PATRICE BERGERON
This man is the best player in the National Hockey League.
He played his first NHL game at age 18 and at not yet 32 is, and has been widely considered to be, one of the premier two-way forwards in the league.
But he’s even better than that.
Never mind Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane or All-World defenseman Drew Doughty.
Heartily acknowledge the Jonathan Toews types or Ryan Kesler and Pavel Datsyuk.
But never mind period.
Hey, no disrespect to the previous Frank J. Selke Award winners over the years.
Bergeron has been a finalist for the award in six consecutive seasons, and has won it thrice (finishing second twice) joining Guy Carbonneau, Jere Lehtinen and Datsyuk in that distinctive and select 3-time-winner rarified air grouping.
Nominated once again for his play during the 2016–2017 campaign (along with the aforementioned Kesler of Anaheim and Mikko Koivu of Minnesota) a fourth honor will tie Bergeron with Montreal Canadiens legend Bob Gainey for the most all-time. Gainey won the Selke Trophy in its first four years of existence, 1978–1981 inclusive.
Of the 35 Selke winners (23 different players) — in 2004–2005 there was a full-season NHL lockout — six have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame (Gainey, Bobby Clarke, Doug Gilmour, Sergei Fedorov, Ron Francis and Steve Yzerman) and four are still active (Kesler, Bergeron, Toews and last year’s winner, Anze Kopitar).
Frank J. Selke was the general manager of both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, winning nine Stanley Cup championships (1932, 1942, & 1945 with the Leafs; 1953 & 1956-’60 inclusive with Les Habitantes).
The trophy which bears his name was the fifth and last of the major NHL awards named after general managers and owners of the Original Six teams, the others being the Art Ross Trophy-Regular Season League Leader in Points; the James Norris Memorial Trophy-Best Defenseman; the Conn Smythe Trophy-Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP; and [the] Jack Adams Award-Coach of the Year.
The Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded annually to the “National Hockey League forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game.”
The winner is selected in a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season.
That’s Bergeron in spades, but not in toto by any means.
A Bruins alternate captain for the 11th. straight season, in 2016-’17 he is the poster boy for the Selke yet again.
(My math tells me he’s been sporting that ‘A’ on his sweater then since he was 20).
Setting aside his 53 points and only 24 PIMs with a plus-12 rating in 79 games — plebeian numbers for him really — and examining his uncanny faceoff ability sharpens the focus dramatically.
He led the league in faceoffs taken (1,812); faceoffs won (1,089); even strength faceoffs won (817); even strength faceoff win percentage (62.3); neutral zone faceoffs won (324); and neutral zone faceoff win percentage (63.7).
He was first overall in the team puck percentage metric known as SAT or shot attempts differential as the Bruins recorded 439 more shot attempts than they allowed when Bergeron was on the ice in five-on-five situations.
He was second in the league in offensive zone faceoffs won (420); third in faceoff win percentage (60.1); third in shots (302); and fourth in defensive zone faceoffs won (340).
When the Bruins clinched a playoff position on April 4 against Tampa in a 4–0 win, ending a two-year postseason absence, Bergeron won 17-of-17 faceoffs.
When they were eliminated from the playoffs yesterday afternoon (April 23) he breathed life into an undermanned team, scoring the tying goal early in the third period, sending the game into overtime.
The signature attribute of an elite player in any team sport — the most valuable and oftentimes the very best player — is the ability to make his/her teammates better by simply being there.
By playing. By doing what they do.
Very few if any at all do what Patrice Bergeron does night in and night out.
What he does are the little things, the overlooked and unheralded things which are essential to a winning formula.
Faceoffs of course but ferocious back-checking, stellar penalty-killing, adroit power play work and a big well-timed and impactful hit or an important goal or primary assist when most needed.
Bobby Orr, the greatest player who ever lived, was exactly this way. His extraordinary (extraterrestrial?) skills were enhanced if that’s possible by his willingness to do the dirty work too.
A 3-time 30-goal scorer, Bergeron appears to revel in the little things, which contribute to making him the prototypical “complete” player.
The definition of a Selke award winner.
Since the dawn of sports time if you will, there have been team players. Some grab headlines and some don’t.
The highly-publicized figures are there for their teammates when the red light is on, either behind the goal or on top of the camera.
Or not.
And it’s that simple.
The greatest teammates don’t bother with the red light at all. Their paramount concern is the welfare of their team.
Bill Russell. Phil Rizzuto. Willis Reed. Kirk Gibson. John Stockton. Jim Thome. Jack Youngblood. Kerri Strug. Magglio Ordonez. John Havlicek. Kirby Puckett. Steve Nash. Ronnie Lott. Frank Crosetti. Brett Favre. Horace Grant. Jason Varitek. Byron Leftwich. Tim Duncan. Mark Price. Sean Casey. Alonzo Mourning. Trevor Hoffman. Dennis Johnson. Barry Larkin. Robert Horry. Kevin Garnett. Harmon Killebrew. Dave Cowens. Lou Gehrig. Elgin Baylor. Pee Wee Reese. John Havlicek. Larry Walker. Scottie Pippen. Bob Cousy. Darren Daulton. Charles Oakley. Larry Bird. Jonny Gomes. Bill Walton. Magic. Tom Brady.
Add Patrice Bergeron’s name to the list.
To succeed in the world of team sports, personal sacrifice is imperative. The needs or desires of the individual must be subjugated in favor of the team and the team’s greater good.
If that means riding on the back(s) of your star player(s) and assuming a less glamorous role, you do it, no questions asked.
You try as hard as humanly possible 100% of the time regardless, tossing glory, accolades and the ‘me first’ mentality aside.
That’s how you win.
And if and when you win, you and your efforts are duly noted.
In hockey the value of teamwork may be best represented in the play of linemates. Forwards (and defensemen for that matter) who develop a real chemistry with one another frequently catalyze a team, pushing if not vaulting it to the next level.
Historically in the NHL this has been the case since day one.
Detroit’s Production Line of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay boasted power and proficiency, finishing 1–2–3 in scoring in 1949-’50 as the Wings won the Stanley Cup.
The Blackhawks Million Dollar Line (Bobby Hull, Bill Hay and Murray Balfour) led them to the 1961 Stanley Cup.
The Bruins Kraut Line featuring proud German heritage pals Bobby Bauer, Woody Dumart and Milt Schmidt through the late 1930s and into the mid-’40s was legendary in Boston, notching Cup wins in 1939 and 1941.
As were Montreal’s Punch Line (Maurice Richard, Elmer Lach and Toe Blake); Buffalo’s French Connection Line (Rick Martin, Rene Robert and Gilbert Perreault); the LA Kings’ Triple Crown Line (Dave Taylor, Marcel Dionne and Charlie Simmer); the Rangers’ GAG Line (Vic Hadfield, Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert); the Canadiens’ Dynasty Line/Donut Line (Steve Schutt, Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire and occasionally Pete Mahovlich); Boston’s mid-70s Nitro Line (Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman); the LILCO Line as in the Long Island Lighting Company power conglomerate mid-’70s-early 1980s troika with four successive Cups to their credit (Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy); and on and on.
The tradition of naming lines still remains and has a nearly 100-year history to support it.
As for Bergeron and his most productive and therefore well-known linemates are concerned, the most compelling subject — beginning, middle and end — is Brad Marchand, The Li’l Ball of Hate turned big-time goal scorer.
There have been others like Tyler Seguin and Reilly Smith and presently either David Pastrnak or David Backes but so far Bergeron has not centered a line to which a flashy nickname is likely to be attached.
So far.
But this is not what motivates him.
It’s more a statement of the time rather than a testament to his world class all-around abilities on the ice.
Examine the recently played (September 17–29, 2016) World Cup of Hockey during which the tourney-favorite Canadians’ №1 line had Sidney Crosby centering Bergeron and Marchand. Marchand and Crosby are native Nova Scotians. Crosby and Bergeron have been international teammates since the 2005 World Junior Championship event.
The line combined for 10 goals; 12 assists; 22 points; 63 shots; 10 PIM and a +16 in their 6–0 perfect run to the tournament championship gold.
The prevailing wisdom espoused by head coach Mike Babcock and his staff demanded that Crosby be surrounded by speedy and intelligent players for whom puck pursuit was second nature, like breaking sticks.
Bingo!!! The line’s synergy became second nature.
Crosby was the WCH leading scorer and MVP; Marchand was outstanding and clutch.
Both would unequivocally and unconditionally tell you that none of this would have been possible were it not for the presence and contributions of Bergeron.
Patrice Bergeron is positively the best teammate one could ever hope to have.
Arguable though it may be to some perhaps, to me, that’s what makes him the very best player.
[Editor’s Note; This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in April 2017.]
Addendum: In 2016-’17 Patrice Bergeron won his fourth Frank J. Selke Trophy tying Bob Gainey for the most all-time and he is a six-time 30-goal scorer.
