Welcome to another edition of the Morning Skate, folks!
We’re in mid-late-July, and the humidity has broken a bit in the Boston area, so get out there and enjoy the sun. February will be here before you know it.
Price conversation
When the Bruins announced their 2026-2027 schedule last week, two dates stood out among the bunch: the season opener, of course, and the revelation that Patrice Bergeron’s number would be retired prior to the December 1 game against Colorado.
While the B’s had announced Bergeron’s #37 would head to the rafters this coming season a while back, the date was TBD; with that Dec. 1 decision made, an otherwise regular game against a Western Conference opponent has become the must-see game of the season for B’s fans.
As you can imagine, the ceremony has sent ticket prices skyrocketing, with chatter on various corners of the internet about the playoff-like prices.
For example, a reddit user with disposable incoming revealed paying $1,000 for tickets to the game, while the lowest price currently listed on StubHub is $460 a seat for mid-range balcony tickets.
Pay the mortgage or watch Bergeron take his place amongst the rafters?
Tough call.
A Slovakian send-off
Retired Bruin Zdeno Chara will apparently have a farewell game in Slovakia next month, and it appears to be a star-studded affair.
Per Complete Hockey News, the game will be on August 21 at Pavol Demitra Ice Stadium in Trencin, Slovakia, which is Chara’s hometown.
Players expected to appear include Jaromir Jagr, Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Miroslav Satan, Tomas Kaberle, and Jaroslav Halak.
The other goalie will reportedly be Petr Cech, who is one of the greatest soccer/football goalkeepers of all time but has been trying his hand at hockey for the past several years.
These kinds of send-off games are pretty common in European sports, and will likely benefit a charity of some kind.
Elsewhere, current and former Bruin Connor Clifton appeared on NHL Network yesterday as part of their offseason interview series.
Clifton discussed why he chose to return to the B’s as a free agent, what he expects from the season, and more.
Other than that, we bask in the summer sun and wait for the season to roll around.
What else is on tap for today?
