Patrice Bergeron expecting electric atmosphere for Game 7
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 06: Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins reqcts against the St. Louis Blues during the third period in Game Five of the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 06, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
There’s no underselling the chance in front of the Bruins.
In Boston for the city’s first do-or-die championship game since 1984’s head-to-head between the Celtics and Lakers, there’s no denying that the Black and Gold are walking into what will be an absolutely juiced building. (I mean, what else would you expect when the cheapest get-in ticket checks in around $1,800 on the secondary market?)
Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins expect exactly that, too.
“We’re expecting the fans to be awesome,” Bergeron, who has played in 10 Game 7 contests on Garden ice, said. “Obviously the energy’s gonna be electric, the atmosphere’s gonna be… I can’t even imagine how it’s going to be like.”
Now, this Bruins core has had the Stanley Cup in the building before. In 2011, they had to win a Game 6 to keep the Canucks from lifting Lord Stanley and did exactly that, but were unable to do the same when the Blackhawks came to Boston for a Game 6 in 2013.
But those were different situations than the ones the B’s find themselves in tonight.
In fact, tonight is the Bruins’ first chance to win the Stanley Cup on home ice since Game 6 against the Rangers in 1972. The Bruins haven’t won the Cup in Boston since Bobby Orr defeated the Blues with “The Goal” in 1970.
This building is likely going to run on nervous energy — in the stands and on the ice, even — for the first 20 minutes of play.
It’s something the Bruins (and Blues for that matter) are just going to have to adapt to, too.
“You have to manage that in a way and use it to your advantage, but also make sure you’re focused on the game,” said Bergeron.
Some of the younger B’s, whose experiences with Game 7 affairs have really only been with first-round showdowns with the Maple Leafs over the last two postseasons, are going to lean on the leadership and experience of Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, and others.
But Bergeron knows that history is just that, and that these B’s need to simply play the game that’s gotten them to this point.
“You can’t really live in the past; it’s about being in the moment,” said Bergeron. “You just have to be yourself and play the same way you’ve been playing all along and not change anything, not overthink anything.
“Just play.”
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has also been a voting member of the Boston Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association 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.
