The Boston Bruins have shared a whole lot of love for Patrice Bergeron

BOSTON -- The abrupt ending of the Boston Bruins' season has been difficult for many to process. That includes the players on the ice who lost in overtime of Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in the first round of the playoffs, and it includes everybody who invests their time and emotion in the hockey team.

After a historically dominant regular season, the postseason was supposed to be a lot better than that.

And in the wake of Sunday night's loss, those involved with the loss have struggled to find the words and explanations for what happened and why it happened. It doesn't make much sense to them.

Yet through it all, when asked about Patrice Bergeron and how much he means to the team and to individuals in the locker room, every single player took time to put the captain's impact into perspective by raving about his qualities as a player, as a leader, and as a person.

That began immediately after Sunday's stunning Game 7 loss, when goaltender Jeremy Swayman was asked what it's been like to play with Bergeron for the past few years.

"Hmm," Swayman said with a slight chuckle while gathering his thoughts. "He is one of the best humans I've ever met, one of the best leaders I've ever met. And I would do anything for that guy, because I know he'd do the same for me. And he'd do the same for a stranger in the street. And when you have that feeling for a human being, you want to do whatever you can to make him happy. And I know that he's brought so much happiness to our teams, our lives, our families, and I couldn't be more lucky to have been a part of a team with him as our captain."

A few minutes earlier, head coach Jim Montgomery was asked what it was like to see Bergeron up close and personal over the past season.

"Incredible," Montgomery answered. "His awareness, his maturity, his ability to communicate, his ability to listen as part of that communication, and then just how great a hockey player he is. I learned a lot from him this year. I hope to learn more next year."

As for that next year, Bergeron's future remains very much uncertain. Set to turn 38 years old this summer after 20 years as a professional hockey player, the captain appears ready to enter retirement. Still, Bergeron said he hasn't yet made a final decision, and he expects to inform the team of his plans sometime in June.

In the meantime, with teammates prepared to perhaps say farewell to Bergeron as a captain and a teammate for the final time, they all took time to speak about what kind of player and leader he's been in Boston. As players left Warrior Ice Arena for the final time this season on Tuesday, here's what they said about their captain. (Quotes provided via transcript from the Bruins. Some comments also involve David Krejci, who likewise may retire this summer.)

Hampus Lindholm: "He's like the perfect human being. How he treats himself off the ice, how he's around his family, how he's around us in this locker room, the staff. No one should be more proud of himself than Patrice. He's a great human being. Fun to be around. I learned a lot from him, and everyone in this organization loves him, and it's for a good reason. He earns everything he does out there. And even though he's accomplished so many things, he treats everyone the same. It's been a privilege and fun to be around. ... Having the privilege to be around guys like Bergeron and Krejci. It's something I'm never going to forget. You learn so much from sitting next to them on the plane. Just being around them all day every day. Obviously, they've built this organization the last couple of years. It's fun to be a part of and to learn from me personally. Like I said, it's been a privilege. It's sad we couldn't do more with the group we had. That's just life sometimes."

Brad Marchand: "Yeah, I mean, he's such a special player. He went through that a couple of years ago in training camp, and he missed way more time than he did. I mean you hear that over and over about Bergy, the way that he plays through different injuries and ones that guys would be out for months for. That's part of why everyone has so much respect for him, and everyone loves him so much, is because he's the most selfless guy to ever walk through this room and everything he does is for the betterment of the group. He sacrifices so much of his body and years of his life to help other guys achieve success, and try to build something special here. He's the kind of leader that is born; you can't teach it. Once in a generation. The best leader in the NHL by far. To have a guy like that, and watch him continually play through the pain where most people can't function -- it's pretty impressive. And guys rally behind that, so, it's tough to see him struggle through it, but again, it's another reason why he's a legend."

Garnet Hathaway: "He's an unbelievable guy. The highest-character guy I think I have ever played with. And it was really special for me to be able to share the ice and share the locker room with him and see how he is and try to soak as much as I could in every single day that I was with him. He rubs off on every guy in the room, too. You can see how much guys look up to him and want to be like him and lead like him. He's just such a great role model that he makes guys want to put that much extra effort and time into each other and make sure that everyone is doing well and everyone is on the same page. It really is a close-knit group because of how he leads."

Tomas Nosek: "I learned from him so much. I told him right away after the game, thanks for a chance to play with you. I learned so much from him and he's a great guy too, not just a hockey player. Yeah, it's a sad ending for him, and we wanted it to be better for sure, but it is what it is and wishing him all the best and grateful to play with guys like David Krejci and Patrice, they were special for sure."

Derek Forbort: "Just kind of who he is as a guy. He's of the best teammates I've ever had. The best captain I ever had. I don't know what his plan is, but he's an awesome guy to work with."

David Pastrnak: "Those two guys [Bergeron and Krejci] are the perfect example. They are some of the best leaders on the team and in the sport and they've been here for a very long time. They've been my teachers for a very long time and the player I am and the person I am as well, it's big thanks to those guys, too. It's amazing the impact they have on the young guys, as older guys and as the leaders they were. ... I had the best teachers from these guys. They are incredible people and incredible hockey players, so I always -- when you're looking at them, you want to be like them, right? As a leader, the stuff they say, no matter how young you are, you want to be like them. So, I'm definitely very thankful and the way I grew as a person and a player, thanks to them. So, I'm excited and we'll see." 

Connor Clifton: "They're Bruins legends. It's been a privilege and an honor to watch them and work alongside them for -- obviously missed Krejci last year, but for the past five years since I got here. Their demeanor and how they hold themselves accountable for everything, their work ethic every day -- honestly, just incredible to get to know them."

Matt Grzelcyk: "Obviously they are amazing players, but just what great people they are. How they treat people, you know when they first get here or first get called up, whether you play for 10 minutes or 10 years, they treat you the same way and I have so much respect. So, they are just unbelievable leaders and people to be around and at the same time they are both extremely competitive and you see that in practice day in and day out, how they take care of themselves away from the rink. So, it's just a special treat to be able to play with two legends like that." 

Charlie Coyle: "It's tough. They mean so much. From watching them, playing with them, you feel really lucky. You do. I don't have the words for what those guys mean to us, to the team, the organization, the city, and beyond. It's pretty remarkable what they've done, and the careers they've had. To get a chance to just watch them and then, an honor to play with them, be in the same locker room, learn from those guys and be a part of their great careers. It's pretty special. That's why you want to make the most of those opportunities. That's what's hard. That's what's hard to swallow. We wanted to make the most of this and do it for those guys. Have them go out on a winning note. That was the goal. It was there. But it doesn't take away from what those guys have done, their careers, and what they've done for everyone around here. Those guys are unbelievable players, unbelievable people. I know people around here are very lucky. I think they know they're lucky that they have those two, that they've had them for so long and what they brought. They're just very special. They're very special people."

Taylor Hall: "What I would say I learned is everyone can lead in their own way. You don't have to be a rah-rah guy, you don't have to be a super positive bubbly guy, you can lead in your own way. They are professionals and they are great people. They care about everyone in the room. It was a great environment to come into when I got traded here. If they aren't here, it's up to us to keep fostering that environment and that tradition."

Jake DeBrusk: "A lot of words, I guess. If it is, I mean, obviously, I'm just thankful I got the opportunity to meet those guys. To come into this organization and be shown the ropes by them. Obviously, It's one of those things where they're amazing players for this organization their whole careers. Truly special. They've both had silver sticks [for playing in 1,000 NHL games] this season. Nice little gifts, too. At the same time, I can't say enough about the quality of guys that they are, let alone the players. We all know how they play, but now all of us know them personally. It's one of those things, we're going to miss a lot of things differently."

That everyone was able to speak at such length about Bergeron despite still going through the emotions of the loss is indicative of the respect level the captain has earned inside that locker room. And whether he comes back for one more year or steps away to begin his post-hockey life, he took a moment to share what it means to him to hear all of that love from his teammates.

"It means a lot," Bergeron said. "It's kind of why you play the game, to try to leave an impact or help a few teammates here and there and create some friendships. That's what's going to last forever, all the memories and whatnot, so that's definitely special and hopefully if I can help, if I was able to impact any of those guys that might not be coming back or whatever. Yeah, it means a lot."