Overview of Spittin' Chiclets Episode 663
This Boston-recorded episode centers on a long, wide-ranging interview with Patrice Bergeron, one of the most respected players of his era. The guys cover his Bruins career, leadership style, faceoff dominance, development in Quebec, major playoff runs, injuries, retirement, and why he still feels so connected to Boston. The episode also includes a lot of current NHL chatter — especially Macklin Celebrini’s new contract, short-term superstar deals, and speculation around Quinn Hughes, the Wild, and other roster-building questions.
Chicklets Cup Announcement
- Chicklet’s Cup is officially set for Boston again.
- Registration opens Wednesday at noon Eastern at BarstoolSports.com.
- Event details mentioned:
- Thursday: welcome party + registration
- Friday: event day one + Pink Whitney party
- Saturday: event day two + closing ceremony at Harpoon Brewery
- Sponsors and partners mentioned include Harpoon Brewery, Noble, Reese’s, and Pink Whitney.
Macklin Celebrini Contract and Golf Story
- The crew opens with major praise for Macklin Celebrini after his new deal with San Jose.
- They debate the value of a five-year contract for a young star:
- The Sharks get a franchise centerpiece.
- Celebrini gets massive money and more control at a very young age.
- Biz argues he already looks like a true “unicorn” and a player others want to follow.
- Whit tells a funny story about playing golf with Celebrini:
- They were playing for real money.
- Celebrini buried a pressure putt to beat Whit and Foles.
- Whit says Celebrini immediately brought up the putt afterward.
- The conversation turns to whether elite stars should keep signing shorter deals to maximize leverage.
Patrice Bergeron Interview Highlights
Early career and Quebec roots
- Bergeron talks about growing up in Quebec City / L'Ancienne-Lorette area, with a childhood built around outdoor rinks and constant hockey.
- He credits his brother and the local hockey culture for his love of the game.
- He explains how Quebec City still has a strong hockey identity and why he thinks the city deserves an NHL team again.
Draft and development
- Bergeron was a 2003 second-round pick of the Bruins.
- He says he didn’t feel like a sure-fire NHL player at the time and was focused on simply making an impression at camp.
- He describes:
- A breakthrough camp
- A call-up opportunity
- Scoring in overtime in his first NHL game
- How that performance essentially kept him in Boston
Learning English and living with Marty Lapointe
- He spent early years learning English while living with Marty Lapointe and his family.
- He says the Providence/AHL year was valuable not only for hockey development but also for becoming more comfortable speaking English.
World Juniors and playing with Crosby
- Bergeron reminisces about the legendary 2005 World Junior team with Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Richards, Carter, Getzlaf, and others.
- He says Crosby stood out immediately — even as a 17-year-old — as someone on another level.
- He also reflects on the team’s expectation and confidence after a painful loss the year before.
Bruins culture, leadership, and coaches
- He talks extensively about the Bruins’ identity under Claude Julien and the leadership group that built a winning culture.
- Bergeron repeatedly praises:
- Zdeno Chara for intensity and leading by example
- Brad Marchand for competitiveness and growth
- David Krejci for calm, elite playoff performance
- Mark Recchi, Tim Thomas, and other veterans who helped stabilize the room
- He says the Bruins’ success came from buy-in, character, and structure, not just talent.
Faceoffs and the “details” of his game
- Bergeron says he never chased points or stats.
- His focus was always on:
- Winning faceoffs
- Playing responsibly
- Managing details
- Being reliable in all situations
- He explains that if the details were right, the rest of his game would naturally follow.
Injuries and perseverance
- He revisits the serious injury stretch, including:
- A punctured lung
- Broken ribs
- A separated shoulder
- He says the toughest part was mental, not physical.
- The interview underscores how much he played through and how much pain he endured in key playoff runs.
2011 Cup run and Vancouver Final
- Bergeron reflects on the Bruins’ 2011 championship run:
- The Montreal comeback
- The Tampa series
- The Vancouver Final
- Tim Thomas’s brilliance
- He explains the team’s mentality in Game 7 on the road in Vancouver: calm, prepared, and focused on just playing hockey.
- He also recalls how important it was to have vets like Recchi in that moment.
Retirement and family life
- Bergeron says he’s at peace with retirement.
- His reasons:
- Physical wear and tear
- Desire to be active with his kids
- Wanting to prioritize family life
- He confirms he’s happy living in Boston and still feels deeply connected to the city and fan base.
Rumors and current life
- He jokes about taking boxing/karate-type training and skating with old Bruins teammates.
- There are playful rumors during the episode about a possible comeback, but nothing serious.
- He also mentions a small movie appearance and some lighthearted off-ice projects.
NHL News and League Talk
Quinn Hughes / Minnesota Wild speculation
- The crew discusses the possibility of Quinn Hughes eventually ending up in Minnesota.
- They debate what a short extension might look like and how it could line up with Jack Hughes.
- The conversation centers on whether teams should be willing to pay huge money for elite players on shorter terms.
More contract and cap talk
- Other players and deals mentioned:
- Alex Newhook
- Dylan Larkin
- Colin Graf
- Novak
- The discussion circles back to how the rising cap is changing contract strategy across the league.
No-trade / no-move clause debate
- The crew reacts to an NHL exec’s suggestion that if a player asks out before a deal expires, his no-trade protection should disappear.
- They push back hard, calling it an extreme, old-school management take.
- The larger point: the league is full of contract leverage battles and teams want more flexibility than players do.
Non-Hockey Tangents and Stories
- Biz vacation mishap: his mother falls and gets stitches after slipping at Coombs during a family trip, which becomes a funny but chaotic story.
- Movie theater disaster: Whit and others recount an awful theater experience tied to Monster Jam traffic and bad theater staff procedures.
- The Odyssey reaction: the crew continues talking about the movie and the weirdness of theater etiquette.
- RA’s movie theater complaints: he goes off on people talking, using phones, and being disruptive during movies.
- Recommended watches: the conversation drifts into multiple movie and documentary recommendations, including a murder doc and a WWII-era bombing documentary.
Key Takeaways
- Patrice Bergeron remains the standard for leadership, professionalism, and two-way play.
- His Bruins career was built on:
- detail
- discipline
- faceoffs
- accountability
- team-first habits
- The episode also shows how the NHL is changing:
- superstar contracts are getting shorter
- cap numbers are rising fast
- teams are trying to keep elite players happy without overcommitting
- Bergeron’s interview is both a career retrospective and a reminder of why he’s so beloved in Boston.