Patrice Bergeron has still not decided whether he will retire or continue playing, but there were a couple pieces of Bergeron news on Sunday.
The first was that Bergeron won his record fifth Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL, an honor he called “humbling.”
“It’s definitely an honor. I’m definitely humbled, is the first word that comes to mind,” Bergeron said on a Zoom call Sunday afternoon. “It is an individual award, but obviously you can’t get any of those without the help of all of your teammates. I’ve said that in my acceptance speeches, that there are so many people to thank. They’re the reason why. I’ve been fortunate enough to play on great teams and to win five Selkes. It goes to them, obviously. As I said, it’s humbling. Really it’s the only word I have.”
The second was that Bergeron confirmed he underwent surgery this past Tuesday to repair a tendon in his left elbow. He said it was an issue that he had been dealing with for nearly two years and finally needed to get fixed. Photos of Bergeron with his left arm wrapped surfaced on social media Sunday morning.
Bergeron said the surgery has no effect on his decision for next season, other than that the attention it required may have delayed his decision-making process a little. He said it’s approximately a 10-week recovery before he would be able to resume hockey activities, so it wouldn’t affect his availability for the start of next season if he were to return.
As for that decision everyone is waiting on, Bergeron said he still has time and intends to use it.
“I’ve said that I needed time, and I still think I have a lot of time in front of me to make that decision,” Bergeron said. “I want to make sure that I take all that time that I need to make the right one. That’s it. Right now, I haven’t really had time. It doesn’t really change anything, though.”
Bergeron was asked if there were any outside influences pulling him away from the NHL -- a la David Krejci wanting to be with family in the Czech Republic this past season -- and he said there really wasn’t. He said the fact that his contract was up after this past season just gave him an opportunity to take a step back that he really hasn’t taken before.
“It’s the fact that my whole career, I’ve had contract extensions or long-term contracts. I would head into the summers with that in the back of my mind, that I would know what I was doing next year and all that stuff,” he said. “Now I’m 36 and I don’t have a contract, and I can actually take a step back for the first time in my career, the first time in my life, that I can just reflect on what I do want looking forward, for the future. Talk with my family, my wife.
“It’s just more that, the fact that I have the opportunity to do that and just take a step back and take some time for myself and really know what I want. I don’t think we have to look further than that, to be honest with you. That’s the only reason.”
While Bergeron’s surgery wouldn’t force him to miss any of the new season, three other Bruins -- Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk -- are set to miss time. Marchand and McAvoy will both miss approximately the first two months after hip and shoulder surgery, respectively. Grzelcyk will miss approximately one month of the season after his own shoulder surgery.
If any of that would factor into Bergeron’s decision, he wasn’t letting on Sunday.
“I think it’s one of those things where you have to ride the wave,” Bergeron said of the team’s health. “It comes down to another challenge. I think this organization and this team have seen many challenges the past whatever years, even decades. For me, it’s one of those things where it is what it is.
“There’s been many years where there’s been a lot of doubts and question marks around the Boston Bruins and how the team’s gonna look and what’s coming. I think those things are handled in time. That’s how I see it. Those are great players that are gonna be back. It’s not like they’re gonna miss the whole year.”
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