There’s no chance Patrice Bergeron would really come back to the Bruins, right?
Right?
Well, Barstool’s Spittin’ Chiclets podcast set the rumor mill on fire this week when cohosts Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney kicked around a “rumor” they’ve heard that Bergeron might actually be considering a comeback.
Bergeron rumor, Swayman comments, and Mailbag questions!
“I’m hearing that ‘El Capitan’ might be making a comeback,” said Bissonnette, who is also an NHL on TNT analyst.
“This is ultimate rumor, boys,” added Whitney, a nine-year NHL defenseman and Boston native. “Ultimate rumor, boys. But apparently, apparently, Bergeron’s been skating around here a little bit. Now, then we get word he skates a little bit just to stay fresh for the alumni games.”
“Which I didn’t believe,” Bissonnette said.
“Which you’re probably 20 years younger than most of the guys playing in the alumni games,” Whitney noted. “But he’s a professional, he’s a workhorse, so maybe he is, but if Patrice Bergeron is out there skating around, looking at maybe a February comeback, can you imagine the Bruins fans?”
I can imagine the reaction from Bruins fans, and what I can imagine is uncontrollable excitement. But that excitement really should be tamped down, because ultimately a Bergeron return still seems extremely unlikely.
Bissonnette and Whitney make it clear, repeatedly, that this is just a rumor and pure speculation. They are not reporting that Bergeron is actually planning a comeback.
Still, when the most popular hockey podcast, featuring ex-players who are pretty tied-in, decides to discuss it and then post the clip on social media, it’s going to get people talking.
And, it’s not that hard to imagine the scenario where it actually happens. Bergeron was still great last season, with a record-setting sixth Selke Trophy serving as proof. If he’s feeling healthy now, he could look at a Bruins team that’s been better than most anticipated and feel like there’s an opportunity to make a Stanley Cup run there.
From the Bruins’ perspective, they could use help up front and still have questions at the center position, which Bergeron could certainly help answer. Presumably, Bergeron would play for cheap money again as well, making him a much easier add than someone they might acquire in a trade who has a bigger contract and would cost picks and/or prospects to get.
It’s also worth noting that Brad Marchand and others around the Bruins have joked – at least we’re think they’re joking – about trying to convince Bergeron to come back several times since the summer.
“I think he gets annoyed with how much I try to push him to come back at some point,” Marchand said on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show just two weeks ago. “But I think he’s excited about his next step, so I try not to be too hard on him.”
Bergeron himself has not addressed these most recent rumors, but he did talk to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun in November, and he didn’t sound like someone who was second-guessing his decision to retire.
“I’m always going to miss the game,” Bergeron said then. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I miss the boys and being around them and all that. But I’m in a good place. I’m at peace. I know it was the right decision for myself and my family.”
He said at that time that he hadn’t skated and wasn’t in shape. He did drop a “never say never” when asked directly about the possibility of returning, but added, “I just think it’s a no.”
“I made the decision to take care of my body and, you know, not play the extra year,” he said. “My body has taken a beating. I’m just trying to think about my future and my family’s future. I wish I could play forever, right? But I think it would be unwise for me to reconsider and play again.”
It doesn’t really sound like anything has changed in the two months since then, other than he was apparently spotted skating somewhere. Shocker: Guy who has played hockey his whole life still likes to get on the ice sometimes. Bergeron reiterated to the Boston Globe's Matt Porter just two weeks ago that he was not coming back.
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now also countered the Spittin’ Chiclets speculation on Wednesday, reporting via two sources that a Bergeron comeback is “not happening.”
I’ll use Bergeron’s own words from November to summarize my feelings on this: “You never say never, but I just think it’s a no.”