Bergeron a rare find




By Brian J. Scully
BostonBruins.com

BOSTON - You could tell there was something about the kid with No. 56 on his
back from the first scrimmage of rookie camp.

He dominated. He gobbled up precious exposure in those early days like it
was his lifeline. Wherever the puck was, he was there. And not in a puck-hog
type of way. He simply made all the right decisions - a curl into the corner
boards to pick up the puck, or a quick pass into the slot, or heading to the
net for the rebound and poking it behind the goaltender. He was everywhere.

You could tell there was something special about him off the ice, talking to
reporters, wide-eyed at his new compatriots, but quietly confident about his
ability to play the game of hockey. Even though his command of
conversational English wasn't yet strong, he exuded a maturity not often
seen among the 18-year-old set.

He was respectful. He held no public hope to make this team. He was just
here to learn. But there was that burning in his eyes, lingering just behind
the requisite "just happy to be here's" that told you that he'd be equally
happy to stay here.

You could tell, after he held his own with tried-and-true NHL-ers like Marty
Lapointe and Joe Thornton during full camp, that the Bruins were going to
have to forcibly remove this kid from the ice to send him back to his junior
camp, because if they left him out there, he was going to keep gobbling up
the puck and exposure, and inching himself closer to becoming a part of the
team.

Lucky for the Bruins, they never did. And what ensued was one of the NHL's
best rookie stories - notable for the fact that the Bruins had two great
rookie stories last season (Andrew Raycroft's Calder Trophy winning campaign
deserves equal praise). But while Raycroft was a picture of dogged
determination and AHL incubation, Bergeron was of the "surprise-suprise"
variety, a boy among men who made up for his lack of size and experience
with a preternatural understanding of the game of hockey.

And in some ways, that's exactly how it all happened - no one asked him to
leave. Bergeron fully expected to be sent home. Right after rookie camp he
said it, and he repeated it after the first two exhibition games, when his
new rookie friends from the Brethren of the Hopeful began returning to their
far-flung hockey homes.

He said it after he had played in every Bruins' exhibition game, and after
he signed his first NHL contract, and after he was given the No. 37 - the
ultimate sign that he had worked his way from rookie wannabe to NHL forward.
And there's no doubt that he played the entire season - straight through to
the playoffs - like he was a bad game away from a return trip to
Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL.

For Bergeron, who was cut from his junior team only two years before he made
the Bruins out of training camp, it was all about playing hockey. As long as
there was a game to play, he'd play it until he was told to go home.

When he finally made it home earlier this summer, after taking side-stops in
the NHL Playoffs (scoring an overtime winner against Montreal), and at the
World Championships in Europe (winning gold with his home country) he had
compiled a freshman season for the ages. He finished fifth in the NHL among
rookies in goal scoring with 16 goals and fourth among rookies with 23
assists.

"It was awesome to play for Canada," said Bergeron. "I had the chance to go
to Europe for the first time and it was a great experience. I played with
Scott Neidermayer, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Briere. It was a great honor for
me to play for Canada."

So, if Bergeron decided to take some time to rest after his unexpected World
Tour of Hockey, no one could have blamed him. But, those who know Bergeron,
know that kind of laissez-faire approach to his sophomore NHL campaign would
be unacceptable.

Instead, it was more of the same for Bergeron - a quick rest and then
training for next season.

"Yeah, I'm already focused on next year," said Bergeron from his home in
Quebec province. "I've been thinking a lot about next year. Last year was
fun, but it's over now. I don't want to change, I just want to do the same
thing I did.

"All I want to do is play hockey," he continued. "That's my passion, so I'm
doing the same thing this summer as I did last year. I'm using the same
trainer. I know that I have a lot to learn still, but I got some experience
last year and I'm ready to go."

Camp dreamer

When Bergeron arrived at rookie camp last year, he was about as under the
radar as a second round pick could be. His own coach admitted to not knowing
who he was during the first few days.

But, like everyone else watching, Mike Sullivan quickly learned the name of
the skinny 18-year-old, who seemed to carry the puck for most of his shift.
This year, Bergeron is excited to enter camp, because he knows what to
expect.

"Yeah, it's going to be weird," said Bergeron. 'The only difference, I
think, is that I know what to expect when I get there. I know the guys and I
know how it is. I know how training camp is going to go and I think I'll be
a bit more ready. That's the biggest difference - I've done it before."

Back home, some things did change, though. Bergeron had access to his own
car for the first time and had a little extra spending money when he needed
it, all of which helped him enjoy his down time with his friends.

"Yeah, it was awesome," said Bergeron. "I got to see my buddies and my
family, so it was good.

"It was different this summer, in some ways, but in a lot of ways, it was
the same," he continued. "I still hung out with all my friends and did all
the same things I used to do. We just hung out and went to movies."

There were no dramatic spending sprees, but Bergeron did admit to buying
himself some new clothes.

"I bought more clothes, that's the main thing," said Bergeron. "If I saw
something nice, I was able to buy it, but other than that, I just tried to
do the same stuff I was doing. I went to my cottage a couple times and me
and my friends saw a bunch of movies."

Another difference was the fact that Patrice Bergeron from Ancienne-Lorette
was now Patrice Bergeron from the Boston Bruins.

"Mostly, it was the same, but I had people come up to me and ask if I was
Patrice Bergeron," said Bergeron. "I'm like "Yeah," and they say "That's
awesome," and that's it. I don't think about it much. It's not a big deal to
me. People seem to enjoy it, but that's the only major difference from last
year. I'm just having fun with my buddies like always."

Still, there are moments when the past year comes rushing back to him.

"I was watching television when we signed Gonchar this summer and I'm seeing
the highlight, and I'm on the ice with him," said Bergeron. "And I'm like,
'Wow, I played in the NHL last year.' It was fun. I won't forget this year,
for sure. It was a dream come true."

Bergeron said he has played phone tag with Lapointe, who took Bergeron under
his wing during his rookie season, going to the length of having him move
into the Lapointe house.

"I've tried to call him a bunch of times," said Bergeron. "He'll get my
message and call me back and then I'll get his message. But we've talked a
couple times this summer."

Which is rather amusing to his friends, according to Bergeron. In time
honored hockey friend tradition, Bergeron and his buddies often swap stories
about the past year, different things that were said in the locker room,
funny stories from road trips, and the like. Suffice it to say that Bergeron
has had the best, most compelling stories this summer.

"I have other buddies who play junior hockey in Quebec," said Bergeron. "And
they'll be talking about the same stuff that they all went through and I'll
be like, 'One time, in Dallas, me and Marty did this,' and there really
isn't anything they can say that can top it, which is fun."

The bottom line is that Bergeron's journey has just begun. He's by no means
satisfied.

"My goal is to keep on learning," said Bergeron. "I'm still in that process.
I haven't done anything yet. It's nothing. I want to get better and learn
from the older guys. This year, my goal is to be more confident with the
puck. I just want to show up at every practice and game and work hard."

And therein lies the beauty of Patrice Bergeron - as good as he was, he's
nowhere near as good as he's going to be.