Seven games, no goals and three assists into the 2021-22 regular season campaign, his 18th with the Boston Bruins, the whispers and questions about whether Patrice Bergeron had finally hit the proverbial wall started.
Not so fast, the captain said.
Thursday night, Bergeron posted his second career four-goal game, tallying three power play strikes to tie a franchise record, and scoring on four of five shots to send the visiting Detroit Red Wings to a 5-1 defeat. Not content to simply dominate the scoring that night, Boston’s current active scoring leader with 379 goals and 925 points won 16 of 19 battles in the face-off circle.
As the famous Mark Twain quote in response to his published obituary goes, “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
Bergeron is still the face of the franchise. Even if his production no longer matches that of linemate and closest friend Brad Marchand, the captain showed in one game why he continues to be an inspiration to legions of Bruins fans and hockey fans around the world.
He’s Boston hockey’s version of Tom Brady. Maybe not in terms of the league-wide domination of all statistical categories, or in the pure number of championships, mind you. But make no mistake- Bergeron has made a similar impact on the Bruins franchise that Brady did in all of his years with the New England Patriots. Bergeron has more in common with the GOAT- Brady- than those who would dismiss the comparison out of hand might think.
Here’s evidence to bolster the lofty claim.
