Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron accommodated reporters for a video conference on Sunday to talk about, mainly, his record fifth Selke Trophy win. But the discussion quickly veered to the off-season and Bergeron’s future.
Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald noticed that Bergeron was recently photographed with his arm wrapped, as if he’d recently undergone a procedure, so he asked him about it. Bergeron then revealed that he had surgery to repair a tendon in his left elbow on Tuesday, May 31.
“It was something I’ve dealt with for, probably, the last two years, little less, maybe,” Bergeron said Sunday. “Eventually, I spoke to the doctors and at some point I had to get it fixed.”
Bergeron denied that the surgery itself has any effect on his decision regarding his future in the NHL. If anything, it only lengthened the timeline for him to his decision. But either way, the 36-year-old is intent on thinking long and hard about it.
“I’ve said I needed time and I still think I have a lot of time in front of me to make that decision, and I’m going to make sure that I take all the time that I need to make the right [decision], right now,” Bergeron said. “I haven’t really had time and [the surgery] doesn’t really change anything.”
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In case you’re wondering, yes, Bergeron DID, in fact, talk mostly about winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the fifth time, breaking Bob Gainey’s long-standing record. He now has a case to be considered the greatest two-way forward of all-time. The most accomplished, for sure. Bergeron reacted to his record win in his typically selfless fashion.
It’s definitely an honor. I think I’m humbled, that’s the first word that comes to mind,” Bergeron said. “It is an individual award, but obviously you can’t get any of those without the help of all your teammates. I’ve said in my acceptance speech, ‘There’s so many people to thank.’ There’s a reason why. I’ve been fortunate enough to play on great teams and to win five Selkes, and it goes to them.
“It’s humbling. It’s the only word I have.”
If Bergeron ends up retiring, his 2021-22 season would be a hell of a send-off. It’ll be disappointing if the Bruins can’t find a way to win a Stanley Cup before his career is over. But it would be fitting for Bergeron to go out dominating once again at the thing that he just might have done better than anyone in history.
It’s also fitting that Bergeron had to undergo more repairs. But it sounds like this latest procedure won’t actually affect his decision on the future.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has been covering the Bruins since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
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