Olympian Leading The Way For Boston

Is there any doubt who the leader of the Boston Bruins is? Let’s look at the numbers: he leads the team in points, is 5th in the National Hockey League in shorthanded goals, and is in his 7th season in the NHL at just 25 years of age. Oh and by the way, he has an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case. Patrice Bergeron, a member of the 2010 Canadian Olympic team, has stepped up his game and is leading the Bruins to the top of the NHL standings.

Bergeron surprised many hockey fans by being named to the Olympic roster but it was no surprise to Bruins followers. Since starting the 2003-2004 season with the Bruins out of training camp as an 18 year old, Boston faithful have watched the native of Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec blossom from a youngster with boat loads of potential to one of the best two way players in the NHL. His overall defensive play has him being mentioned as a candidate for this season’s Selke Award which annually goes to the league’s top defensive player.

Bergeron’s offensive play has hockey fans throughout the NHL taking notice of his leadership on the ice. He has 14 goals this season and is on pace to score 28. His best offensive output came in 2005-2006 when he scored 31. Equaling that number is certainly within reach this season. In his last five games, the speedy center has scored 6 goals and 4 assists. His biggest offensive night came in a 6-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on January 11, 2011, a game in which he scored his first career hat trick. He also had the game winning goal in that game. A feat he has accomplished two other times this season. Bergeron has also scored 2 shorthanded goals this season and 3 on the power play.

Bergeron was on the ballot for the 2011 NHL All Star game but was not voted in nor was he named an all star by the league’s selection committee. It is easy to see the committee made a huge mistake by not including Patrice Bergeron. My question to them is, how does a player go from winning Olympic gold to not being a league all star when he leads his team in scoring and is being mentioned as a candidate for one of the league’s top awards? At least, Boston fans and his teammates know the value of having him in black and gold. They also can have confidence that Bergeron is the man who can lead them to the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins are gearing up for a rematch from last Monday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Saturday’s game versus Pittsburgh is a matinée affair at the TD Garden in Boston. Game time is 1:00pm. It is unknown whether superstar Sidney Crosby will be cleared to play for the Penguins. He has missed four tgames since January 5th with a concussion. During that time, The Pens have won 1 game while losing 1 in overtime and 2 others in regulation including blowing a 2-0 lead late in the third period against the Bruins giving the B’s a 4-2 win. In two games this season the Bruins have scored 11 goals against the Penguins and have allowed 6. The Steeltown’s skaters will be trying to defeat Boston for the first time this season.

Read Bill Mayer’s take on the Penguins penchant for penalties here http://penslabyrinth.com/2011/01/13/pens-taking-too-many-penalties-2/

For all news pertaining to the NHL in general…..please visit  Too Many Men on the Site – Fansided`s excellent coverage of the Greatest Game on Ice !

Shawn Hutcheon can be followed on twitter by going to www.twitter.com/@shawnhutcheon. You can also become his friend on facebook by going to www.facebook.com/shawnhutcheon.