Boston Bruins: Patrice Bergeron still the captain-in-waiting
By Filip Canda
Patrice Bergeron has just celebrated his 34th birthday. Even though he is aging (not really though), he is still one of the best players in the NHL; definitely for the Boston Bruins.
Certainly, he is the best defensive forward in the League. He is also a four-time Selke Trophy winner. He is not getting any younger; the Boston Bruins first-line center turned 34 on Wednesday. Doesn‘t matter for him, Patrice Bergeron is like a good wine, older means more mature and better.
One would think that ever since he made it into the NHL, he was destined to become an NHL captain. With the Boston Bruins, he still has to patiently wait for that moment and honor.
It’s not only about his strong leadership. Although he had some troubling injuries over the course of the past two seasons, he has just completed his career-best season in terms of points with 79 and also tied his career-high with hitting the 32-goal mark.
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We are not only talking about Patrice Bergeron in a legendary mode, but he is also still able to deliver high-quality offense when needed. And he also adds the digits when it’s not quite needed, just remember his four-goal night against the Carolina Hurricanes from January 2018.
Nevertheless, the fact that he is constantly denied the C on his jersey is very encouraging. One of his biggest rivals in the category, Anze Kopitar, got the captaincy from the still valid leader like Dustin Brown. That would never happen with the Boston Bruins.
Even a leader and a franchise player such as Patrice Bergeron will obey when the captain calls. The best way to become so humble to teach it youngsters about being humble is to sit down and listen. Since 2005, when Patrice Bergeron made it to the NHL, the Boston Bruins have had their captain in Zdeno Chara for 13 out of 14 seasons.
It’s not about jealousy or any malevolent idea. It’s all about the greatness of the Bruins success. Patrice Bergeron can be the captain right now. Without any problem. That could have easily happened nine years ago. With Zdeno Chara, the Bruins have two captains.
Just look on some teams around NHL (you don’t even have to look far away from the Boston Bruins’ own division). There are so many great players that they probably cannot settle down on the C on someone’s jersey. The Bruins can, and that’s their advantage.
There are two players older than Patrice Bergeron in Boston – Zdeno Chara and David Backes (not counting Jaroslav Halak, who just played his first season with the Bruins). One is the 42-year-old defenseman, the latter is a former five-year NHL team captain. Both of them have such great admiration for everything Bergeron does.
Nowadays, neither of the two has a more important impact on the team than him. And still, Bergeron is somewhere low on this hierarchy list of the team´s captains.
One day, Patrice Bergeron will get to wear a C on his jersey (unless, you know, Chara is really going to retire after Bergeron). However, it has all the feeling of this letter game is just it, the game, the formality. In fact, the Bruins always had a great captain in Patrice Bergeron.
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Zdeno Chara is the team’s official captain, but he has always listened to Bergeron. And vice-versa. That’s what makes this team so unite and Patrice Bergeron such a legacy to remember.