How long has Tom Brady been accomplishing monumental NFL achievements?
His first came when Patrice Bergeron was still an adolescent.
The Boston Bruins captain was asked to reflect on Brady's legacy Tuesday after the legendary quarterback officially announced his retirement via social media. Bergeron responded with a great story about how the former New England Patriots quarterback captured his attention before he even arrived in Boston.
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"It’s funny, because when I was 16 playing midget triple-A back home, I think that was the year they won their first Super Bowl with that field goal [by Adam] Vinatieri," Bergeron told reporters in a video press conference.
"It was a last-second thing and I think they were kind of the wild card to win it. For us back home, we kind of used that to our advantage as motivation to push ourselves to be our best. We were also in our playoff series and we were the underdog. We kind of used that sequence or that game to give us some motivation."
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Bergeron's memory is correct: The Patriots were heavy underdogs against the mighty St. Louis Rams but pulled off the 20-17 upset after Brady marched them down the field with under two minutes remaining to set up Vinatieri's game-winner.
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Unfortunately, Bergeron's squad -- the Séminaire St-François Blizzard of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League -- didn't have the same luck, falling short in their playoff series. But Brady's competitive drive left a mark on Bergeron, who shared a sports town with the Patriots legend for 17 years before the QB joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
"The way that he approached the game, the way that he competed and wanted to win -- his will to win was bar none the best I’ve seen and witnessed," Bergeron added.
"It was a pleasure to watch for 22 years. Amazing career and a well deserved retirement."
Bergeron will be a free agent this summer after he concludes his 18th season -- no word yet on whether he'll join Brady in retirement.