Patrice Bergeron feature for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Bergeron's two-way play earned Olympic spot

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Written by Denis Gorman

Friday, February 19, 2010 17:46

The voice on the other end of the phone was fitting in a peculiar way. See, the voice had a hand in ruining the hopes and dreams of a fan base that had not experienced the game’s ultimate success since bell-bottoms were en vogue. He and his dynastic mates defeated the Colonial City’s NHL franchise in eight of nine Stanley Cup Finals games to walk away with two titles. So, yes, it was right that Kevin Lowe – he of six Cup victories as a player – called Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron on Dec. 30 with the greatest honor of his hockey career: Bergeron, who had not been invited to the Calgary Tryout Camp in Aug. 2009, had earned a spot on the Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey Team. He has a team-leading 31 points in 41 games for the Bruins this year, and is tied for second with Blake Wheeler in goals with 11. His 20 assists are second-most on the team behind stud defenseman and Slovakian Olympian Zdeno Chara. Bergeron is justifiably proud of what he has accomplished by being named to Team Canada, having told HockeyPrimeTime.com that “It’s a huge honor. There’s so many good players who are Canadian, (so I’m) very honored.” It is a feeling shared by an organization that hasn’t had much to feel good about this year. “He’s come a long way from when he was hurt. He’s shown dedication and commitment in coming back. He’s the type of guy that deserves everything he receives. He works hard for it. So there’s pride and there’s happiness,” Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said during a recent morning skate. “Very professional, he comes every single day and works the same way. He’s getting success because he deserves it,” praised veteran Bruins’ defenseman Derek Morris. For a team that had Stanley Cup aspirations following an Eastern Conference best 116-point season (53-19-10), the Bruins have decidedly struggled in 2009-10. They are seventh in the East with 65 points (27-22-11). The league’s second-highest scoring team last year with 270 goals (19 behind league-leading Detroit), the Bruins are rank dead last this season with 141 goals in 60 games – an average of 2.35 per game. Injuries and the September trade of Phil Kessel to Toronto have forced Julien and GM Peter Chiarelli to be mad scientists, mixing and matching personnel in order to find goal scoring. Chiarelli signed free agent Miro Satan at midseason in hopes of boosting the offense, but the results have yet to follow. Six Bruins have scored at least 10 goals this season. That is a precipitous drop-off from 2008-09, when 10 players finish with at least 10 goals, including six with 20 or more — led by Kessel’s 36. In a fantasy sports era, the proverbial "little things" are overlooked for sexier and flashier stats, such as goals and points. While no doubt pleased with his offensive production, Chiarelli praised Bergeron’s game as an inclusive, specifically pointing out faceoffs as being key. Bergeron is eighth in the league with a 58 percent winning percentage in the faceoff circle. “His faceoffs have been really good this year. Patrice is a two-way player, so you have to look at his game as an overall,” Chiarelli said. “What I see is that his game is a whole right now; there’s not one piece that is missing. To me that’s what’s stood out.” Still, it is not as if Bergeron is incapable of making world-class plays offensively. His set-up on Marco Sturm’s Winter Classic-winning goal was an example of that. Bergeron made a stop-and-start play along the boards before firing a perfect pass to Sturm, who tapped the puck past Philadelphia netminder Michael Leighton in the Bruins’ 2-1 overtime win. “I saw Sturmie go to the net and I saw ‘Z’ (Chara) getting open for a one-timer. So I was looking at ‘Z.’ I knew Sturmie was in the perfect spot in front , so I passed it to him,” analyzed Bergeron. The New Year’s Day win in Fenway was a boon for the league and the struggling organization, which has been short-handed most of the season. The Bruins had five players on the injured list in January, and defenseman Mark Stuart hasn't played the month of February. Fellow blueliner Johnny Boychuk missed four games leading up to the Olympic break. Bergeron broke his thumb in three places against the New York Rangers on Jan. 4 when the finger was struck by a Dennis Wideman shot. He missed the next two weeks. It was not, however, the worst injury of his career. In an Oct. 2007 home game against the Flyers, Bergeron suffered a grade three concussion after absorbing a check by Randy Jones. Jones checked Bergeron into the glass from behind as the Boston center attempted to retrieve the puck from behind his own goal. Unconscious, Bergeron collapsed to the ice with a broken nose and had to be removed on a stretcher by medical personnel. He missed the Bruins’ final 72 regular-season games and the seven-game first round series against Original Six rival Montreal. The Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, native returned from the concussion last season to post 39 points (eight goals and 31 assists) in 64 games. Chiarelli suggested that Bergeron’s lack of offense during the 2008-09 campaign was “part of getting your confidence back, mentally and physically,” while Bergeron added he was “just happy by the way I came back. I worked hard to come back.” One of the intriguing aspects of international tournaments such as the Olympics and World Championships is that the teams are typically made up of top-tier talent. With Team Canada made up of 23 NHL stars, it is obvious that some players will be put into roles that may heretofore be unfamiliar. Pressed prior to the Olympics by HPT.com about his role on Team Canada – a question that lingers through two games of group play – Bergeron admitted that it was to be determined. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes; take any role on this team,” he said. Bergeron began Tuesday's opener against Norway on a scoring line with Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby. He picked up his first point of the tournament by assisting on Mike Richards' goal in the second period, which extended the Canadian lead to 3-0. On Thursday against Switzerland, Bergeron was in more of a utility role, though he did win three defensive-zone faceoffs as Canada held on for a 3-2 win in the shootout. If Canada finds itself in another low-scoring battle, expect them to turn to Bergeron again. “The biggest thing with him, when we’re cycling or on the forecheck, he’s always the first guy back, always defensive minded," Morris said. "He’s probably one of the best two-way forwards in the game." Bergeron’s on- and off-ice accountability is the reason he's wearing his country's sweater in Vancouver. http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/features/bergerons-two-way-play-earned-olypmic-spot