Patrice Bergeron has been regarded as the heart and the soul of the Boston Bruins. Boston media call him “Rafters” with affection, as they count the days until number thirty-seven is retired at the TD Garden. It only seemed to make sense that Bergeron picked up the torch left by Shawn Thornton‘s absence to lead the Bruins for the annual Cuts For A Cause event.
In the last few years, members of the Black and Gold would opt out of getting their heads shaved. This time around, the Bruins alternate captain was able to get one hundred percent participation from the B’s. It’s a remarkable feat, even by Bergeron standards.
Puck Prose
“It’s great — I’m really excited about it,” said the Bruins alternate captain. “I think it’s really something that speaks a lot to all of the guys, and all of the guys want to give back. It’s definitely something easy for us to shave our heads. It took a little bit of negotiating with some of the guys, but that being said, everyone’s really nice to do it and participate and raise some money for a great cause.”
Full credit has to be given to Bergeron for getting players like Tuukka Rask to participate in the event. Last year, Tuukka Rask offered Shawn Thornton (last year’s host) five thousand dollars to be exempt from having his head shaved. If you watched last season’s ‘Behind the B’, Thornton used a ‘bull in the china shop approach to get other members of the Black and Gold to participate. When Bergy was asked how he was able to get the entire team to participate, Bergeron explained his approach to the media, and how it compared to Thornton.
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“I don’t know. I guess my approach was trying to be nice, and Shawn’s approach was maybe a little bit more threatening with some of the guys, and intimidating a few of them. Maybe that’s what it is. I don’t know, but I guess I’m lucky at the same time that everyone wants to be part of it. I didn’t do much, to be honest with you.”
So Bergeron was just being Bergeron. (As expected.)
The bidding for Bergeron has been the most explosive on the team. He currently is the only player with a bid exceeding a thousand dollars. The bidding stops at 2 PM EST tomorrow. If you’re interested, there are several players still on the market for a cheap price. Winning means you get to meet the Bruins, get a pair of VIP passes ($400 value), shave the player’s head, and take home a goodie bag of Bruins memorabilia. (If you’re looking for the absolute craziest gift for a Bruins fan you love, this would be it.)