“It’s Still Hard To Process”: Bergeron On HHOF Induction, Bond With Chara, And Unique Perspective On Price

Patrice Bergeron will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame with a résumé that leaves little room for debate.

Across 19 NHL seasons, all with the Boston Bruins, he played 1,294 regular-season games, recorded 427 goals and 1,040 points, wore the captain’s C and helped lead the franchise to the 2011 Stanley Cup, scoring the Cup-winning goal. He was also part of two more trips to the Stanley Cup Final and helped Boston finish atop the NHL standings in three Presidents’ Trophy seasons.

His individual record is just as imposing. Bergeron won a record six Frank J. Selke Trophies, was a Selke finalist in 12 consecutive seasons, appeared in three NHL All-Star Games and earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the NHL Foundation Player Award and the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. Internationally, he won World Championship gold, two Olympic gold medals, World Junior gold and MVP honours, a World Cup of Hockey title and a Spengler Cup, becoming a member of the Triple Gold Club along the way.

Yet, as Bergeron prepares for hockey’s ultimate recognition, the moment has led him less toward a celebration of his own accomplishments than toward gratitude for the people who made them possible.

“It’s an incredible honour,” Bergeron said. “It really warms my heart. To be considered amongst the best in history is not something to be taken lightly.”

The reality of the moment has not entirely settled in. Bergeron knows the date is approaching, and he knows what it means to be recognized alongside the players whose names helped define the sport.