Professional sports have changed over the years, as has the rest of the world. Once a staple of many pro sports franchises, loyalty to a city or an organization has become few and far between. Gone are the days of players wearing a single jersey for their entire careers (even Tom Brady), and in exchange fans have gotten offseasons of player moves, rumors and general roster upheaval.
BetMassachusetts took a break from covering Massachusetts sports betting news and went on a mission to search the city of Boston for its most loyal athlete, using a point system that awards two points for each season spent with the team, two points for each contract signed for three or more years and four points for any pay structures to allow the team cap space.
As with any area of life that changes, there are always some that cling to the old way of doing things. In an era where Johnny Damon left the Boston Red Sox for the lifelong rival New York Yankees, there remain a few players who value sticking around.
Nowhere is this any more evident than on the ice, as the two top ranking athletes belong to the Boston Bruins.
The runaway leader using BetMassachusetts formula was Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, followed by fellow longtime Bruin David Krejci and New England Patriots key special teamer Matthew Slater.
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Top 3 Most Loyal Athletes in Boston
Bergeron Takes The Title
Bergeron has clearly exemplified loyalty to the city and organization ever since his first years with the team. He has spent all 19 years of his NHL career in the Boston organization and has enjoyed both great team and personal success.
Bergeron recently passed a key milestone on the ice, recording his 1000th career regular season point, all with the Bruins. Bergeron has also posted 127 points in the playoffs over 167 games, and won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
He was named captain of the team in 2021 after longtime leader Zdeno Chara left the organization. Not only has Bergeron wanted to remain in Boston, he has prioritized keeping the team competitive and successful.
Despite being well regarded as the best two-way center in hockey for years, Bergeron has always signed contracts for under market value, never making more than $6.875 million against the salary cap. In fact, he signed a one year contract for this current season for a paltry $2.5 million, well more than five million dollars below his market value.
Krejci, Slater Also Rank High
Bergeron's teammate in Boston, David Krejci, ranks second. He has spent 16 years with the Bruins, including signing four contracts that lasted more than three years apiece.
Krejci actually left the NHL to return home to the Czech Republic after the 2021 NHL season, but his allegiance to Boston and the Bruins organization was too much for him to stay away, and he followed Bergeron's lead and signed a one year contract for well below value to play one more year (at least) in Boston.
Coming in third in our rankings is longtime New England Patriot Matthew Slater. Slater has never made a big impact on offense, but has always been one of the top special teamers in the league, making the Pro Bowl a record ten times in his great, loyal career as a Patriot.
It may be a dying quality, but loyalty still has its place in sports and particularly in Boston, with Bergeron, Krejci and Slater exemplifying that quality more than anyone.
In the meantime, stay close to BetMassachusetts.com as your source for Massachusetts sports betting promos.
