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Patrice Bergeron once again named Selke Trophy finalist |
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Death, taxes and Patrice Bergeron being named a finalist for the Selke Trophy.
For the ninth straight season, Bergeron was named as one of the three finalists for the award which was announced Monday by the league. The award is issued annually to the best defensive forward, an award won by Bergeron four times previously.
Although the recognition is an individual achievement, Bergeron was quick to recognize his teammates.
“It’s always a great recognition, but you have to keep in mind that it’s also a team sport and I wouldn’t be here without the help of all my teammates,” Bergeron said in a Zoom call on Monday.
“It’s the same thing every year. It’s one of those things where you can’t accomplish that on your own. I’ve been fortunate enough to play on great teams, great lines and been coached by great coaches. That has helped me tremendously over the years.”
What has amazed me the most about Bergeron during this nine year stretch has been with how consistent he has been defensively, his offensive game hasn’t taken a hit. In his last nine seasons, Bergeron has 231 goals and 532 points in 633 games.
As much as being such an offensive force on the Bruins top line is something to be proud of, excelling on the defensive side of his game is something Bergeron takes a lot of pride in.
“It’s great, it’s a great honor and something I’ve always been proud of. I’ve put a lot of emphasis on my two-way game and the defensive part of my game obviously,” said Bergeron. “Even from my early days, growing up playing the game and I guess my junior days. It’s nice to get recognized and I’m proud of it, that’s for sure.”
There’s been a lot of great two-way players throughout the years. Players such as Bob Gainey, (4 Selke Trophies) Pavel Datsyuk (3) and Rod Brind’Amour (2) have come and gone. But growing up in Quebec, it was Guy Carbonneau that a young Bergeron looked up to.
“I’ve always admired a lot of players growing up. I think guys like Guy Carbonnneau even though he was playing for the Canadiens, was a guy always praised about his defensive game,” said Bergeron. “Growing up in Quebec I saw some games of him playing obviously and tried to learn a thing or two.”
Excelling in the defensive part of his game wasn’t something Bergeron always focused on. It wasn’t until Junior Hockey when Bergeron was a member of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL when improving his defensive skills became a priority.
“I think in juniors my coach back then kind of made me realize that I couldn’t just make it to the next level with only my offense, I needed to also work on faceoffs,” said Bergeron. “He basically told me that I wasn’t going to make it if I didn’t explore other things on the offensive side of things, but also the defensive side of things and learn and get better and I couldn’t just rely on one thing to make it to the next level.”
Flyers’ forward Sean Couturier and Blue’s forward Ryan O’Reilly are the other two nominees for the award.
O’Reilly beat out Bergeron for the award a season ago, his first Selke Trophy.
When the Bruins return to game action on August 2nd, it will be Couturier and the Flyers that Bruins skate against. Right off the bat, Bergeron and company will be faced with a tough challenge from one of the league’s better centers.
“Great player, someone that is always a tough matchup. He’s a smart player, plays the game the right way, 200-foot and has some great offense on a great line,” Bergeron said of Couturier. “Always a good challenge playing that line for sure.”
Playing against the Bergeron line is certainly a challenge as well, but how in-tune the Bergeron line will be come the first week of August remains to be seen.
After being deemed unfit to participate after finishing the remainder of his international quarantine, David Pastrnak has yet to skate with Bergeron and fellow linemate Brad Marchand.
“I don’t think there’s concern there,” Bergeron said of Pastrnak not being available when the Bruins begin round-robin play next weekend.
“As far as chemistry now, is it ideal? No, it’s not. But with that being said, I think me Pasta [Pastrnak] and Marsh [Marchand] have been playing together for a while now and it seems like every time we are put back on a line together, we’re finding the chemistry pretty quickly. Seems pretty seamless every time. We’re hoping to rely on that when Pasta comes—hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.”
Despite nine straight nominations, Bergeron has not won the award since 2016-17, with his previous three awards coming in 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Should Bergeron be voted the Selke Trophy winner this season, he will break his tie with Bob Gainey for the most Selke Trophies in league history with five.
Boston Bruins Blogger • 
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