you know hey help the trainers throw the bags on the on the

Cart so that we can bring it to to the uh truck and bring it to the plane like they would help out they would do those kind of things but without being prompted by the veterans it was up to them to show that they wanted to be part

Of this group and blend in so that was one of the things that uh happened uh with the players but the other part too is and for me it was important for everybody to feel like they were important to the team and there was times after games I’d come in the room

And I’d say hey fourth line awesome tonight you guys really set the tone or you guys turned the game around by that shift where you threw a bunch of hits and we got the momentum going again again it was important not to always go after the top player and say hey thanks

For winning the game for us you got the winning goal everybody had a role to play and sometimes it was the penal killers and I would make sure to mention them so that it’s not always the goal scorers it’s also the defensive gu so we tried to make sure as a coaching staff

That we uh put emphasis on everybody at one point so that they would feel that they were part of the team and then as Andrew mentioned as well then the players took it upon themselves to make sure that continued amongst themselves also I want to fast forward to the 2010

11 season if you guys remember that year um you guys had had a couple of tough games seven losses before that and then you have the trip to Vermont the team building the trip to Prague how did those trips help you guys build and are there any good stories from those trips

I can’t think of a single one anybody yeah no we no it was fun wa you guys so hesitant go ahead I don’t know I don’t have any stor I can’t wait for the I was in bed by 9 so I don’t know Fair looks like you’re

Going to be the one telling the stories for this no I mean Vermont was fun Vermont was like a couple years like we we did high five right see I never remember right I picked up on it we did we did these team building trips uh um

And we’d all kind of make fun of it uh but it was actually awesome it was really like we went to like summer camp and we like climbed walls and did ropes and slept in cabins and like it was fun it was really fun I think we did karaoke

One night like all kinds of stuff like it and it was just kind of like one of those uh yeah just get away from it all um uh we had fun you kind of get to know each other you come up with some funny stories like um and and when you’re with

Each other all year like it’s a lot of games and you need stories like you need funny stuff to happen just to carry you through the year so you end up telling the same stuff over and over and it’s still funny but um but that’s really

What those trips were to me like you get to know each other in a in a different setting yeah different setting um Prague was unbelievable it was like incredible for some reason we had like the best schedule in the history of European vacations for hockey teams cuz we went

To Belfast uh Northern Ireland one game there right super cool we played against the Great Britain All Stars saw where the Titanic was built we’re in belt we’re doing all the like tours to go see like um like Belfast where all the the troubles were it was really cool um and

Then Prague we were there for at least a week um and I was laughing too I was telling I was telling very good I’m like I got ask Cloe you know when you like get older and then you like there’s an age where you hit and you go home and

You’re having dinner with your parents and you’re like like I’m old enough to like actually own up to some of the crap I did like I wonder if they knew you know you kind of test them to see like how much they knew when you’re in high school I’ve done at least I

Don’t know many of you guys haven’t uh but like I did a lot of stuff uh but so obviously in Prague like you’re probably well behaved but we weren’t shocker right as if I didn’t know but we had this one team photo in front of this like Nice Bridge

So nice and prague’s beautiful and there’s like these castles and all this stuff and we’re like team photo and like some somebody brilliant was like team photo like 8:00 a.m. or something stupid and so like we have this photo of us in front of this bridge and guys are like I

Think they walk straight from the bar like and they’re L just eyes are half open guys are leaning on each other so like you had to have known right yeah well first of all like PR like practice must have been so bad pick your battles right they say so

Uh well we actually we did well right over there but at the same time you know you talk about because in order to answer that you take a step back and you talk about the team building and it’s more beginning of the year whether it’s the Vermont ones were just about guys

Being together and having a little bit of fun and you know you got to justify these trips because it team paying for it right so you got these activities during the game and uh during the day sorry with climbing and then all that stuff and uh there was some shooting I

Think bow and arrow and all that stuff we tried to make it differently and then uh remember we went to Vermont to at the the police academy right as well I think the guys enjoyed that but it was just doing something different and giving the players an opportunity to be together

Because during training camp you have sometimes more than one team there’s so many players so that the the main team is not together till the end of Camp so then you say okay so how do we get them together and spend a little bit more

Time together so that’s what we do and I remember we went to Belfast and you talk about different things there obviously across the street was the the famous bar uh in Belfast we knew that but I remember walking into the hotel and I looked around and said wow I said this

Hotel looks pretty good and somebody told me yeah because it’s been bombed how many times oh yeah and been renovated yeah I remember that remember the hotel that’s been the most bombed in Belfast and has been renovated so many times but uh you know we knew and even

As coaches you said oh boys can tell the guys have been out having a good time but the the main thing was hey when it comes close to the game we got to make sure that we’re focused and uh you know when you trust in your group and we had

A good group uh that we built over the years you knew that when it came time and you know you guys just solidified that by talking about how you you competed in practice and all that stuff we knew that when the chips were down uh our players would be ready but we uh

Even as coaches we we’d kind of chuckle about it but we didn’t want you guys to know about it either right it would only encourage you to go out more so uh that’s what we did but we were we were aware we saw that morning there was a

Lot of guys that were you remember the rookie that that that missed the bus in Belfast oh yes I was just going to say that’s a story there there’s he’s a firste player by the way oh yeah no oh no I don’t think he even made the

Team I think I think that was his that you got cut after that oh okay I I thought you were talking to the other guy that Miss and we can talk about now we’re in code no no no remember bling twice it was Ty Tyler

SE missed the bus the first time and we told him by a by a clock right we told him to buy a clock that was a but the other guy will have to stick with code because I can’t remember exact actly who it was we couldn’t find them so we have

A bus full of everybody and we’re driving to the like International Airport to go from Northern Ireland to check and this guy’s missing we finally got a hold of him right yeah we got a hold of him yeah and he made it he made it

Okay we’ll all have to figure out who it is later behind him though he made it all the way to Providence I think have his exactly time is going by quickly here so we’re going to fast forward to the Montreal series uh where another trip happened down to nothing clo I think you

Part of obviously the decision to go to Lake Placid how did that help how did that trip sort of shape things to get away from Montreal and all the noise well I can tell you that was planned before even the start of the series and uh you know we’re down to nothing and

Then we’re going to Montreal and for me just to get away because we had two days between game three and game four so I just felt like we had to get out of that area and just give ourselves some space and then relax and that and by winning

That first game it really helped I mean we’re going to Lake Placid we’re in a good mood and I remember the next day we had a day off so guys were just walking around the village and enjoying themselves and kind of getting away from all the attention that was around our

Series and then the following day we practiced and then we uh drove back to Montreal but uh you know to this day people really think that the Miracle on Ice had a lot to do with us uh winning the Stanley Cup so that’s okay that’s nothing wrong with that right but uh I

Think it was that was something that was planned ahead of it of the series just for just for that reason to make sure we were able to stay focused but also not be you know how muncher all is you can’t even walk the streets there where people

Bother you they can be rude they’re I mean they’re they’re fans they don’t have the Patriots they don’t have the Celtics they don’t have the Red Sox they got the Montreal Canadians so obviously that’s all they have and uh and it was better for us to get out of town so when

You guys came back rude just just log that for the future so when you came back for game four is that when your glove broke yes hey they were brand new gloves brand new gloves did you ever get it fixed no I still have it uh that was pretty funny I

So you would you I mean we had some because they were rude right we had a couple we had a couple playoff series there and it was like nuts like I would usually walk to the rink with with z and so like great like good luck blending

In and like but like you’d get like the little mreal dude poking his head out the door like you and like jumping around then he’d ask Z for an autograph like two blocks down the like he was like crazy and they like rock our bus

And throw stuff at it and they like pull the fire alarm in the hotel and like remember the semi- trucks they like honking horns outside the hotel like 3: in the morning call at 3 in the morning too like insane stuff like it was just like Uncle like um yeah so that’s game

Four but game four like I got like rocked in the corner by probably like the smallest guy was a gi gi he played for them right I think he like rocked me in the corner I was like oh my God I’m so mad I got hit by a little guy and there all

Their crowds banging on the glass and then I just like score and I never score so you know hey like sports needs more raw emotion and like this is but like after the game how long did it take you to come clean on that by the way was it

Like years I got called in so like our GM and our coach are looking at me like I’m an idiot they’re like what the hell is this they’re like show me it’s like CBC slow motion I’m like oh my God I’m like I didn’t think anybody saw they’re like and earlier that year

Like a guy in uh on the island was it was nusi or what’s his name I don’t know whatever he he got suspended but he did a different hand motion and they’re like you’re going to get suspended it’s playoffs so you got like what are you going to say I’m like

I don’t know my glove got stuck brand new gloves I’m like don’t get suspended yeah it took a while it think it took like a yeah it took until the next summer I think we won and then I came clean kind of yeah yeah keep up but

You didn’t go it’s like Maverick in Top Gun you’re keeping up relations with you guys know it first Top Gun I haven’t seen the last one yeah does he give the finger in the second one I I haven’t seen it I don’t know I don’t remember I

Got like probably at least a thousand back if that counts for anything and then do people know like I’ve told this story before but like I came back home to the North End and like people like every in the North End there’s no secrets they know where you

Live and I had money taped to my to my uh to my door to pay for your F I got fined yeah I got fined 2500 bucks so that’s the other funny thing I had a call with a league so you get like a call like to get suspended or whatever

I’m like pleading my like no like you played like you know how sticky gloves are he’s like seriously that’s that’s the the guy on the other hand he’s like really like you’re going with that story I’m like yeah the glove is stuck he’s like you can just hear him

Exasperated he’s like well I got to I got to find you like Max is 2500 so I got find 2500 bucks but I think I got like at least 500 bucks like on the door worth it whatever yes you did tell that story before it’s a good uh I just said we

Tell stories over and over again they get better and better uh I want to jump ahead again down two nothing in Vancouver talk about Antics that were going on Bergie you got bit there was whining there was pumping tires there was all of that stuff Hy gets hit of

Course there was there was a lot of stuff to hate across the ice there how did you guys stay composed and how did you use that to come back the way you did from that two nothing deficit yeah I think we use that a lot I mean obviously

There’s so much at stake so it’s it’s easy to get up and be ready for a game and uh but you know it was an intense series um there was a lot you know I I watched a few games and there’s some of those hits that are like on both sides

They’re borderline and I I don’t think they would uh um go now nowadays right so it’s like um it’s an intense series there’s a lot going on on both sides and um but yeah I mean there’s a lot of things that I guess they could have they

Could say the same thing but there’s a lot of things that they did that you know got us fired up even more and kind of uh woke us up if you will but I think the final straw was probably uh hoy right that hit uh we really R rallied

Behind it and and uh you know I remember uh a few guys on the bench after that happened you know they kind of like pretty much said like they they poked the bear and you know let’s let’s let’s get at it so it was um it was yeah it was an amazing series

I I still have Goosebumps just thinking about it and there’s too much to really kind of talk about but uh those those moments were um things that really made a difference you know it it it’s you know when you look back it’s like you know unfortunately

It’s it’s one of those things that you kind of rally behind and especially when your brother goes down like that and um and and after that we we kind of took over and it was still a hard series and I can’t say that we dominated but those

Those games at home kind of propelled us to to have a lot more confidence when I when I picture when I picture our team like we ran off like emotions and like physicality and like like let’s make it personal like we we thrived in that kind

Of environment and I just picture like I don’t this is how my head works but like I picture like Cloe as the head coach he’s like standing by a bonfire and like every once in a while throws a little gasoline on it but like you can’t throw too much you

Know because then it gets dangerous but like just enough like is that kind of how you felt like you’re just like yeah feet it a little bit but just enough but like at times like you obviously you don’t want to get too much of that because you can get out of control right

And lose the script but like but we thrived under that that kind of fire right yeah we did and and you’re absolutely right like for me it was important not not to get too uh too high in that series as well and uh but at the

Same time just enough to give you guys something to to to thrive on obviously and uh and I remember like the first two games we lost in Vancouver the first game I think there was about 15 or 17 seconds left when they scor the winner second one was in overtime so we were

Right in the in the series and we’d been down to nothing before because we had lost to Montreal or lost the first two games to Montreal at home so it’s not like we were in Uncharted territories right so uh we came back home and as you

Know we we uh after that Hoy hit uh we just took over and they weren’t even close games yeah I scored the first goal yeah and kept your finger to yourself I was going to mention that I had it written down right here Fair big

Goal in game three yeah and and and his gloves weren’t you so his fingers were were bending yes it was a good though I remember that yeah yeah um we only have a few minutes left unfortunately so I want to get to game seven um Jeff Ward

Made a made a big speech assistant coach before I have the quote one of the things he said Win together today and we walked together forever how did that resonate with you right before game seven of a Stanley Cup final and the emotion that you guys needed yeah no I

Think that uh spoke to a lot of us you know it’s um and he also mentioned about you know it was basically a letter to his son which you know kind of got us right away and uh got our attention and and he was saying basically that to

Listen to your in inside voice and to your inner voice but you know pursuing your dreams he’s telling his son to really go for your dreams and go for what you’re fighting for and uh what you believe in and to me the way it spoke to me me was basically my childhood that’s

All I really wanted was to yes play in the NHL but ultimately winning the Stanley Cup so um yeah I mean if you need any more emotions or you know anything to get you going that was that was it so um yeah I think that you know that

Whole day and a half I should say you know we flew in um and we didn’t have two days right we it was like we flew in and and now they have two days if it’s like a long travel back then we only we would travel and then the next day would

Be the game so we traveled all the way across the country basically and then on for the first for games one and two and game five we didn’t practice the day before and for game seven we talked to clo and he was like what do you think if

We go on the ice and we thought it was a great idea just just to take the nerves out and just to really get your mind off of everything that’s going on in your in your brain so uh and then mean Fair went for a nice walk done nice I don’t know

If you remember that but I do I remember and yeah and and which was where the hotel was was on the water but like there’s a little park close by so we got away from the city we’re able to kind of like walk and be in our thoughts

And just just talk about life and you you know it was nice to get away from everything that was going on in my inside my brain anyways you know the the stress and a nervousness and not knowing what’s going to happen and hoping for the best and whatnot so it was nice to

Kind of get away from that and then uh game day was just you know it was a quick it was an early game so that was nice to actually get this thing going and get on the ice but that speech was obviously the last thing that I needed

And I think we all needed to really leave it all out there really it was it was inspiring and um gave us the energy when he needed I I have a funny story about the speech I’m sure you do I feel like such an idiot cuz he came

In he’s like reading this letter so nice like from his son like or basically to his son and it was like it was really thoughtful and nice and like I think about five minutes before that I gave some like crude analogy of like taking a like taking a date to prom that you’ve

Like do you remember this feet anys about like having a crush on someone for like high school and then you finally get them to prom and it’s about having confidence and like it was just so stupid and then he comes in and he like gives us really thoughtful speech and I

Was just like all right know my role hey it’s go penalty kill or something it all seemed to work yeah uh Bergie goes out and scores two goals Mary gets two goals he puts the empty net in you guys win the Stanley Cup and then I was looking at photos the other

Day and you were the last guy off the bench what was going on there when you guys won the Stanley Cup did you forget you had to go Rush your teammates or no I lo I lost the Stanley Cup in game seven when I played for Calgary and so we played Tampa Bay

Game seven in Tampa we lost GameStop so I was on the other side of the coin and I was like it was terrible like terrible terrible terrible um and it like haunted me like for and so we won um and so I had like no I had no shortage of time to

Think about like like what I would have done what I missed out on like how close I was like all these things right and so for me like I think even when I watch people win like in the Olympics or like now when they win the cup like I get so

Teary eyed like I’m like oh like it really hits me in the fields um and and and that does something to me like and so I think I had so much time to think about it that I I was like okay like the clock’s ticking down we we’re definitely

Going to win I have two minutes we’re doing the whole thing I’m thinking about how wonderful it is I’m just looking around I’m looking at my teammates to see what their emotions are like because I get a lot out of that like seeing other people and then I wanted to see

The the thing like like the chaos and like rushing the goalie and then like Huds like Huda Doug Huda was our our coach and so like I wanted to like give him a hug and be like oh my God we did it and then by that time everybody was gone and

So so I I I like really soaked it up it was awesome because we got the Mt Netter so we could actually like like enjoy it for a little bit and then like yeah I really took it in and like I don’t regret a thing it was awesome so

Yeah we have like 2 minutes left but I want to finish with this the jacket which everybody remembers the real jacket is now at Heritage Hall so if you want to go visit it you can now at TD Garden but we have a replica here so I want you to sort of

Hold it and remember sort of how that all started and what that meant to you guys to get the jacket after every game do you want to hold it up so that is pretty that’s pretty sharp that that looks better than the the real jacket so we like yeah like I mean we

Just like like to do fun things right and like you know player the game it’s kind of a thing that not every team did back then but like we kind of had fun with it and it was like a nice way to acknowledge somebody like like to Clo’s

Point earlier of like maybe it was the penalty kill maybe it was the fourth line maybe it was just somebody that like contributed right or did something impactful so we you know obviously made it a um a bit of a thing and I found it on eBay I like vintage Bruins like I

Like there’s all kinds of stuff I I have a whole backpack of things I got to like and the shirt yeah myir shirt best best sports team ever that that was from a a party that the Harvard Lampoon threw for us that was fun um but the jacket was really

Yeah it was special and it was like off eBay it was cool it was like funny guys go out and do the interview and stuff like that and uh it it was a real honor to I think just be recognized and and it wasn’t like we had like everybody gets a

Ribbon um you know like it was it was earned and guys really did earn it and when you wore it out there for the media like it really meant something so um who won it for the last game recky I think Rex yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah so Rex

Obviously like I mean talk about going out on top like he he he called his shot and and like won the cup and retired and got the jacket and and uh gave it back for the Hall of Fame so or for the what is it sorry the Hall of Heritage Hall

Heritage Hall Heritage Hall sponsored by it’s just inside TD Gard K inside I work for the NHL now so I know marketing uh no so if you give the finger to the NHL they hire you there you go we could sell it uh no but it was it was special it was

Obviously something that meant a lot to us and and I think that uh yeah it’s nice it’s it’s obviously got a home now and and and a lot of pretty special players wore that thing but this is cool I like it that’s a really good job love

It can I try tomorrow night maybe can I wear it tomorrow night sure why not I didn’t know what the dress code was all right you see if it fits looks like a looks like a medium oh nice very nice perfect inside well I think that’s a good place

To finish it off Andrew fence close Julian Patrice berser on 2011 Stanley Cup champions thanks for joining us on few the memories presented by Kors banquet

Episode 5 of Cue The Memories, presented by Coors Banquet, features Patrice Bergeron and Claude Julien, with co-hosts Eric Russo and Andrew Ference.