When Patrice Bergeron’s name is mentioned, odds are that class and excellence come to mind as descriptors, and with good reason.
The 31-year-old centerman, at the NHL Awards Show on June 21 in Las Vegas, won his fourth career Selke Award. With the distinction, Bergeron ties Hall of Fame forward Bob Gainey of the Montreal Canadiens as the only other player to bring home the honor four times. To capture the award, Bergeron, who’s been nominated for six straight seasons, beat fellow finalists in Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Kesler and Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu.
"Humbled. Obviously, it’s a huge honor; also a huge honor to get it from Mr. Gainey," Bergeron told the Bruins’ Caryn Switaj after receiving the award. "He’s someone that I looked up to, a great role model for kids growing up. So I can’t thank my teammates enough and I’m kind of shocked. I’m really happy.
"It was one of the moments where you get a little emotional getting it from a legend of the game and someone I looked up to, and one of the best players of the last century, so it was special," Bergeron added.
The Selke Award is given annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game, and Bergeron certainly fit that bill in 2016-17.
In serving as a B’s alternate captain for the 11th straight year, he most notably led the NHL in faceoffs won (1,089) and evenstrength faceoff win percentage (62.3). On the Bruins, Bergeron ranked first in the advanced metric of shot attempts differential, with the Black and Gold attempting 439 more shots than they allowed when Bergeron was on the ice for five a side.
Come 2017-18, Bergeron will enter the fourth year of an eight-year, $55 million deal. Unless traded, he won’t hit the open market until 2022-23, when he’d become an unrestricted free agent.
THE CLASH
Bruins at Las Vegas Golden Knights Sunday, Oct. 15
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The Black and Gold take on the NHL’s 31st franchise and newest expansion team, Las Vegas, for the first time out in Sin City. The new barn’s atmosphere remains to be seen, but surely a sizable cohort of B’s fans will travel out for the whole Vegas experience. That Saturday, one day prior, Boston plays at the Arizona Coyotes, for its fifth game of the 2017-18 regular season.
TWEET OF THE MONTH
‘So at what point do we change it from the Selke to the Bergy? Congrats berg well deserved!’
@Bmarch63 (Brad Marchand) on Patrice Bergeron winning his fourth Selke Award
THE NUMBER
27.6 | The average age of Boston’s top five 2016-17 scorers — Marchand, Pastrnak, Krejci, Bergeron and Krug.
THE NOTEBOOK
At the year-end Awards Show in Las Vegas, Brad Marchand was named an NHL first-team All-Star for the first time in his career. The nod comes after the winger had a stellar season in 2016-16, putting up career highs in goals (39), assists (46) and points (85). Around the league, Marchand stacked up well against other high-impact forwards, finishing with the third-most game-winning goals (eight). …
On May 30, the Bruins signed Anders Bjork to a three-year entry-level contract, beginning with the 2017-18 season. A 20-year-old forward who spent three years playing at the University of Notre Dame, Bjork originally was drafted in the fifth round (146th overall) of the 2014 draft.
On June 28, the team announced it had signed forward Noel Acciari (Johnston, R.I.) to a two-year, one-way contract worth an average annual value of $725,000. …
On June 14, Boston signed veteran defenseman Tommy Cross to to a one-year, two-way contract through the 2017-18 season. The 27-year-old native of Simsbury, Conn. served as captain for the Providence Bruins in 2016-17, recording career highs in goals (12), assists (23), points (35) and plus/minus (plus-18). He also appeared in one playoff game for Boston, notching an assist. …
The Hockey Hall of Fame will induct Bruins owner and chairman of Delaware North Jeremy Jacobs into the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Jacobs was selected as part of the "Builder" category.
Mark Recchi, a 2011 Stanley Cup champion with the Bruins, also will enter the Hockey Hall of Hame in the Class of 2017. …
With Bruce Cassidy secured as head coach for 2017-18, the Bruins provided some clarity to the rest of their staff, naming Kevin Dean as an assistant coach for the upcoming year. …
In the NHL Expansion Draft, the Las Vegas Golden Knights selected Colin Miller from Boston’s ranks. Miller, a 24-year-old defensemen, was acquired by Boston prior to the 2015 draft as part of the deal that sent Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings.
On the blue line, Boston chose to protect Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug and Kevan Miller. First-year defensemen such as Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo were exempt from selection. …
Boston’s schedule was announced on June 22, with the first two games at home against the Nashville Predators (Oct. 5) and Colorado Avalanche (Oct. 9), respectively. The B’s will have to wait until a home contest on Dec. 27 to exact revenge against the Ottawa Senators, the squad that bounced them from the 2016-17 playoffs.
